The Eastern Michigan Eagles have enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they must head out on the road. EMU and the Bowling Green Falcons will face off in a Mid-American battle at noon ET on Saturday at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
The Eagles entered their contest against the Ball State Cardinals last week without any home losses -- but there's a first time for everything. EMU fell to Ball State 38-31. QB Ben Bryant had a pretty forgettable game, throwing two interceptions.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green came up short against the Northern Illinois Huskies last week, falling 34-26. Despite the loss, Bowling Green got a solid performance out of QB Matt McDonald, who passed for one TD and 235 yards on 41 attempts in addition to picking up 75 yards on the ground. McDonald's performance made up for a slower game against the Akron Zips two weeks ago.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, which contributed 14. K Nate Needham delivered a perfect 4-for-4 game.
This next contest is expected to be close, with the Eagles going off at just a 3-point favorite. Those burned by picking them against the spread last week might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
The losses put EMU at 4-3 and the Falcons at 2-5. Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: EMU is 226th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 14 on the season. Bowling Green has experienced some rushing struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the matchup with the 232nd most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 15 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.