Figured we should get this going, and move on from one of the ugliest games of the Creighton era. We are all aware we need to win these last two to get to 6-6 and back to a bowl.
Akron comes in at 2-8 with their only wins coming by three points against Morgan State (a 3-5 FCS team) and a big fourth quarter comeback against the worst team in the MAC, Kent State. In most games they haven't been very competitive with a few notable exceptions. They took Indiana to four OTs (when Akron still had their starting QB) and surprising keep it kind of close against Miami-OH (19-0) last week.
Their starting QB, DJ Irons, is out for the year. I thought he was pretty good, a true duel threat who is still their second leading rusher. In his place senior Jeff Undercuffler has stepped in to the QB role. Undercuffler is a 6'5 240 lbs. 6th year senior. Looking at his size, he is exactly what you'd think, a big drop back guy who can't run (or pass much for that matter). This year he has barely completed 60% of this passes and thrown just four TDs to 8 INTs. He spent his first four years at Albany, and all told in his six years he has completed 56% of his passes and rushed for -565 yards...he is sacked a lot. Their line has given up 39 sacks this year, and I'm sure if they didn't have Irons to start the year it would have been more.
So they don't pass the ball well, or run it that well either. Their leading rusher has just 541 yards on the year and with Irons out they don't have the threat of the QB running. All that totals up to just 15 PPG.
On the flip side they give up nearly 30 PPG. They give up around 330 YPG, so not too crazy but they give it up through the air and ground equally so it doesn't seem like they do one thing really well either. They have also had to use three different kickers and missed half their field goal attemps.
This is clearly a team we can, and frankly should beat. It's at home, senior night...no excuses.
Game is at 7:00 Tuesday on CBS Sports Network. I don't see a line from Vegas yet, but ESPN has us with a 69.7% chance of winning.
(11-11-2023 08:30 AM)Sellers dweller Wrote: [ -> ]Figured we should get this going, and move on from one of the ugliest games of the Creighton era. We are all aware we need to win these last two to get to 6-6 and back to a bowl.
Akron comes in at 2-8 with their only wins coming by three points against Morgan State (a 3-5 FCS team) and a big fourth quarter comeback against the worst team in the MAC, Kent State. In most games they haven't been very competitive with a few notable exceptions. They took Indiana to four OTs (when Akron still had their starting QB) and surprising keep it kind of close against Miami-OH (19-0) last week.
Their starting QB, DJ Irons, is out for the year. I thought he was pretty good, a true duel threat who is still their second leading rusher. In his place senior Jeff Undercuffler has stepped in to the QB role. Undercuffler is a 6'5 240 lbs. 6th year senior. Looking at his size, he is exactly what you'd think, a big drop back guy who can't run (or pass much for that matter). This year he has barely completed 60% of this passes and thrown just four TDs to 8 INTs. He spent his first four years at Albany, and all told in his six years he has completed 56% of his passes and rushed for -565 yards...he is sacked a lot. Their line has given up 39 sacks this year, and I'm sure if they didn't have Irons to start the year it would have been more.
So they don't pass the ball well, or run it that well either. Their leading rusher has just 541 yards on the year and with Irons out they don't have the threat of the QB running. All that totals up to just 15 PPG.
On the flip side they give up nearly 30 PPG. They give up around 330 YPG, so not too crazy but they give it up through the air and ground equally so it doesn't seem like they do one thing really well either. They have also had to use three different kickers and missed half their field goal attemps.
This is clearly a team we can, and frankly should beat. It's at home, senior night...no excuses.
Game is at 7:00 Tuesday on CBS Sports Network. I don't see a line from Vegas yet, but ESPN has us with a 69.7% chance of winning.
Thanks Sellers. I have been on the road for work. Appreciate you stepping up.
Wow, great write up, Sellers! Enjoyed the read.
Sellers thanks for the great post!
I’ll be there to support the seniors, Creighton and staff and entire team. Nothing cures the woes more than a win. This game could go either way but hopefully we can get the W!
(11-11-2023 08:30 AM)Sellers dweller Wrote: [ -> ]Figured we should get this going, and move on from one of the ugliest games of the Creighton era. We are all aware we need to win these last two to get to 6-6 and back to a bowl.
Akron comes in at 2-8 with their only wins coming by three points against Morgan State (a 3-5 FCS team) and a big fourth quarter comeback against the worst team in the MAC, Kent State. In most games they haven't been very competitive with a few notable exceptions. They took Indiana to four OTs (when Akron still had their starting QB) and surprising keep it kind of close against Miami-OH (19-0) last week.
Their starting QB, DJ Irons, is out for the year. I thought he was pretty good, a true duel threat who is still their second leading rusher. In his place senior Jeff Undercuffler has stepped in to the QB role. Undercuffler is a 6'5 240 lbs. 6th year senior. Looking at his size, he is exactly what you'd think, a big drop back guy who can't run (or pass much for that matter). This year he has barely completed 60% of this passes and thrown just four TDs to 8 INTs. He spent his first four years at Albany, and all told in his six years he has completed 56% of his passes and rushed for -565 yards...he is sacked a lot. Their line has given up 39 sacks this year, and I'm sure if they didn't have Irons to start the year it would have been more.
So they don't pass the ball well, or run it that well either. Their leading rusher has just 541 yards on the year and with Irons out they don't have the threat of the QB running. All that totals up to just 15 PPG.
On the flip side they give up nearly 30 PPG. They give up around 330 YPG, so not too crazy but they give it up through the air and ground equally so it doesn't seem like they do one thing really well either. They have also had to use three different kickers and missed half their field goal attemps.
This is clearly a team we can, and frankly should beat. It's at home, senior night...no excuses.
Game is at 7:00 Tuesday on CBS Sports Network. I don't see a line from Vegas yet, but ESPN has us with a 69.7% chance of winning.
Well done Sellers! This game should be a win forcing a pivotal bowl eligibility with what should be a 3-8 Buffalo team (pending a loss this week to Miami Ohio).
I understand we can't look past Akron at all and especially with this EMU team we don't have any room to look past anyone. These 2 starting QB's will be interesting to see if either of them can get anything going. I'll take the under at 39.5
I’ll add on to this.
Irons came into the year not fully 100% from offseason surgery and didn’t quite get back to his 2022 form until the Indiana game. Unfortunately, he went down the next game for the season. Akron has toggled between Undercuffler and Bullock in an attempt to find some sort of consistency, but that has been a struggle. Undercuffler has shown he can move the offense, at times, but becomes turnover prone in the red zone. He doesn’t quite have as big of an arm as Irons or Bullock, yet could get the job done if he limited the turnovers. Bullock is an excellent runner and has a big arm. That being said, his downside is limited playing experience and he still does not seem to have a full grasp of the offense.
Believe it or not, Lingard is one of the better running backs in the MAC. However, his touches have been limited for some head scratching reason. He averages almost 5 yards per carry and is a threat any time he touches the ball. Lingard also has nearly 300 yards receiving. It’s unknown how utilized he’ll be this week as he exited last week’s game with an injury.
Gathings and George are the primary targets at receiver. Both can make plays, but haven’t had a ton of opportunities due to inconsistent QB play. Gathings is always right on the verge of getting a taunting penalty for the amount he runs his mouth. 2022 All-MAC 1st teammer Alex Adams has been hurt the majority of the season and will likely miss the final two games.
The OL has struggled. As noted above, they’ve given up the most sacks this season and have played musical chairs due to injuries. The original starters at left tackle and right guard have missed most of the season. The center is a redshirt freshman who has been inconsistent. The right tackle has been playing through nagging injuries and because of such has struggled in pass protection.
The defensive stats are deceiving. Akron hasn’t come close to consistently playing complimentary football this year and the defense has often been placed in bad positions. It’s a unit that I believe would be much higher ranked had there been help from the other two phases. The game against NIU was an outlier.
Akron’s front 6 is the strength of the defense. JUCO transfer CJ Nunnally is a terror off the edge and is one of the conferences top players in sacks and tackles for loss. Jones and Lavea are stout on the interior and the Zips have a nice rotation behind them.
At linebacker is where the defense actually shines. Zips go 3 deep with some guys who will lay the wood in Fish, McCoy, and Cooper. Griffin has also come on lately. Lewis is the Nickelback in the 4-2-5 scheme and mostly has what would be the field LB responsibilities in 4-3 schemes.
Teams have been going after (and have found success against) Tallandier at cornerback in the passing game. The other cornerbacks have been hit or miss and Safety play has been solid.
The punting unit and kickoff coverage has been solid this season. As noted above, field goal kicking has been an issue all year and the staff has yet to settle on a kicker from game to game.
Probably another hard one to believe (but I think EMU fans can relate from where the program has advanced from) this Akron team had a chance to be pretty good this year. The QB problem, OL issues, inability to consistently make FGs, and some bewilderingly play-calling (mostly Lingard not receiving more opportunities) has doomed the offense and made for another frustrating season.
(11-13-2023 02:48 PM)CoachPMac Wrote: [ -> ]I’ll add on to this.
Irons came into the year not fully 100% from offseason surgery and didn’t quite get back to his 2022 form until the Indiana game. Unfortunately, he went down the next game for the season. Akron has toggled between Undercuffler and Bullock in an attempt to find some sort of consistency, but that has been a struggle. Undercuffler has shown he can move the offense, at times, but becomes turnover prone in the red zone. He doesn’t quite have as big of an arm as Irons or Bullock, yet could get the job done if he limited the turnovers. Bullock is an excellent runner and has a big arm. That being said, his downside is limited playing experience and he still does not seem to have a full grasp of the offense.
Believe it or not, Lingard is one of the better running backs in the MAC. However, his touches have been limited for some head scratching reason. He averages almost 5 yards per carry and is a threat any time he touches the ball. Lingard also has nearly 300 yards receiving. It’s unknown how utilized he’ll be this week as he exited last week’s game with an injury.
Gathings and George are the primary targets at receiver. Both can make plays, but haven’t had a ton of opportunities due to inconsistent QB play. Gathings is always right on the verge of getting a taunting penalty for the amount he runs his mouth. 2022 All-MAC 1st teammer Alex Adams has been hurt the majority of the season and will likely miss the final two games.
The OL has struggled. As noted above, they’ve given up the most sacks this season and have played musical chairs due to injuries. The original starters at left tackle and right guard have missed most of the season. The center is a redshirt freshman who has been inconsistent. The right tackle has been playing through nagging injuries and because of such has struggled in pass protection.
The defensive stats are deceiving. Akron hasn’t come close to consistently playing complimentary football this year and the defense has often been placed in bad positions. It’s a unit that I believe would be much higher ranked had there been help from the other two phases. The game against NIU was an outlier.
Akron’s front 6 is the strength of the defense. JUCO transfer CJ Nunnally is a terror off the edge and is one of the conferences top players in sacks and tackles for loss. Jones and Lavea are stout on the interior and the Zips have a nice rotation behind them.
At linebacker is where the defense actually shines. Zips go 3 deep with some guys who will lay the wood in Fish, McCoy, and Cooper. Griffin has also come on lately. Lewis is the Nickelback in the 4-2-5 scheme and mostly has what would be the field LB responsibilities in 4-3 schemes.
Teams have been going after (and have found success against) Tallandier at cornerback in the passing game. The other cornerbacks have been hit or miss and Safety play has been solid.
The punting unit and kickoff coverage has been solid this season. As noted above, field goal kicking has been an issue all year and the staff has yet to settle on a kicker from game to game.
Probably another hard one to believe (but I think EMU fans can relate from where the program has advanced from) this Akron team had a chance to be pretty good this year. The QB problem, OL issues, inability to consistently make FGs, and some bewilderingly play-calling (mostly Lingard not receiving more opportunities) has doomed the offense and made for another frustrating season.
Great info, Coach!
Your comments above about the defense doesn't surprise me at all. I haven't gotten to see much of Akron this year, last week against Miami was the most I had seen them and I didn't think the defense was that bad at all. Then looking at the states, for a 2-8 team their defense numbers didn't jump of the page as been crazy bad or anything.
I have a feeling this is going to be kind of a rock fight with the final score of something like 21-10 or 17-6...hopefullly in favor of Eastern
Going to be a cool one to night 41 at game time 35 by the end of the game. Dress warm to all those going.
From an article online that I will post (for the record I’m picking EMU)
Akron vs Eastern Michigan Game Preview
Why Akron Will Win
Eastern Michigan keeps screwing up. Penalties are a huge problem, turnovers are an issue, and the defense has issues.
The three-game losing streak is all on that D that gave up well over 900 combined yards over the last two game. Toledo’s passing game went off, Western Michigan’s ground attack rolled, and Akron has to find some aspect of its offense to take advantage of the changes.
Akron was able to bet Kent State when the passing game started working. However, EMU has one of the nation’s worst run defenses, and …
(11-14-2023 02:16 PM)Luckeyone Wrote: [ -> ]From an article online that I will post (for the record I’m picking EMU)
Akron vs Eastern Michigan Game Preview
Why Akron Will Win
Eastern Michigan keeps screwing up. Penalties are a huge problem, turnovers are an issue, and the defense has issues.
The three-game losing streak is all on that D that gave up well over 900 combined yards over the last two game. Toledo’s passing game went off, Western Michigan’s ground attack rolled, and Akron has to find some aspect of its offense to take advantage of the changes.
Akron was able to bet Kent State when the passing game started working. However, EMU has one of the nation’s worst run defenses, and …
Here is the rest of it...
Quote:Why Eastern Michigan Will Win
Akron’s offense has come to a dead stop.
It can’t move the chains, the O is averaging fewer than 300 yards per game, and the passing game is woefully inefficient. For the first time in a few weeks, the Eastern Michigan defense will catch a bit of a break.
No, the EMU D can’t stop the better offenses, but it’s taking the ball away with multiple takeaways five times. Along with not keeping things moving, Akron’s offense is making a whole slew of mistakes with 20 turnovers on the year, eight in the last four, and the Kent State win the only game against an FBS team that it didn’t give the ball away.
Akron vs Eastern Michigan Who Will Win
It’s been a disappointing season for EMU, but it can close out the home stretch with a bang - the Akron offense just doesn’t work well enough.
The Eagles will be balanced offensively, the defense will hold up and force two takeaways, and the losing streak will stop as the team pulls off the steady, easy win on Senior Day.
Eastern Michigan 26, Akron 14
https://collegefootballnews.com/cfn/akro...me-preview
I am excited and a little forlorn that the season is over and we were unable to carry the momentum of last year's bowl win. Will be there after my night class, and will be packing my long johns and my old friend Jack Daniels.
Feeling the urge to do a shot on the track. Last time we need to look at it!
Jesus leg is so well rested from lack of use his extra point hit the SPAC building .
How was the kung fu kick not a penalty?
(11-14-2023 08:27 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote: [ -> ]Yeah baby! Great drive.
Entirely made up of penalties. Not the most sustainable approach.
Unbelievable
Bowling Green 27
Toledo 10
Halftime