By Alan Gerould, Senior Columnist, BroncoBlitz

The Broncos take its 4-3, 2-1 MAC record just down the road to Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti for a Saturday night showdown. The Broncos are in a must-win situation the rest of the season in order to keep its hopes alive for a berth in the MAC Championship.

We are pleased to have Joey Pisaneschi, who covers the team for the Eastern Echo as our guest writer this week. Joey, you are now on the BroncoBlitz hot seat.

BroncoBlitz: Eastern Michigan Coach Chris Creighton has seemingly had the Eagles program heading in the right direction but opening conference play with losses to Central Michigan and Ball State must have the fan base murmuring again. Is Creighton on firm footing in Ypsilanti? What will the Eagles have to do the rest of the way to make this a successful season?

Joey Pisaneschi: Coach Creighton has been working on turning the program around during his tenure here and taken the team to bowl games in two of the last three seasons. The team has bought in to his message and the culture that he has instilled in the program. To make this season successful, they have to execute and finish in second halves. If they execute for all 60 minutes , they have the ability to compete every single week.

BroncoBlitz: Mike Glass lll has seemed to run hot and cold this season. He has a solid rating of 141.49 and completed nearly 66% of his passes. He also leads the team in rushing but only averages 2.5 yards per attempt. That, I'm sure, is a big part of the problem, the apparent lack of a running game. What's your take on Glass lll's mid-season performance to date and what do the Eagles do well when they are clicking on offense?

Joey Pisaneschi: Just over 74% of the offensive production is coming through the passing game. Glass is the unquestioned leader of the offense and holds his offense to a very high standard. He can make all the throws on all three levels. He can read defenses quickly at the line and has a strong internal clock to know when to use his legs and get out of the pocket. The Eagles have a plethora of weapons on the outside which makes it difficult for opposing defenses to stop the passing game. A different player has been the focal point in almost every game. In the absence of Shaq Vann, Willie Parker and Breck Turner have carried the load in the running game. Parker and Turner play physical and hit the holes hard that have been created by the line. The play calling is usually very balanced

BroncoBlitz: Vince Calhoun and Kobie Beltram are far and away the leading tacklers on the Eagle defense. We knew about Calhoun coming into the season. What makes these two so good on this team? What have the Eagles been struggling with this year on defense when they seemed so solid coming into the season?

Joey Pisaneschi: Calhoun and Beltram don’t make many mental mistakes. They know their assignments and are leaders in the locker room. They both play physical and tackle well. They just have a knack for finding the ball and getting the carrier on the ground. They’re both very aggressive guys but use it wisely. The scoring defense has been a struggle for them this year. They create a lot of turnovers but have had difficulty in getting off of the field on third downs.

BroncoBlitz: Chad Ryland has hit six out of seven field goals this season, including both tries from beyond 50 yards. In these games, which have been close most years, that could be critical to who wins and loses as special teams in general frequently are. What does the rest of the Eagles special teams look like?

Joey Pisaneschi: Jake Julien gets good air under the ball on his punts and allows the punt team to get down the field and make plays. Julien has flipped the field on multiple occasions this season due to his placement of kicks. Dylan Drummond is the primary returner and wisely decides when to take the ball out on kickoffs and is very explosive in punts. He is shifty and also is one of the primary targets at wide receiver.

BroncoBlitz: The last two years the Broncos have escaped with three-point wins but this year the odds makers have the Broncos favored by 10. I think it may be closer. Throw out the records, etc.when these two get together but Western wants to keep that Michigan MAC trophy. What must EMU do to spring an upset and what do you predict the final score to be?

Joey Pisaneschi: The Eagles need to execute for all 60 minutes and continue to stay balanced and control the clock. I predict a high scoring affair with EMU escaping with a 38-34 win.