Michigan vs Eastern Michigan Eagles

Time: 12:00

TV: Big Ten Network

Location: Michigan Stadium

Line: Michigan - 24

Weather: 69 and partly cloudy


Does Michigan play any road games? Nope all 12 are at home this year. Bill Martin did a tremendous job with the schedule after the opening day schedule mistakes/losses the last two years.

Actually, Michigan does go on the road but not until October 3rd and they won't have to go far with a less then an hour trip to East Lansing. Before MSU, Michigan has the luxury of playing two more home games against Eastern Michigan on Saturday and Indiana next weekend.

Eastern is coached by Ron English who guided Michigan's defense for a couple of years before Lloyd Carr retired. He coached Louisville's defense for one year before taking the EMU head coaching job where LC played a hand at recommending him.

Ron is a friend of the program and participated at Michigan camps this summer but this Saturday he will be on the other side of the field watching most of the defensive players he recruited play against his Eagles.

The Eagles are 0-2 with a home loss to Army and a near miss against Northwestern last week in Chicago. Ron's team is improving each week but do they have enough to stop the train that's Tate Forcier and the Michigan offense? The answer is no.

Every match up you can think of favors the Wolverines. The only thing negative you can think of for the Wolverines is whether or not this is a trap game? The answer is yes it is but Michigan should still dominate. These young Wolverines love playing football and those on the team last year will remember a poor performance against Miami of Ohio and the loss to Toledo. Michigan will not let down or let up on the Eagles this week.


Start Panicking if:

• There is a major injury to one of the Wolverines


• Michigan forgets there is a game to play


• The Michigan players know this game is on the Big Ten Network (App. State and Toledo both were on BTN)


• Michigan continues to miss field goals
  
• The calendar reads 2008

Sing "Hail to the Victors" if:

• If Tate again forgets he is a freshman
  
• Denard throws the ball and runs like the wind


• A bunch of freshman at CB, DT, and the offensive line get some snaps


• Michigan's secondary rebounds after last week


• Michigan's front 7 stops the run


• Michigan does not let off the gas on the offense

I think this team is still too young and dumb to go "Oklahoma State" and start reading their press clippings. I think they again will be ready to play and beat EMU easily. Ron will turn the Eagles into a MAC power in the next 2-3 years but not on Saturday. Michigan 38 EMU 7



cartoon by Joel A. Morgan


GO BLUE!