Fear scale: 0 = Bye week?; 1 = If Michigan loses to this team somebody’s going to get fired; 5 = 2010 Illinois; 8 = Best in conference/will play in a BCS bowl; 9 = National title contender; 10 = Hold me, Ace.

Football? Footbawww.

The Road Ahead:

Illinois (6-3, 2-3 B1G)

Previously:

• Arkansas State, 33-15 (W)
• South Dakota State, 56-3 (W)
• No. 22 Arizona State, 17-14 (W)
• Western Michigan, 23-20 (W)
• Northwestern, 38-35 (W)
• @ Indiana 41-20 (W)
• Ohio State 17-7 (L)
• @ Purdue 21-14 (L)
• @ No. 19 Penn State 10-7 (L)

Last game: Bye

Right now they are as frightening as: Michigan apparently sucks on the road, so the rock needs one last revision …

The rock isn’t coming after Michigan.

Instead, Michigan is going after the rock.

6.

Michigan should worry about: A defense that leads the Big Ten in many statistical categories.

Michigan can sleep soundly about: An offense that hasn’t cracked two touchdowns since visiting Indiana.

When Michigan plays them: I-form middle, I-form right, play-action pass, Deuce formation jet sweep fake outside toss, Denard left, I yell at the TV, floater over the middle, punt.

Next game: No. 24 Michigan

(more after the jump)

This is a personnel-oriented look at the season's opponents. The game-week previews will be more matchup based. Last year's stats are presented with projected starters in bold and departed players in italics.

The Offense

San Diego State Offense 2010
Category	Raw	Rank
Yards Per Game	456.69	16
Points Per Game	35.00	19
Yards Per Play	6.86	9
Yards Per Pass	9.01	8
Pass Efficiency	148.14	20
Yards Per Rush	4.78	29
Playcall Distribution	1.03 Rush:Pass

So, uh, this is actually gonna get a little awkward, and I think you know why: San Diego State's offensive coordinator from 2010 will be coaching the offense on the Michigan's sideline (OK, in the press box) when these team meet up in Ann Arbor.

Al Borges's scheme last year has a reputation for pass-heaviness. With a new offensive guru, we may see something just a bit different this year. The big surprise? The Aztecs actually ran more than they passed last year (even adjusted for sacks - of which they gave up very few - they passed only 1.01 times for each rush). They were a more balanced offense than many realize.

With the change in coordinators, we were likely going to see an adjustment in offensive scheme anyway, but as we shall see, some personnel changes may add to that.

Quarterback

Ryan Lindley was second-team All-MWC last year. He'll try to repeat that feat as a senior (little chance of unseating new conference-mate Kellen Lewis, no?). Last year's backup, Jake Bernards, returns for his redshirt sophomore season, so the personnel here is not changed at all.

San Diego State QBs 2010
Name	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Yds/Att	TD	Int
Ryan Lindley	243	421	57.72	3830	9.10	28	14
Jake Bernards	1	1	100	10	10.00	0	0

San Diego State QBs Rushing 2010
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att	TD
Ryan Lindley	19	-31	-1.63	0

Grade: 3/5. Although Lindley was very efficient last year, his completion percentage and interception percentage were not all that impressive. That leads me to believe he's decent-at-best making decisions, but his wideouts helped him a lot last year. We shall see how he performs without a pair of NFL wideouts to rack up the yardage, and under a different offensive coordinator. With no experience in the stable behind him, this unit is strong up top, but drops off quickly. [Ed: Respectfully disgree. 9.10 YPA is a lot of YPA. I heard you like YPA, number people.]

Running Back

Ronnie Hillman (right) was a lightly-recruited true freshman last year... who just so happened to finish in the nation's top ten in rushing yardage. He'll try to repeat that feat this season, but don't be surprised if carries are a bit more spread out. It's tough for a guy to take a beating like that two years in a row. Walter Kazee should see an increase in his carries, and the Aztecs will look for viable 3rd and 4th options to take some pressure off.

San Diego State RBs 2010
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att	TD
Ronnie Hillman	262	1532	5.85	17
Walter Kazee	67	320	4.78	3
Davon Brown	30	144	4.80	2
Brandon Sullivan (FB)	40	124	3.10	7
Chad Young	2	4	2.00	0

 

San Diego State RBs Receiving 2009
Name	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	TD
Brandon Sullivan (FB)	26	383	14.73	3
Ronnie Hillman	9	68	7.56	1
Walter Kazee	2	38	19.00	0
Davon Brown	3	30	10.00	0

Grade: 4/5. Though Hillman was a one-man show last year, it's tough to argue with his production. Despite frquent usage, he averaged nearly six yards per carry. As long as he doesn't get worn out he should be similarly productive this year, and Michigan gets him early. A new fullback and more depth are the only things holding this unit back from being rated even higher.

Receivers

Here is where the Aztecs are likely to see a major step back this season. The last time SDSU lost any two players to the NFL was back in 2008 when four Aztecs went in the draft, and though they lost two receivers that season as well, both were late 7th-round picks. That's a vastly different situation than losing a third-rounder like Vincent Brown. So after losing 56% of their total receptions, SDSU is going to have to rely on some young blood to step up.

Unfortunately, redshirt frosh Jay Waddell and junior Dominique Sandifer were expected to be starters, but both are out for the season with injury. That means a mere 6 receptions(!) return from last season's wideouts. To compensate, the Aztecs might go with a two-TE base set to capitalize on their experience (Alston Umuolo was a returning starter who missed almost the entire season with injury). Redshirt freshman Ezell Ruffin and... uh... Dylan Denso? will likely start out wide.

San Diego State Receivers 2010
Name	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	TD
Vincent Brown	69	1352	19.59	10
DeMarco Sampson	67	1220	18.21	8
Gavin Escobar (TE)	29	323	11.14	4
Dominique Sandifer	23	263	11.43	0
Bryce Quigley (TE)	5	66	13.20	1
Dylan Denso	4	39	9.75	0
DJ Shields	2	29	14.50	1
Alston Umuolo (TE)	3	19	6.33	0
Josh O'Brien (TE)	1	10	10.00	0

 

San Diego State WRs Rushing 2009
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att	TD
Dominique Sandifer	1	14	14.00	0
Doug Deakin	1	13	13.00	0
DeMarco Sampson	4	11	2.75	0
Vincent Brown	1	-13	-13.00	0

Grade: 1/5. Graduation and injuries have ravaged the wideouts, leading to a whole lot of question marks. However, I'll give Alston Umuolo the benefit of the doubt, as he was expected to be a big contributor last year. He and Escobar form a formidable TE pairing. Phil Steele has Escobar on his 2nd-team All-Conference projections, FWIW. There is zero expectation for the wideouts.

Offensive Line

San Diego State returns four offensive linemen who started every single game last year, with C Trask Iosefe the only loss. Redshirt senior Mike Matamua [Ed-M: What names!] or redshirt junior Jimmy Miller will step in to fill his shoes (possibly at guard, moving a returning starter to the more-complicated position of center), but the other players return intact. Alec Johnson was last year's left guard, and if he doesn't move to center, will repeat that role. The other non-senior returning starter is junior right guard Nik Embernate. The tackles are both fifth-year players, with Tommie Draheim in his third year at left tackle and Kurtis Gunther in his second season on the right.

Grade: 5/5. Last year's offensive line was an impressive one, with SDSU doing an excellent job moving on the ground (even against TCU, the nation's best defense, RBs got 3.6 yards per carry), and giving up one of the lowest sack totals in the conference. Though center may be the most important position on the OL other than blindside tackle, there's so much experience in this unit that I have a hard time predicting anything other than an exceptional performance.

The Defense

San Diego State Defense 2010
Category	Raw	Rank
Yards Per Game	353.77	43
Points Per Game	22.08	36
Yards Per Play	4.85	22
Pass Yards Per Game	205.00	38
Pass Efficiency	113.45	20
Yards Per Pass	6.24	t-23
Sacks Per Game	2.15	47
Rush Yards Per Game	148.77	57
Yards Per Rush	3.71	t-36

Unlike the offense, San Diego State's defense isn't expected to change schemes. Former defensive coordinator Rocky Long is now the head coach. One of the pioneers of the 3-3-5 defense, expect more of the same out of Long.

The Aztecs were near the middle of the pack or better in just about every defensive category (funny how successful the 3-3-5 seems at every school other than Michigan) Though they played some good offensive teams (Missouri, TCU, Utah), that number also includes some moribund units in 1-AA Nichols State, Wyoming, and the awful New Mexico schools.

There's no obvious weakness in last year's numbers, though the pass defense was slightly better than the rush D. With a ton of roster turnover, expect to see a weaker squad this time around.

Defensive Line

San Diego State loses two of their three starters from last year's squad, but thanks to a healthy rotation, they have plenty of players available with some experience. Senior Jerome Long is the lone returning starter in the middle, with Neil Spencer and JJ Autele expected to step in at defensive end for the departed Ernie Lawson (by far the most explosive player on the front last year) and Jacob Tauanuu. Autele is undersized for a 3-man front, but Spencer and Long are both over 280 pounds.

Depth is lacking. Backup DT Perry Jackson was booted from the team this spring, and only a couple of players have seen experience in the lineup.

SDSU Defensive Line 2010
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack
Ernie Lawson	30	9.5	1
Jerome Long	29	6	1.5
Neil Spencer	25	2	1
Jacob Tauanuu	20	4	1
BJ Williams	19	2	2
JJ Autele	15	3.5	1.5
Larry Gibbs	9	1.5	1
Frederick Trujillo	7	1.5	0
Jordan Thomas	2	0	0
Perry Jackson	1	0	0

Grade: 2/5. The defensive line was hardly dominant last year (sacking the QB was the weakest part of the SDSU defense last year), and losing the most productive player isn't going to help. As long as Autele's weight isn't exploited by opponents, the starting unit should be OK. The lack of depth is where the Aztecs are in big trouble unless some young guys make a big leap this offseason. SDSU could be susceptible to wearing down.

Linebacker

This unit has a lot more returning than did the defensive line, with only starter Marcus Yarbough out the door. Every other contributor from last season returns to the field.

Yarbough's spot in the middle will be filled by his backup Rob Andrews, who had nearly as many tackles (some on special teams) but didn't have the ability to get into the backfield. Of course, when you're playing alongside 5th-year SLB Miles Burris (at right), it's not so necessary to carry a lot of weight as far as getting into the backfield. Logan Ketchum will reprise his starting role on the weakside this fall. With nobody departing among the backups, there are plenty of guys who have seen the field. Demetrius Barskdale and Nick TenHaeff, specifically, should be ready to step in at a moment's notice.

San Diego State Linebackers 2010
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack
Miles Burris	80	20	9.5
Logan Ketchum	52	2.5	0.5
Marcus Yarbough	42	4.5	2
Rob Andrews	36	1.5	1
Demetrius Barksdale	33	4.5	1
Nick Tenhaeff	30	3.5	2
Colin Shumate	7	0	0
Vaness Harris	4	0	0
Jacob Driver	2	0	0
Jake Fely	2	1.5	1
Chris Gordert	1	0	0

Grade: 4/5. This is a very strong unit, with an obvious headliner and a number of interchangeable parts playing alongside Miles Burris. As long as Andrews can fill in adequately for Yarbough, this unit should improve with another year of experience. Of course, if the defensive line can't help them out up front, it may not show on the box score.

Defensive Backs

Like linebacker, San Diego State returns almost all of its depth, but the Aztecs do lose starting pieces in rover ("Aztec") Andrew Preston and corner Darryn Lewis. Juniors Leon McFadden and Josh Wade will likely be your starting corners (Phil Steele likes redshirt frosh JJ Whitaker for the starting position opposite McFadden). The safety contingent consists of returning starter Brandon Davis, a redshirt senior, along with two new starters in Nat Berhe and Khalid Stevens. Outside of the starters, FS Marcus Andrews (who could also play a couple other positions), is the only one with any significant game experience.

San Diego State Defensive Backs 2010
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack	Int
Andrew Preston	78	4	0	3
Leon McFadden (CB)	55	7	1	2
Darryn Lewis	43	1	0	2
Nat Berhe (SS)	39	1	0	1
Khalid Stevens (Rov)	37	3.5	0	0
Brandon Davis (FS)	36	2	0	0
Marcus Andrews	33	1.5	1	0
Jose Perez	29	3	0	0
Josh Wade (CB)	26	1.5	0	1
Gabe Lemon	10	0	0	1
Colin Lockett	8	0	0	0
Rene Siluano	8	0	0	0
Romeo Horn	4	0	0	0
Dey Juan Hemmings	1	0	0	0
Ross Williams	1	0.5	0	0

Grade: 3/5. This looks like a strong unit with a lot of depth, but I'm hesitant to grade it any higher, as two of the top three tacklers (also the top two interceptors) from last year's team are out the door. The rover position and second corner seem a little weak, so unless Stevens can step up and impress, there are a couple exploitable areas in the D.

Special Teams

Brian Stahovich, who will be a 4th-year starter as a senior this fall, will continue to man the punting duties, and Abel Perez returns as the placekicking specialist.

San Diego State Kicking 2010
Name	FGM	FGA	%	Long	XPM	XPA	%
Abel Perez	17	22	77.27	53	54	56	96.43
Bryan Shields	0	0	-	-	2	2	100

 

San Diego State Punting 2010
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att
Brian Stahovich	53	2406	45.40

Grade: 5/5. This is an excellent special teams unit. Both were All-Mountain West last year (Stahovich 1st-Team, Perez 2nd-Team), are are expected to repeat the feat this year. Stahovich was one of the most accomplished punters in the nation, a 4-year starter who was 8th nationally in yards per punt last year [Ed-M: But can he rule galaxies?]

This is a personnel-oriented look at the season's opponents. The game-week previews will be more matchup based. Last year's stats are presented with projected starters in bold and departed players in italics.

The Offense

Eastern Michigan Offense 2010
Category	Raw	Rank
Yards Per Game	333.42	91
Points Per Game	19.00	108
Yards Per Play	5.05	89
Yards Per Pass	6.81	76
Pass Efficiency	116.88	96
Yards Per Rush	4.07	72
Playcall Distribution	1.81 Rush:Pass

Per expectations, Eastern was really bad on offense. Despite being below-average on a yards-per-rush basis, they pounded into the line almost twice as frequently as they passed (adjusted for sacks, they still ran 1.61 times for each pass attempt).

Where they were truly terrible, however, was the passing game. Their yards per pass attempt was slightly boosted by the rarity with which they actually threw it, but the efficiency number was amongst the worst in the nation.

Long story short, Eastern is bad at football (just you wait until we get to the defense).

Quarterback

Alex Gillett started every game for Eastern last year, but that's not to say he saw a whole lot of success: his completion percentage, yards per attempt, and interception percentage all range from mediocre to horrible. The one area that he did see success? The running game, where he led the Eagles on the ground.

Last year's backup, Devontae Payne, is no longer with the team, meaning that Gillett's backup will be a guy who has yet to play college football.

Eastern Michigan QBs 2010
Name	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Yds/Att	TD	Int
Alex Gillett	127	229	55.46	1633	7.13	13	13
Devontae Payne	22	52	42.31	217	4.17	0	1

Eastern Michigan QBs Rushing 2010
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att	TD
Alex Gillett	179	766	4.28	5
Devontae Payne	2	-7	-3.50	0

Grade: 2/5. Gillett was bad last year (except on the ground), and now there is nobody else on the roster who has seen any playing time in college football. Gillett's legs are actually pretty impressive - if you remove sacks, he was near 6 yards/carry - so I gave him a slight bump. Still, as a pure passer, he has a long way to go.

Running Back

The primary reason Dwayne Priest didn't lead the Eagles in rushing as a senior was an injury absence of three games. That did, however, give a few returning players a chance to step up. Official White Guy Corey Welch got the most carries, but he was outshined by freshman Javonti Greene on a down-to-down basis. Expect Welch to get some carries, but Greene should be the featured back. Dominique Sherrer and Joe Fleming should also get a few carries, and Sherrer chould even see a large role if he stays healthy. Despite all that, Phil Steele projects true freshman Ryan Brumfield to start, but color me a skeptic on that take.

Eastern Michigan RBs 2010
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att	TD
Dwayne Priest	168	716	4.26	8
Javonti Greene	50	277	5.54	2
Corey Welch	58	195	3.36	2
Chaz Mitchell	21	61	2.90	0
Dominique Sherrer	20	47	2.35	0
Joe Fleming	1	2	2.00	0

Eastern Michigan RBs Receiving 2009
Name	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	TD
Corey Welch	8	60	7.50	0
Javonti Greene	9	52	5.78	0
Chaz Mitchell	3	29	9.67	1
Dwayne Priest	4	21	5.25	0
Dominique Sherrer	1	6	6.00	0

Grade: 2/5. There's a bit of potential here, with the general EMU-ness of things dragging down expectations a bit. Javonti Greene has shown that he's ready to perform if given the opportunity, and Sherrer has shown off a bit of speed on kickoff returns. Still, this is a results-based grading service, and the Eagles haven't managed to get it done on the ground yet.

Receivers

Kinsman Thomas was Eastern's most-used wideout last year, but still managed to gain a very-respectable 18 yards per reception. The second-most deployed wideout, Donald Scott, wasn't far behind. Unfortunately for the Eagles, those two combined for fewer than 40 receptions on the year.

With Gillett's favorite target, tight end Ben Thayer, graduating, the wideouts should see an increase in receptions, but will probably a regress to the mean in yards per catch. Garrett Hoskins (whose also-lofty YPC average is boosted by a 73-yard trick play reception) will step into the starting lineup, but it's tough to say whether a second tight end or a new wide receiver will step up to grab the last spot. Expect either Trey Hunter or Kevin Wheeler - who took an injury redshirt last year - to get the nod.

EMU Receivers 2010
Name	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	TD
Kinsman Thomas	26	473	18.19	4
Ben Thayer (TE)	30	386	12.87	3
Garrett Hoskins (TE)	8	217	27.125	2
Donald Scott	12	199	16.58	2
Tyrone Burke	19	182	9.58	1
Josh LeDuc (TE)	17	155	9.12	1
Trey Hunter	8	100	12.50	0
Kyle DeMaster (TE)	3	19	6.33	0
Terrance Gourdine	1	18	18.00	0
Corey Manns	1	4	4.00	0

EMU WRs Rushing 2009
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att	TD
Ben Thayer (TE)	1	32	32.00	0
Donald Scott	4	10	2.50	0
Tyrone Burke	1	1	1.00	0

Grade: 2/5. The Eastern receiving corps has actually proven to be explosive, despite (or in part due to) their lack of opportunities. With three of the top 6 gone, however, those who remain are going to have to step up and maintain their past performance while getting more attention from the defense. I'll believe that can happen when I see it.

Offensive Line

Eastern returns three starters (at least part-time) from last year, but there will be some position shuffling going into this fall. Andrew Sorgatz, who has started at left guard for the past two years, switched to center this spring, and redshirt freshman Campbell Allison is expected to take over his old spot. Bridger Buche has started two years at tackle, and will likely reprise his role from last year. Redshirt junior Korey Neal was a part-time starter at right tackle last year, and is expected to start once more (replacing longtime starter Dan Demaster). There are a few options for right guard, with Josh Woods and Orlando McCord strong options.

Grade: 1/5. Though the Eagles didn't give up a lot of sacks last year, a big reason for that is their heavy, heavy slant toward the run over the pass. Seeing as how they were unable to move the ball on the ground despite that emphasis, I'd say this unit was very weak. Losing two starters isn't going to help much, and I think they'll have to pass more (meaning more sacks) and not see much improvement in the ground game.

The Defense

Notre Dame Defense 2009
Category	Raw	Rank
Yards Per Game	454.08	113
Points Per Game	43.92	118
Yards Per Play	7.26	120
Pass Yards Per Game	223.50	66
Pass Efficiency	173.49	119
Yards Per Pass	9.00	118
Sacks Per Game	0.83	118
Rush Yards Per Game	230.58	118
Yards Per Rush	6.11	120

Ladies and gentlemen, defensive guru Ron English!

The only thing Eastern wasn't absolutely terrible at was... having other teams feel bad for them, I guess. They faced the third-fewest defensive plays in the nation (the country's best defense, TCU, saw the fewest, with Minnesota right on their heels), but each of those defensive plays was practically a guaranteed success for the opposing offense.

The pass yards per game look alright... until you realize that teams simply didn't have to pass the ball, because they could get more than six yards every time they handed it off. All told, Eastern was in the bottom three of every metric that matters.

Terrible, horrible defensive team as they have been every year under Ron English, and every year before that.

Defensive Line

As you might expect, the defensive line didn't exactly cover themselves in glory last year. At least three starters return alongin addition to a key backup. A pair of seniors "anchor" the middle in Brandon Slater and Jabar Westerman, with their classmate Javon Reese returning on one side. Junior Andy Mulumba will like come off the edge on the other end of the line, with Devon Davis and Brad Ohrman also in the defensive end rotation.

Undersized Kalonji Kashama (whose name you may recognize - he's the younger brother of former Wolverine Alain) can play either inside or outside, but since EMU needs more help on the interior, will probably do most of his damage there. Phil Steele is also high on incoming JuCo Devin Henderson, also an inside/outside guy.

EMU Defensive Line 2010
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack
Brandon Slater	27	2.5	0
Javon Reese	25	4.5	3.5
Jabar Westerman	22	3	1.5
Ryan Leonard	18	3.5	2
Andy Mulumba	17	2	0
Devon Davis	14	1	0
Kalonji Kashama	14	3	2
Brad Ohrman	13	1	0
Jasper Grimes	5	0.5	0

Grade: 2/5. Nobody had more than 30 tackles for the Eagles last year (for comparison, Notre Dame's scheme - which only plays 3 linemen and doesn't expect them to make plays - had 4 guys over 30 tackles, and one over 60), and just about everyone struggled to get penetration. With another year of experience - and not that many key contributors from last year's roster departing - they should improve a bit, but to expect their progression to get anywhere better than "bad" is wishful thinking.

Linebacker

When your team was horrible at defending both the run and the pass last year and you lose your top two tacklers, both of whom were linebacker, you're in serious trouble. Marcus English, a multi-year contributor, seems like the only sure starter. So of course, Phil Steele predicts he'll be displaced by incoming JuCo Sean Kurtz. I think it's more likely that those two will combine at inside and strongside linebacker on the starting unit, leaving the weakside position to Steve Brown. Phil Steele also projects starting spots for a pair of JuCos (meaning his starting linebacker unit for Eastern is composed of 3 junior college players and no returners) Justin Cudworth and Blake Poole. If none of the JuCos can earn starting spots, it'll probably be Matt Boyd on the strongside as well.

EMU Linebackers 2010
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack	Int
Neal Howey	95	7	0	0
Tim Fort	68	4	0	0
Marcus English	37	3.5	0	0
Steve Brown	31	10.5	1	0
Matt Boyd	31	1.5	0	0
Darius Moffett	17	0	0	0
Colin Weingrad	10	5	0	1
Herb Watts	9	0	0	0
Nate Paopao	5	0	0	0
Garrett Gronowski	1	0	0	0

Grade: 1/5. Jeeeeeeeesus this has a great chance to be a terrible defense, unless Ron English is some miracle-worker who has been sandbagging for the past two years. The returning ilnebackers bring very little to the table, as the two best players are out the door (without so much as a sniff from the NFL). Barring unprecedented individual improvement, or the junior college players stepping in as uber-sleepers, this unit should not expect much success.

Defensive Backs

Like linebacker, a bad unit lost a couple of its best players. Corner Marcell Rose and safety Martavius Cardwell both return, but the Eagles will have to replace the other two members of their secondary. Willie Williams, a strong safety/LB type, is expected to start at SS, and UCLA transfer Marlon Pollard will probably lock down the other corner spot. There's experience mixed in among the backups, much moreso than at any other position, especially since a number of JuCo players will be added to the mix.

EMU Defensive Backs 2010
Name	Tack	TFL	Int
Ryan Downard	60	2	0
Marcell Rose (CB)	56	1	1
Arrington Hicks	46	1	0
Martavius Cardwell (FS)	46	4	0
Willie Williams (SS)	35	4	0
Alex Bellfy	23	0.5	0
Kelip Goodwin	22	0	0
Latarrius Thomas	18	0.5	0
Ja'Ron Gillespie	6	0	0
Brandon Pratt	6	0	0
Antwan Reed	2	0	0
Nate Wilson	1	1	0

Grade: 1/5. Eastern Michigan's pass defense, despite losses, has to be better than last year's, if only because there's nowhere to go but up (the whole team had 2 picks last year!). Adding a player who was good enough to sign with UCLA out of high school should be a boost to a team starved for talent, but there's a long way to go to reach "bad," much less "mediocre."

Special Teams

Both EMU specialists from last year return. Jay Karutz will handle the punting (rugby-style, yo), and Sean Graham will reprise his role as the Eagles' field goal kicker.

Eastern Michigan Kicking 2010
Name	FGM	FGA	%	Long	XPM	XPA	%
Sean Graham	5	8	62.50	42	23	25	92.00
Kody Fulkerson	0	1	0.00	-	4	4	100

EMU Punting 2010
Name	Att	Yds	Yds/Att
Jay Karutz	68	2632	38.70

Grade: 3/5. Neither Eastern Michigan specialist was particularly good last year, but at the same time, neither was a serious liability (and that's a big deal for a team where seemingly everyone else was a liability). With a year of game experience under each of their belts, it's reasonable to expect a bit of improvement.