Eastern Michigan has its usual Big Ten non-conference game. Except this time it’s across the entire country.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, September 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Network: Big Ten Network
- Location: Husky Stadium — Seattle, WA
- Spread: Washington (-25)
- Over/under: 47.5
- All-time series: No previous matchups
Setting the scene
Eastern Michigan is no stranger to playing Big Ten teams in non-conference play, but the Eagles aren’t used to traveling three time zones west in order to do so.
Yes, this is a traditional September MAC vs. Big Ten matchup — a matchup Eastern Michigan has become quite accustomed to winning under 11th-year head coach Chris Creighton. Creighton notched the program’s first-ever Big Ten victory in 2017 and rattled off a 3-game win streak against the conference. And if you want to still classify Washington as Pac-12, the Eagles have thrived on the West Coast before, becoming the first MAC team to knock off a Pac-12 team in the regular season in a 2022 matchup at Arizona State.
But regardless of those past accomplishments, a business trip to Seattle won’t be easy for Eastern Michigan. The reigning National Championship finalist cycled through a head coaching change in January and lost all but two starters from the historic 2023 team.
Both the Eagles and Huskies enter this matchup 1-0 after dismantling UMass and Weber State, respectively, last Saturday. Eastern Michigan is hungry for another September stunner, but Jedd Fisch aims to keep Washington’s 19-game regular season win streak alive.
Eastern Michigan Eagles outlook
New year, same old Eastern Michigan.
The Eagles lost a bevy of its top talent from 2023 — everyone who threw a pass, everyone who had at least 50 rushing yards, three of their top four receivers, their only two defenders who notched at least 60 tackles, and their sack and interception leaders.
Promoting many of last year’s backups, combined with moderate reliance on the transfer portal, it looked like a typical Eastern Michigan team. The Eagles invaded future MAC destination Amherst, MA and brutalized UMass in a 28-14 finish. Eastern Michigan doesn’t typically won games with its offense, but rather, it mucks up the game and forces opponents into uncomfortable situations, which is exactly what transpired Saturday.
Eastern Michigan produced six sacks and nine tackles for loss in the win and it commandingly won the other side of the trenches as well, refraining from taking a single sack despite 29 dropbacks. It was 60 minutes of sound fundamental football, and the Eagles must utilize that proven formula in Seattle, which has spurred some of Creighton’s past upsets over Big Ten teams.
The Eagles feature a new starting quarterback this year, but he’s anything but new when it comes to experience. Cole Snyder spent two full seasons as the No. 1 quarterback at fellow MAC school Buffalo, even leading the Bulls to a Camellia Bowl win in 2022. Snyder’s debut at Eastern Michigan went swimmingly. It wasn’t an explosive performance, but his 241 passing yards on a 17-of-29 showing were enough to keep the offense moving, and he helped produce three separate 30+ yard pickups in the pass game.
Losing Samson Evans was a brutal hit to the run game, but Eastern Michigan seemed okay operating with the tandem of Dontae McMillan and NC State transfer Delbert Mimms III as the two combined for 114 yards and a touchdown, consistently picking up short to moderate gains to help the Eagles finish 7-of-15 on third down.
The run game is traditionally where Eastern Michigan makes its mark, but Snyder is no stranger to slinging it, attempting 34+ passes 13 times in two seasons at Buffalo. Eastern Michigan doesn’t have the most established group of receivers to support Snyder, but Oran Singleton and Terry Lockett Jr. strung together promising 80+ yard showings at UMass, and they’ll hope to replicate that progress in Seattle.
Defensively, Eastern Michigan’s six sacks were the most important feature of the UMass game, and veteran edge rusher Justin Jefferson and defensive tackle Peyton Price were the chief proponents of the pass rush, combining for 3.5 of those quarterback takedowns. Most of the firepower and experience on this defense resides in the front seven, which bottled UMass up relatively well in the backfield last week.
Washington’s offense can run well, but it also features a former conductor of an air raid offense at quarterback. Thus, Saturday will be an important one for nickel Joshua Scott, who was one of the Eagles’ top defenders in 2022. Scott suffered a season-ending injury in the opener last year, but he’s back to guide a passing defense which ranked 46th in yards allowed per game a season ago.
Washington Huskies outlook
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Washington isn’t receiving the respect typically commanded by a reigning National Championship finalist, remaining unranked after losing just one of its past 23 matchups. There are reasons, however, with the loss of head coach Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff, along with 20 of 22 starters causing several question marks to surround the current state of the Huskies.
But the Huskies took care of business in Week 1 against Weber State of the FCS. They held their opponent out of the end zone entirely in a 35-3 finish, but the offense still left more to be desired with two punts and a turnover on downs on its first four possessions. The promising sign though was Washington consistently moved the ball throughout the entire night, only being subject to a three-and-out in the late fourth quarter with the backups earning the reps.
Head coach Jeff Fisch begins his Washington tenure with former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers — a four-year starter in SEC country. The former conductor of Mike Leach’s air raid offense in Starkville, Rogers is taking on a different scheme in Seattle but his vast experience in throwing 50+ times on a regular basis could pay dividends in the Huskies’ offense.
What are the differences in Kalen DeBoer’s Washington offense and Jedd Fisch’s? Fisch, having a vast NFL background, typically bases his offenses on outside zone running, stretching the field horizontally to test the defense, while DeBoer’s relied more on a vertical passing game. When Washington drops back to pass, expect a bevy of screens — something Rogers specialized in at Mississippi State. There should also be heavier RPO utilization than what we previously saw in Seattle, with a greater emphasis on the run game than last year’s squad.
That run game worked wonders in the opener as Arizona transfer Jonah Coleman registered registered 127 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns on 16 carries as the new feature back. But the passing attack was also sharp as Rogers produced an efficient 250 passing yards on a 20-of-26 showing, delivering plenty of short, quick passes in the direction of Giles Jackson who obtained 10 receptions for 98 yards in the opener.
Jackson is one of the longest tenured Huskies, and although he wasn’t a starter last year, he’s been a longtime contributor for the program, remaining stagnant amidst an offseason coaching change. But there aren’t many constants in this roster as outside linebacker Alphonso Tuputala and cornerback Elijah Jackson are the only primary starters back for 2024. Both looked stellar in Week 1, especially Tuputala who totaled a team-high six tackles in addition to a share of a sack.
Elsewhere on defense, look toward the other cornerback in Thaddeus Dixon as one of the key playmakers. Dixon broke up six passes a season ago, and he’s already off to a hot start with two deflections against Weber State to go along with four tackles. The secondary might be the strongest position group on defense, in typical Washington fashion, but the defensive backs will need greater assistance from the pass rush. Losing current Atlanta Falcon Bralen Trice on the defensive line was a substantial departure, and somebody needs to step up and mirror his production of 7.0 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss from last year.
Prediction
MAC teams haven’t typically produced the best results on the West Coast, but Eastern Michigan has consistently been a thorn in favorites’ sides under the direction of Chris Creighton.
It’s not going to be easy at Washington, but the identity of the 2024 Washington Huskies is largely a mystery with all the moving parts. It’s a conglomeration of transfers, similar to the 2022 USC team that came within a win of qualifying for the College Football Playoff, so sometimes rosters structured in this fashion can work.
The Huskies exhibited good defensive fundamentals against Weber State which could be on full display in this Week 2 matchup, making things challenging for Eastern Michigan’s revamped offense. Eastern Michigan doesn’t typically find itself involved in shootouts, so in order for the Eagles to emerge, the score needs to be in the teens or 20s, and the game needs to unfold in ugly fashion. They’ve only scored more than 20 once in their last 13 matchups vs. the Big Ten and still managed to win multiple games with their gritty, blue-collar style of winning.
But Will Rogers, Jonah Coleman, and Co. possess too much offensive firepower for that to transpire in Seattle.
Prediction: Washington 36, Eastern Michigan 10