25 Questions From the Factory

 

It's a Water Tower

What is their body of work?

EMU has always been a tough place to compete.  When Chris Creighton came in, they had 18 straight non-winning seasons.  17 of those seasons were 4 wins or less.  Further, he took over after the Ron "Sh*tbird" English debacle.  He went an Arthish 3-21 in his first two years.  In the next five years, to present, they are 31-22 with 3 bowl game appearances.  He has had the most sustained success since Jim Harkema was there in the late 80s/early 90s.  Again, it's the low bar, but it is something.  They are 4-3 this year and 1-2 in the MAC.  The wins are St. Francis, UMass, Texas State, and Miami, with losses to Wisconsin, NIU, Ball State.  Interestingly, they had only one P5 opponent this year.

BG and EMU have not played since 2017. Creighton is 2-0 against BG and the Eagles have won 3 of the last 5.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They have 25, which is pretty experienced.

Who are their statistical leaders? (Top 20 Nationally)

Ben Bryant is #19 in completion percentage,

Jake Julien is #12 in punting

Hassan Beydoun is #17 in receptions per game

What is their turnover ratio? 

They are -1 so far.

EMU Alum

Offense

How is their QB play?

Their starter is Ben Bryant, a UC transfer who moved to EMU last year.  He's very good....#2 in the MAC in passing efficiency, with 66% completions on almost 13 yards a completion, a very efficient approach.  7 TD over 2 INT.  He does run a little.

What is their scoring and yards per play

They are 3rd in the MAC in scoring offense and 9th in yards per play.  That's a very unusual spread that we usually reveals itself later.  We know it isn't turnover margin.

Can they run the ball?

They are not great.  They are 9th in the MAC in yards per carry.  Darius Boone has the most carries, but not great yards, while Jawon Hamilton (UCF-James Madison) is 5.5 yards per carry on fewer attempts.

Do they pass the ball?

They are #3 in passing efficiency.  See above.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 53% of their overall plays.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Yes, the do, 2nd in the MAC.  This helps explain the gap between scoring and yards per play

Do they score in the red zone?

They are good at 5.3 points per red zone trip.

Do they protect the quarterback?

 Not really.  They give up sacks on 8.7% of pass attempts...I have a little concern that offenses have figured out BG's stunting fronts that helped with the Minnesota win, but this would be a good time to get that rolling.

Defense:

Old School

Topline: Scoring and yards per play

This is where you worry.  They are #2 in the MAC in scoring defense and #4 in yards per play allowed.

Do they defend the run effectively?

Not great.  They are 8th in the MAC in yards per carry allowed.  Of course, you have to wonder how well BG can take advantage of this.

Can they be passed on?

They are pretty solid.  #3 in the MAC in pass efficiency defense, allowing 54% completions, 5 TD over 3 INT but 12.7 yards per completion.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

OK...they are 6th, allowing 38% completions.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They aren't great, allowing 5. points per trip.

Do they pressure the QB?

Pretty good, 7% of pass attempts

The Factory

Special Teams:

Punting?

They lead the MAC in net punting.  No blocks or TDs allowed.

Punt Return?

Very poor.  7 returns for -4 yards.

Placekicking? 

Good not great.  About 67% with a long of 47.  Has been over 50 in his career

Kickoff? 

Opponents start on the 27.  No TDs.

Kickoff Return?

They start on the 25.  No TDs.

Intangible Miscellany

EMU is a 3-point favorite.  They are a tough matchup for BG's offense, since they excel at pass defense.  They are a strong defensive team and given our struggles to move the ball, even against NIU's low-ranked defense...that is not a good sign.  BG's defense has been showing signs of being figured out just a little....but EMU is a pass-first team, which is a good matchup going that way.  So, best case, probably low scoring.  BG takes care of the ball.  Maybe one of those long plays goes all the way.  This is one where you'd like to see us show progress with a win, but this is not the EMU we are used to and it will require a very solid effort, four quarters, etc.  Love to get one on our last home Saturday.