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MAC West Preview
By Nick Gerogosian | July 24, 2008
EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES
Coach: Jeff Genyk, 5th year (13-33)
2007 Record (MAC): 4-8 (3-4)
QB Andy Schmitt is one of the best-kept secrets in the MAC, ranking 6th in the league in passing efficiency last season. When fully healthy, Schmitt also provides ‘dual-treat’ abilities as he was the only MAC QB to lead his team in rushing during the 2006 season.
With Pierre Walker graduating there could be a big drop off in the team’s rushing (ranked 54th nationally) attack, especially as the EMU ground attacked topped 200 yards per game during their final games of 2007. Terrance Blevins has size (6-1, 226) and potential, but outside of Blevins, there is very little size at the RB position.
Despite losing two starters, EMU returns their top three WRs in Jacory Stone, Dontayo Gage and Tyler Jones. Jones is a converted and athletic former QB who also excels with the basketball team. Anyone of these three are capable of having a big game statistically and the coaching staff has expressed excitement about this units improvement during the spring. TE Kyle Pollock is a highly rated JUCO who replaces a three-year starter.
Outside of the punt return area, Eastern has some very effective special teams play. Punter Zach Johnson is on the preseason Ray Guy watch list after averaging 42 yards per boot. Johnson also serves as the placekicker, hitting a 50-yarder last year. Dontayo Gage averaged 23 yards per kickoff return.
Dan Holtzclaw is one the nation’s top linebackers - period. A legitimate preseason Butkas Award Candidate, Holtzclaw will be a rare four-year starter for the Eagles. He ranked 3rd in the MAC in total tackles in 2007; #1 in the league in 2006 and 13th in 2005 - his freshman season. The defensive line will certainly miss NFL Draft pick Jason Jones and tenacious DE Eric Young. Even with these two talented players EMU finished last year ranked 89th in scoring defense and 90th in total defense. Seniors Spenser Smith & Josh Hunt will need to lead a very young and unproven DL unit.
Notes:
EMU averaged 36 points per game during the final three contests in 2007. Although the Eagles were only 1-2 in those games, they did beat MAC Champ Central Michigan to close out the season. The offense will click early this season as EMU will feast in week #1 as they open the 2008 campaign at home against Indiana State. The Sycamores were 0-11 last year giving up 49 points per game. This is clearly Coach Jeff Genyk’s most talented team. Too bad the Eagles are in the stronger division and not the MAC East. This 2008 Eagle squad could do something that no EMU team has done in 13 seasons and that is to get above the .500 mark. Winning the “Michigan MAC Title” last season (beating both Western and MAC Champ Central) shows that the program is headed in the right direction and is no longer a pushover. The key to the entire season is the month of September. EMU has three home games up through September 27th - an extreme rarity. If Eastern is victorious in all three of these winnable home games (Indiana State, Toledo & NIU) then a winning season is highly probable. If they falter in one or two of these early games, a downward spiral may occur and Genyk could be gone after this fifth season of his tenure. This publication sees EMU struggling to attain a 6-6 record but it’s certainly possible with a favorable 2008 schedule.
NIU HUSKIES
Coach: Jerry Kill, 1st season (2007 FCS, formally I-AA Coach of the Year at Southern Illinois)
2007 Record (MAC): 2-10 (1-6)
When healthy, Dan Nicholson has been a solid quarterback. However, he has endured an injury plagued career. Last season he played the entire season with a shoulder problem and had off season surgery. Keep an eye on him - he could be a sleeper if he stays away from the injury bug.
Justin Anderson earned 2nd Team All-MAC honors last year rushing for 1,245 yards. He is the kind of workhorse RB the new coaching staff loves in their two-back offensive scheme. Montell Clanton also returns and had two starts a year ago as overall the Huskies are very deep and talented at the RB position. If Anderson stays healthy, he could rush for over 1,500 yards in this offense.
Former QB prospect Britt Davis has become an excellent receiver. He had over 700-yards in 2006 before being injured in 2007. Look for a stellar senior season in 2008. Matt Simon and Marcus Perez are quality compliments. In the coaching staff’s new offense, look for more production from TE Reed Cunningham.
Overall there are a lot of unknowns with this special teams unit. The PK will be either punter Andy Dittbenner or Winona State transfer Mike Salerno.
NIU was dreadful last season on defense giving up 434 yards per game (ranking 97th nationally) in total defense and 210 yards per game (ranking 111th) in rush defense. Having a healthy DE Larry English is a must. SS Alex Cube has moved to OLB to take advantage of his speed and playmaking abilities. He had a 111 tackles last season and will make an immediate impact to the LB unit. The overall defense has much more experience entering into the season, meaning the nation’s 97th ranked team in total defense should be vastly improved.
Notes:
NIU has 15 seniors listed along with 55 returning lettermen within their two-deep roster published. It’s extremely rare that a new coaching staff takes over and there is so much experience and so many impact players like DE Larry English (2007 MAC Defensive Player of the Year), CB Melvin Rice, QB Dan Nicholson and WR Brit Davis to work with. The first thing the new coaching staff must do is immediately correct the turnover problems the Huskies had in 2007. Part of the problem was due to injuries, but for NIU to finish 117th nationally in turnover ratio was quite surprising for any Joe Novak coached team. The new coaching staff has to be excited to get the season started so the August 30th contest is “big” in that regard alone. Considering the Golden Gophers were 1-11 last season, this is a game NIU has a shot to win. September 6th at Western Michigan will tell a lot about this team playing their first divisional game on the road and so very early in the season. NIU has lost two straight to the Broncos by a total of six points.
TOLEDO ROCKETS
Coach: Tom Amstutz, 8th year (55-32)
2007 Record (MAC): 5-7 (3-5)
When healthy, QB Aaron Opelt is one of the top signal callers in the league. Opelt has the knack to run when the pocket breaks down and has improved as a passer over the past two seasons. Opelt threw for 2,631 yards and 18 TDs last season. These numbers will improve drastically with new OC Chris Hedden. Hedden has significantly improved every unit he has been a part of since joining Amstutz’s staff in 2001. Now promoted to offensive coordinator, look for the Rocket offensive arsenal to be even more potent than last year’s 33 point per game output.
Junior DaJuan Collins received an offer from Penn State to be a DB but he wanted to be a RB so he came to Toledo. Last season he showed his talent averaging over 6-yards per carry as a backup to Jalen Parmele, an NFL draft pick. This year Collins will rush for over 1,000 yards. Morgan Williams was rated as the #29 RB in the nation by Rivals.com two years ago. He rushed for nearly 5,200 yards during his prep career and accounted for 68 TDs at powerhouse Canton McKinley HS. If eligible this season, Williams will dominate the MAC.
The receiving corps led by Stephen Williams and Nick Moore have the potential to be two of the MAC’s best receivers this year. Williams had six 100-yard receiving games in ‘07 while Moore added 60 receptions and 8 TDs. Tim Cortazzo will be counted on this fall along with a trio of talented freshmen; Sam Gaymon, Kenny Stafford and Phillip Barnett. There are four TEs who could play, so it’s difficult to pick just one. John Allen is listed as a TE but is a glorified possession receiver. Tom Burzine, Matt Fought and Danny Noble will like up as traditional TEs.
Alex Steigerwald has become one of the steadiest PKs in the Midwest. He was 13-13 in FGs last season with a long of 44 yards. He set a school record making at ten extra-points in a game against NIU last year.
Toledo’s defense has gotten worse each of the last three years under DC Tim Rose. In 2005 UT gave up 22 points per game, in 2006 it was 28 and last season it jumped to 39 points per contest. Have the MAC coach’s figured out his schemes and will there be significant improvement on that side of the ball in 2008? Barry Church is one of the top safeties in the country. With the size of an outside linebacker and speed of a DB, Church is the backbone of the entire defense and has 163 career tackles and 7 INTs on his resume as a two-year starter (started as a true freshman).
Notes:
Toledo is a difficult team to pick in 2008. There is no doubt a lot of talent on this team, especially on offense, but after two straight 5-7 seasons, has the bottom fallen out of this once solid football program? Last year’s 5-7 team featured three home wins that easily could have been losses (36-35 over Iowa State; 35-34 over Liberty and 43-40 over Ohio) as Toledo was just eight points away from being 2-10. A disturbing trend worth noting during the past four seasons is that UT has lost 13 games by 20 points or more. The mental toughness of the program will be tested this year as UT could finish anywhere from 8-4 to 3-9. Toledo must replace three outstanding football players who are now in NFL training camps. OT John Greco will go down as one of the Rockets all-time greats while RB Jalen Parmele was tremendously productive as both a RB and a kick-returner. Punter Bret Kern was the MAC’s best last year and ranked #2 nationally in punting average.
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Coach: Bill Cubit, 4th season (20-16)
2007 Record (MAC): 5-7 (3-5)
Tim Hiller must lower his INTs in 2008. Hiller threw 15 last season and the Western Michigan team as a whole was not good at creating turnovers, ranking 88th nationally in the turnover ratio stat. Hiller was the MAC’s ‘Freshamn of Year in 2005. Look for improved numbers this fall.
Brandon West and Glenis Thompson are both talented runningbacks. West has also been a major contributor on special teams as a kick-returner. Each has the potential for a 1,000 yard season. Two of the past three years Western has produced a 1,000-yard rusher.
Jamarko Simmons is a physical WR with TE size (6-2, 234). He earned 1st team all-MAC honors last season producing 980 yards and averaging almost 1-yards per grab. Someone needs to step up at WR and help out Simmons. That person could be Miami (FL) transfer Doug Wiggins, but he could end up at CB if needed. Juan Nunez, Jordan White and Schneider Julien will need to produce. TE Branden Ledbetter earned 2nd team all conference honors and is one of the top players at his position in the league with 14 career TDs.
Both kicking jobs are up for grabs. Caleb Morris, a transfer from Maryland, will contend in the fall while Ben Armer follows the graduated Jim Laney, who averaged 44 yards per punt last season.
Ten starters return on a unit that gave up just 19 points per game during the second half of the season - which included a 28-19 victory at Iowa. This group that ranked 68th nationally in total defense and 73rd nationally in scoring defense will be vastly improved. The Broncos have one of the best defensive back units in the country - period. Senior CBs Londen Fryer and EJ Biggers along with senior safeties CJ Wilson and Louis Delmas have a combined 112 career starts, 25 INTs and three All-MAC selections combined. The Broncos were 12th in the MAC last year in penalties (95 total averaging 65 yards per game). Western MUST cut out these silly mistakes.
Notes:
Offensively, Western Michigan features several all-conference players, including WR Jamarko Simmons, TE Branden Ledbetter and RB Brandon West. QB Tim Hiller was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2005. Three of the four Bronco losses within the MAC came by four points or fewer. One or two plays per game would have made a difference from a 5-7 season to a 8-4 season. WMU doesn’t need to overhaul anything to contend for a MAC title. This is a very talented team that has the potential to win non-conference games against Nebraska and Illinois providing that they cut down on their turnovers and get better play from the offensive line. There are enough player-makers throughout the skilled positions on offense to light up the scoreboard.
Nick Gerogosian truly is the MAC Daddy, check his continuous updates of the major sports at www.VanDelaySports.com throughout the year.
Topics: College Football, MAC, Nick Gerogosian, Preview |
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