The Eastern Michigan Eagles will try to stay unbeaten when they host the Ohio Bobcats at Rynearson Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The MAC Conference showdown will start on Saturday, September 23rd at 2:00 p.m. EST. The grudge match can be seen on ESPN3 for your viewing pleasure. As of now, the Eagles are -2.5 point favorites and the over/under is at 52.5.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles have opened up their 2017 campaign with two wins against the Charlotte 49ers and Rutgers. Both of those contests were low scoring affairs with the Eagles only giving up 20 points combined.
The Ohio Bobcats bounced back from a loss to Purdue by beating Kansas last weekend. The offense took off after the first quarter and kept the Jayhawks down for the entirety of the match. It was a nice come back victory after the Boilermakers really took the Bobcats behind the woodshed in week one. Last year, Eastern Michigan won 27-20 over the Bobcats at home and have a chance to make it two in a row Saturday.
Ohio Bobcats (2-1)
The Bobcats head coach Frank Solich named quarterback Nathan Rourke the starting quarterback for this week’s game against Eastern Michigan. Rourke, a sophomore, had been splitting time with former starter Quinton Maxwell.
So far, he has completed 33 of 49 passes for 435 yards with two touchdowns and no picks through three events. He also went 11 of 16 for 152 yards with two scores in last Saturday’s 42-30 defeat of Kansas. The dual-threat signal-caller has rushed for four touchdowns. That does include the three he put on the board against the Hampton Pirates.
Running back A.J. Ouellette is handling most of the duties at running back for Ohio. Last week, he toted the ball only 10 times but had 100 yards and a score to show for it. Altogether, Ouellette has rumbled for over 200 yards on 33 carries and three scores.
Teammate Dorian Brown and Julian Ross also take hand-offs from whoever is under center. Brown has scampered for 142 yards and a score while tail back Ross has a team-high three touchdowns on 27 carries. As a result, Ohio is ranked 39th in the country rushing for almost 206 yards per game.
Leading receiver Papi White splits time in the back field as well as on the edges. In 2017, he has brought in a team-high 10 catches for 150 yards and a score. Unfortunately, White was injured against Kansas and will not be available until early October.
With Papi White out, three other capable receivers will continue to fill the void. The trio have done pretty well, reeling in 23 catches for almost 350 yards and two more scores. The Bobcats rank 72nd in the nation, throwing for 220 yards per game.
The Bobcats defense have been pretty good at stopping the run in 2017. Once again against the Jayhawks, the front seven stood it’s ground. They allowed barely over 100 yards rushing and a 3.2 yards per carry average. The secondary ranks 70th in the country, giving way to 220 yards per contest.
Eastern Michigan (2-0)
The Eagles have some confidence coming off their bye following a 16-13 victory at the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. In that match-up, the Eagles were a 5.5 point underdog. Eastern Michigan held a 374-326 advantage in yards with a 2-1 edge in turnovers in what was a grind it out defensive struggle.
The Eagles were not totally clicking through the air but they were productive with quarterback Brogan Roback. Roback connected on 19 of 36 throws for 260 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, the signal-caller completed the game with no interceptions. Overall, he has 527 yards with the one touchdown and one pick.
Leading Eagles rusher Shaq Vann also didn’t put up any impressive figures in their win over Rutgers. The talented back did breach the century mark though but didn’t record a touchdown to go with it. Altogether, Vann has 39 carries for 157 yards. Bowling ball of a running back Ian Erickson only has 10 carries this season but two of them have went for scores inside the ten.
Wide receivers Sergio Bailey and Antoine Porter carry the load for the Eagles passing attack. The Duo has brought in ten passes a piece for over 320 yards and one score. Both the running game and the passing attack need to contribute more often if the Eagles hope to remain undefeated.
Eastern Michigan’s 20 points and 606 yards allowed through two games are the fewest such totals since 2011. The unit has also forced opponents to go three-and-out on 42.6 percent (12 of 28) of its drives this season. Obviously, they are the reason that the Eagles are 2-0 to start of 2017. They have been especially good against the pass, ranking 27th in the country giving up just under 160 yards per game.
Prediction
Well I certainly don’t expect many points in this football game in Eastern Michigan. Not only have the Eagles failed to move the ball effectively against anybody but the Ohio defense is no slouch too boot. Also, the Bobcats leading receiver and explosive play maker Papi White is out with a hand injury.
With that being said, I do think that the Ohio offense has a better chance to find the end zone than does the Eagles. Las Vegas has this total sitting at 52.5 and I believe that the under here will be a great bet. Yes, I said the Bobcats will score a little but not enough to push the game’s total to the over.
Odds makers also have the Eastern Michigan Eagles as a little under a field goal favorites. As much as I cheered for the Eagles last season, I can’t see them beating the Bobcats with all the struggles they are running into on offense. I think the defense will have a good showing at home, that’s another reason I suggested the under. Unfortunately, I think the offense lets them down in this MAC Conference opener.
So wrap this one up with the Bobcats beating the Eagles outright in a low low scoring affair. If you’d like, feel free to parlay those two picks but with the plus money on the Bobcats outright victory, either option is playable.
Trends
The Bobcats are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.
The Bobcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Under is 10-3-1 in the Bobcats last 14 games on fieldturf.
The Under is 19-6-1 in the Bobcats last 26 conference games.
The Eagles are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 conference games.
The Eagles are 18-37 ATS in their last 55 home games.
The Under is 5-0 in the Eagles last 5 games overall.
The Under is 6-0 in the Eagles last 6 home games.
The Bobcats are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 meetings.
The Bobcats are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings in Eastern Michigan.
The Favorite is 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 meetings.
