Five questions for EMU Eagles insider Al Willman
By Alan Gerould, Senior Writer, BroncoBlitz
BroncoBlitz: Seven games in the Eagles have improved on last year's win total by four games, from one win to five. This leads the FBS for the largest turnarounds from 2015 to 2016. Two years ago Western Michigan was going through something similar going from 1-11 in 2013 to 8-5 the following two seasons. Bronco coach PJ Fleck is not surprised given Coach Chris Creighton's track record. Are you surprised? What do you attribute the improvement to? Are the fans buying in yet?
Al Willman: I'm not surprised either, to be completely honest. Creighton is a winner. Sure, it took two years to turn things around in Ypsilanti, but that was a tall order from the start. Ron English left the program worse than it was when he got it, and Creighton had years of a terrible culture and lackluster work ethic to fix. Creighton has prided himself from day one on doing things "the right way" and has built the program back from the ground up. From mentality, to strength and conditioning, to putting the team in front of the student body -- not just an "elite" group of students that expected people to want to be in front of them. Creighton, in his own way, has done what Fleck told me at MAC Media Day he did with Western. He taught them HOW to win.
BroncoBlitz: It seems that redshirt junior Brogan Roback has solidified his place as number one signal caller for the Eagles after his MAC Offensive Player of the Week performance against Ohio U. Where have you seen the most improvement? Why has this offense had so much more success this season?
Al Willman: Roback has -- and I'll be writing more about this in my Detroit News notebook next week -- done a complete 180 from when he arrived at EMU as a four-star. After hitting rock bottom with his suspension for violating team rules before the season started, he's come out of that two-week timeout a new quarterback. Roback makes smarter decisions with the ball. Instead of trying to be the hero and forcing a long pass when nobody was open, he's taken to the "live to play another down" mantra. He's not afraid to throw the ball away and regroup, or take a sack when he needs to. As far as big improvements, the Eagles have gotten better all over. The offensive line has gotten stronger and smarter, the run game has no shortage of weapons -- even missing its biggest threat, Shaq Vann, to a season ending shoulder injury. The receivers are more physical and find ways to get open, and for the first time in years, Eastern has true depth.
BroncoBlitz: The defense is much improved this year led by Kyle Rachwal and Jason Beck and Pat O'Connor who has an amazing 9.5 tackles for loss. Who else should we watch for and what are the Eagles strengths on defense and where are they vulnerable?
Al Willman: The defensive line, like their counterparts on offense, have gotten bigger. Like linebacker Derric Williams said last week, EMU finally looks like a real football team. The only thing that still leaves me expecting more is the secondary. While it has certainly improved by leaps and bounds, Western's pass game is second-to-none, and will be an issue on Saturday.
BroncoBlitz: The Eagles have eight fumble recoveries this year, good enough for sixth in the nation. The Broncos have only turned it over once this year. Who wins this battle, this game and who wins the special teams battle for field position?
Al Willman: It depends if Jarvion Franklin can hold on to the ball, which feels really weird to say. I think if Eastern's defense can get into his head, there may be enough of a ripple effect to make the game at least interesting. But that would open the door for Jamauri Bogan, who is a starter anywhere else in the conference, to steal the show. As for the special teams battle, I like EMU punter Austin Barnes. For years, the running joke was that the punter was the one who did all the work. For his part, he's been on the Ray Guy watch list almost every year in Ypsilanti, and was the MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week after the Bowling Green game. Don't sleep on him. Another special teams player to watch is kicker Paul Fricano. He's 10-of-13 this year, and has some range. His season-high is 46, but he booted a 61-yard punt as a junior at Churchville-Chili High School in upstate New York.
BroncoBlitz: The Eagles are 5-2 and flying high after wins over last year's MAC East Division Champ Bowling Green and this years ED favorite Ohio U. yet they are 24 point dogs coming into the Waldo Stadium boatyard. I'm sure that the Eagles will be pumped up for this game to keep the Michigan MAC trophy from staying in Kalamazoo. What must EMU do to spring the upset and what do you figure the final score to be?
Al Willman: The Eagles will need to stay disciplined and be nearly error-free on Saturday to have any chance at an upset. This is by no means a slight to the Eagles, but there's a reason Western Michigan is 7-0 and the 20th-ranked team in the country. The Broncos have the best 1-2 punch in the conference with Zach Terrell and Corey Davis, and those guys made short work of EMU two years ago at Waldo. The Eagles will show up to play, but the Broncos will win. Final score: WMU 45, EMU 27