Illinois Football: Breakdown of the Eastern Michigan offense

The Illinois football team is going up against an Eastern Michigan offense that can move the ball.

Eastern Michigan is averaging 262.5 yards per game through the air this season, which ranks No. 42 in the nation. They aren’t very good on the ground, though. They are averaging 76 YPG running the ball, which ranks No. 103 in the nation.

Here is a breakdown of the Eastern Michigan offense.

Quarterbacks

I believe the star of the Eastern Michigan offense is quarterback, Mike Glass III. He is a senior with the program and was a holdover from the squad last season.

So far through two games, Glass is 54-of-75 for 525 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Those are legit numbers too. He isn’t just dinking and dunking the ball around. Glass can throw it all over the field at a completion rate of 72-percent.

I have honestly been extremely impressed with what Glass has done on the field. He has the ability to run with the ball, but he is clearly developing his arm. His sweet spot seems to be about 10-15 yards down the field. With Illinois’ defensive backs a little thin right now, I won’t be surprised to see Glass have some success.

Some of the errors Glass makes are his fault. He does throw into tight coverage sometimes, which can cause a turnover. The one bonus is the fact Eastern Michigan’s running game is weak. That means we can drop back more defenders or bring the blitz more often to cause headaches.

Running Backs

The main running back for Eastern Michigan is Shaq Vann. He is also a senior on this Eagles team. Vann had a solid 2018 campaign rushing the ball for 590 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he hasn’t been able to get it going this season.

Through two games, Vann now sits with 93 yards and 0 touchdowns on 30 carries. That is only a 3.1 yards per carry average. Illinois shouldn’t have a problem stopping him with their tough front four. This will enable the other seven defenders to focus on the passing attack. The running game seems to be a weakness for Eastern Michigan.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

With good quarterback play come good wide receiver numbers. Eastern Michigan’s wide receivers have put up solid stats this season because of the quarterback and the playing experience they have.

Senior Mathew Sexton is the leading pass catcher for the Eagles. He started every game for the team last season and now has 11 catches for 102 yards to start his 2019 campaign. Honestly, Glass spreads the ball around nicely to all of his pass-catchers.

Eastern Michigan has five wide receivers with over 50 yards already this season. They have seven players with at least four catches as well. For being a one-dimensional team, the Eagles have a solid passing attack that could prove to be dangerous for the Illini.

Offensive Line

The experience of the Eastern Michigan offensive line is a little scary. They do have some youth, like Brian Dooley, who has seen playing time this season. But, overall, they have a solid group protecting their quarterback.

Steven Nielsen is one of the leaders on the offensive line. He is senior and has been starting at tackle for a few years now. He is a 6-foot-8, 307-pound monster who is going to be tough to get around. I am curious to see how Wole Betiku or Ayo Shogbonyo matches up against him.

Having an experienced center also helps the offensive line. I believe Mike Van Hoeven will be starting at center for Eastern Michigan. He is a junior who has seen action in quite a few games during his career.

Overall

I would say the Eastern Michigan offense is pretty easy to figure out. That doesn’t mean Illinois is going to be able to stop them, though. The running game isn’t good, which helps the Illini. They can drop back more defenders.

But we do play a lot of zone and it seems like Glass can pick apart a zone pretty well. There will be errors made by the Eagles offense, though. I wouldn’t be shocked to see an Illinois linebacker get an interception in this game.

There will be times Eastern Michigan looks like a great offense because they have talent and Illinois’ secondary is thin. But we should be able to hold them to less than 100 rushing yards in this game. I would say turnovers are going to end up having a massive impact on the score in this one.