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It will be a must-win game for both sides in Toledo on Tuesday night to kick off midweek #MACtion, as the Toledo Rockets (4-4, 2-2 MAC) and the Eastern Michigan Eagles (5-3, 2-2 MAC) clash under the national TV lights.
Both teams are at 2-2 in league play, and part of an effective five-way tie for second place in the MAC West. Both teams have lost to Northern Illinois and would effectively have to win three of those four games to even have a chance at playing in Detroit. I would take that a step and say that both teams would have to run the table to pull that off. Since that can’t happen, this game will have a hand in deciding if either team ends up in Detroit in December.
Toledo is coming off a 34-15 win over the Western Michigan Broncos. In that game, Bryant Koback ran for 100 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. That ended up contributing to 192 yards on the ground for the Rockets. Quarterback Dequan Finn was 8-of-24 for 138 yards and despite taking three sacks, he scored two touchdowns and didn’t throw a pick. The Toledo defense gave up 232 yards in the air and 166 yards on the ground. They recovered two fumbles.
Eastern Michigan defeated the Bowling Green Falcons last week by a score of 55-24. In that game, quarterback Ben Bryant threw for 286 yards, and the Eastern Michigan ground game produced 130 yards on the ground. Eastern Michigan had six players score touchdowns. proving a propensity for a balanced offensive attack when they’re able to get their gameplan in place. The Eagle defense held the Falcons to 130 yards on the ground and 244 yards in the air.
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Overall, Eastern Michigan has scored an average of 33 points per game while giving up 25 points per game. Their rushing has netted an average of 116 yards per game and they’ve gotten 257 yards per game in the air. Their quarterbacks have thrown a total of six interceptions and they have been sacked a total of 22 times. The defense has given up an average of 185 yards per game on the ground and 209 yards per game in the air. They have gotten four interceptions and have recovered six fumbles. They have a total of 14 sacks.
The Rockets have scored an average of 29 points per game while giving up only 18 points per game. They have averaged 163 yards per game on the ground and 214 yards per game in the air. Their quarterbacks have only been intercepted once but the team has fumbled the ball nine times. The defense has held opponents to an average of 146 yards on the ground and 181 yards in the air. They have a total of five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. They have sacked the opponents quarterback a total of 29 times.
I think this game is going to come down to turnovers. Both are fairly prolific offenses, but I give the edge to the Toledo defense. If Eastern Michigan can force a few fumbles, that might give them the edge. One thing which could go against the Eagles, however, seems to be that they are facing a fairly aggressive defense and they haven’t been able to protect the quarterback very well in recent weeks. I have a feeling that the Rockets are going to come out on top.
The game is in the Glass Bowl in Toledo. Kickoff is set for Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 7:30P.M., and will air on ESPN2. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing.