If the Nittany Lions can pick up a win on the road to open the season, the trip back home will feature a much easier challenge in the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Here is all you need to know about Penn State’s week two meeting with the MAC opponent.
Last year (2-10):
The Eagles struggled out of the gate starting the season off 0-6 while giving up an average of just about 40 points a game. Eastern Michigan lost 52-47 to Toledo before picking up its first win of the season knocking off Army 48-38. The Eagles would lose the next three games though, including a 45-14 loss to Ohio. EMU would win on the second to last weekend of the season, beating Western Michigan 29-23 before losing the final game of the year 49-7 to Northern Illinois.
Top Performers Lost:
The Eagles manage to return their quarterback and leading rusher but lose tight end and leading receiver Garrett Hoskins. Hoskins finished his four years at EMU with a strong senior campaign that saw him catch 38 passes for 537 yards and three touchdowns.
Top Performers Returning:
Despite only having two wins in 2012, quarterback Tyler Benz put together a 1,506 yard, 14 touchdown season that ended with Benz earning a quarterback rating of 127.7. There is only so much one can take away from that considering the Eagles won two games all year, but returning a quarterback acquainted with the system and who has playing time under his belt is never a bad thing.
On the ground Eastern Michigan returns Bronson Hill who carried the ball 140 times in 2012 for 905 yards and six touchdowns. While the opponents are greatly different, Penn State’s Zack Zwinak rushed for 1,000 yards in 203 carries. Stats can lead to a false sense of talent or success, but for a team that struggled to win games or even be competitive in them, Hill was a bright spot.
Defense:
Outside of a upperclassmen filled secondary, the Eagles lack depth on the defensive front in terms of players with significant playing time under their belts. Only one linebacker, a six-foot, 235 pound Tim Brown is an upperclassmen while the rest of that corps is still earning its stripes. In total five defensive starters return for EMU including free safety Donald Coleman who was second on the team with 88 tackles.
Story of the offseason:
In his fifth year at EMU, coach Ron English is looking to prove that the Eagles’ 6-6 season in 2011 wasn’t a fluke. While 6-6 may not seem like a glowing result, it was the first non-losing season in over 15 years for the program. English was named MAC Coach of The Year for his efforts and will look to have the program rebound from a disappointing 2012.
Outlook: Where Syracuse may prove to challenge the Nittany Lions, barring an unexpected leap forward by the Eagles, even a struggling Penn State team should win in week two. At the end of the day the Nittany Lions are just too talented.
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