Behind Enemy Lines: Eastern Michigan football beat writer Joey Pisaneschi discusses CMU game
Central Michigan Life's Evan Petzold spoke with Eastern Michigan beat writer Joey Pisaneschi from The Eastern Echo to preview Central Michigan's 3 p.m. Oct. 5 game against the Eagles at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant.
Eastern Michigan has started the season 3-1 overall, defeating Coastal Carolina (30-23), Illinois (34-31) and Central Connecticut State (34-29). The only loss was to Kentucky, 38-17, on Sept. 7 at Kroger Field in Lexington.
In 2018, the Eagles finished 7-6 overall and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference, capped off by a 23-21 loss to Georgia Southern in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
Pisaneschi discusses Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass III, the offensive and defensive threats of the Eagles and much more on both sides of the ball in this exclusive Q&A.
Central Michigan Life: What does this game mean for Eastern Michigan?
Joey Pisaneschi: The last time the Eagles beat the Chippewas in Mount Pleasant was 2011, so they are honing in on that. They're looking to be respected as a team that could in the MAC West this year. Eastern Michigan has won three-straight games against Big 10 teams in three-straight seasons – Rutgers (2017), Purdue (2018) and Illinois (2019). Coach Chris Creighton wasn't focused on that record. He was focused more on that, up until they beat Central Connecticut State in the last game, their record after winning those Big 10 games – they lost six-straight in 2017 and four-straight in 2018 following those games. They were trying to not stay too high over those Big 10 wins and staying focused to break the 0-10 record following those games.
They try to take every opponent seriously and don't want to keep their heads too high or get too low – just take the task at hand serious every single week. Momentum is huge, but they don't ride it too high.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Eagles?
They're very balanced on offense. They can throw. The last game they played, Mike Glass III threw to eight different people. They have three very capable running backs, and Mike is a dual-threat himself. He likes to run the ball. The offensive line has given up just four sacks this year – only one against Illinois.
Defensively, Eastern creates a lot of turnovers. One of the weaknesses is giving up rushing touchdowns. Going into the last game, they had given up six on the season. The rush defense is the weakness. Vince Calhoun is probably the best player on defense. (Linebacker) Kobie Beltram had a great game last week. He led the team in tackles, forced a fumble and had a pass breakup. The offensive line is pretty good. They've only given up one sack in the last two games.
What is there to know about quarterback Mike Glass III?
Well, this is his second year with the Eagles. He was a junior college transfer, came over during his junior year and played seven games last year. Now, he's been the starter for this season. He likes to get rid of the ball quickly, can do some zone-read plays, has chemistry with a lot of different players, is a leader in the locker room and a good human being. If I had to think about ways to stop him, you'll have to get pressure on him early. Nobody likes getting knocked down in the pocket. He's a smart player, so he won't make boneheaded mistakes. You just have to get a good pass rush going.
What's the deal with running back Shaq Vann?
He had a great game in the first game against Coastal Carolina, but he's been battling with an injury since then. He's not going to be playing. It'll be Willie Parker. He'll be the main running back this next game."
What is the sixth year under coach Chris Creighton like for the Eagles?
They've made bowl games in two of the last three years. In the entirety of the program's existence, they've only made it to four. They lost both, but they're 3-1 right now. That's only the second time in his tenure that's happened. He's just trying to get the players to compete to their fullest ability every single week. If they do that, he feels like the team can play with anybody and, ultimately, beat anybody. He's just looking to help them gain respect as a program."
How does Eastern Michigan plan to slow down Central Michigan's offense?
Definitely a very strong linebacking corp and secondary against the pass. They've gotten at least one turnover in every single game. Very good in the pass defense. In the rush defense, there have been some issues with giving up touchdowns. They've had some games where they've come out a little flat. In the past two games, they had given up a touchdown on the first two possessions. Specifically, in the Illinois game, they were capable of adjusting on the fly to shut teams down – defensive coordinator does a nice job. The team has been working on getting a more consistent pass rush. As the season goes on, you're starting to see the chemistry build at the unit be more cohesive.
Did the close game against Central Connecticut State do anything positive for the team?
There were two delays in that game. There was a power outage at Rynearson Stadium that delayed the start of the game for 15 minutes. In the fourth quarter at 11:36, there was a lighting delay and the power went out again. Eastern was ahead 28-15 when that happened. Once everyone was back on the field, the defense was flat. Coach Creighton was upset. Even though it was a win, they felt like they were outplayed, out-coached and out-executed against. Yes, they came out with a win, but the overall message was that it wasn't acceptable.
They're looking to work on things.
If Central Michigan's going to win the game, what do the Chippewas need to do?
There are a lot of weapons on the Eastern Michigan offense. If they want to win, they'll have to slow down Mike Glass, get to him early. Another thing is to control the clock because EMU's offense has been able to score pretty quickly. Mike's got a good ability to connect on the deep ball and all three levels of the passing offense. If Central Michigan is going to win, they'll have to get to him early and keep him on the ground.
Score prediction?
Eastern Michigan 27, Central Michigan 20
