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Western Michigan’s secondary still needs work
The Broncos were tested early and often by Brogan Roback on Saturday. The senior threw 45 passes, completing 29 of them for 319 yards. He had a couple great throws on 3rd and 4th down to extend drives - or in one case, end it on a touchdown - and the secondary was nowhere to be found on their man. While the Eagles weren’t able to take full advantage of this, another team (say, Toledo) might.
The Eagles are a 9-win team
Yes, I know they still have four games left to play. However, the Eagles have played both the Rockets and the Broncos well, and look like they’re improving by the week. The defense, while not containing the Bronco aerial assault, held WMU to just 163 yards on the ground. They also forced two turnovers, which is twice as many as the Broncos had in their first seven games COMBINED.
And the schedule gets easier. The Eagles host Miami next week, they go to Ball State on Election Night, they get NIU the next Wednesday, and end with Central Michigan. Three home games, and the lone road trip is to Ball State, that’s totally doable. Even if they only go 3-1 against that stretch, don’t put a bowl win out of question.
Teams might have to stop double covering Corey Davis
It’s a double-edged sword, folks. If you double CD84, you either leave the box unstacked for Jarvion Franklin or Jamauri Bogan to run wild, or you leave single coverage on Carrington Thompson, Michael Henry, or more recently, D’Wayne Eskridge. The Eagles opted to let Thompson get open, and he had a monster game. 8 catches, 177 yards, and 2 scores.
This Western Michigan offense is deadly. It’s a true pick your poison, and while Davis probably won’t see less double coverage, it’s something you have to consider if you’re an opposing defensive coordinator if you have a shutdown corner.
Jamauri Bogan still isn’t healthy
Bogan only got 10 carries for 29 yards and 2 scores yesterday, with Fleck almost using him as if he owned the back on his fantasy team. Bogan had heavy tape on his ankle, and really hasn’t seen the field since his injury against Central Michigan (he has 13 carries in MAC play). While Jarvion Franklin has picked up the workload, the Broncos would love to have Bogan at 100% to give them an extra dimension in the run game. A couple extra days off before the Ball State game should be just what the team doctors ordered.
Western Michigan owns their rivals
Say hello to the first three-time defending Michigan MAC Trophy Champions, folks. The Broncos did something Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan have yet to do in winning their third straight “Aluminum Compass”, with all three wins coming outright. That equates to a 6-0 record against the two rivals over the last three years, and that’s just crazy.