A Rising Storm in the North | Cheese's Eastern Michigan Dynasty

[mattrd39]

That's three in a row! Two more and that game with Northern Illinois decides the MAC West title. Iannotti's accuracy isn't much better, but at least he's made some big plays lately.

Glad to see my Huskies finally beat Oregon in your dynasty!

I totally agree with you about building from the lines first when you are at a small school. Even if they aren't dominant defensive linemen that get into the backfield to make the tackle themselves, if they can at least not get pancaked and just hold their ground, it really helps. It seems like once an o-lineman runs through and pancakes a weak DL, they can just keep running into your LB's and that's when those huge plays happen against you in the game.

[Cheese2121]

Quote: Originally Posted by mattrd39

That's three in a row! Two more and that game with Northern Illinois decides the MAC West title. Iannotti's accuracy isn't much better, but at least he's made some big plays lately. Glad to see my Huskies finally beat Oregon in your dynasty! I totally agree with you about building from the lines first when you are at a small school. Even if they aren't dominant defensive linemen that get into the backfield to make the tackle themselves, if they can at least not get pancaked and just hold their ground, it really helps. It seems like once an o-lineman runs through and pancakes a weak DL, they can just keep running into your LB's and that's when those huge plays happen against you in the game.

We are on a roll right now and picking up some big conference wins! The two against Central and Western Michigan were especially huge, due to them being rivals. Aside from my coaching contract being laden with goals about performance against rivals (got to get that contract renewal as I never intend leaving Eastern), those are both schools we are recruiting heavily against. I like our odds against Buffalo, although they run a spread which has been my Achilles heel on defense. They are rated about the same as us but have been playing beyond expectations this season. Zordich looks like a pretty dangerous dual threat. Kent State and NIU are going to be real tough. Especially the Huskies are in another tier than us in terms of talent on the roster. But anything can happen. If we can snag a bowl bid, it would be a huge for us on an already surprising season. We got really lucky in the scheduling in that we didn't have to face some of the powerhouse teams in the MAC East (Temple, Miami, Ohio).

Couldn't agree with you more on the defensive line assessment. I care much more about run stoppers and people to occupy offensive linemen at this point. Our DLine currently is getting flattened and its allowing so many big plays as my linebackers get annihilated by guards and tackles. Getting bigger on both sides of the ball is our main priority. Adding speed in our secondary would be the second. Needless to say we have a ways to go ahead of us but I am loving it and slowly getting some pieces in place. As always thank you for the excellent feedback. I love when followers get into a thread as much as you have.

[Cheese2121]

Eastern Michigan Team News: Week Ten

Smith Commits Following Visit -- Three star defensive tackle Tremayne Smith (6-4, 288 lbs) became the third member of the Eagles 2012 class. Smith took an official campus visit this past weekend and was in attendance as Eastern Michigan downed Ball State 42-30. He spent considerable time talking with senior defensive tackle Brandon Slater, who recorded three sacks in the win. Eastern Michigan recorded six sacks as a team in the game. Smith is expected to start as a true freshman and is the highest rated recruit pulled in by first year coach Dan Clayton to date. He was also considering Boise State and Michigan State.

Recruiting Profile - Tremayne Smith
	Tremayne Smith | DT Mentor Cardinals, High School Senior, Mentor, OH
	Height: 6'4"	Caliber:
	Weight: 288	Considered: Boise St, Michigan St
	Position Rank: 23	Overall Rank: 390
	EVENT 40 YD BENCH SQUAT SPARQ High School Workout 4.94 414 595 57
Scouting Report Graduating three seniors at the defensive tackles including both starters, there was little secret that the Eagles would be recruiting hard to fill the void. Smith, who is currently ranked at the 23rd best tackle in the country, has sat atop the Eastern Michigan recruiting board for quite some time. He fills the bill for everything the Eagles need and more. One of the biggest woes all season for EMU has been their lack of size in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Their defensive line has been overmatched and overpowered at times allowing offensive lines to tee off on the linebackers and open big plays down the field for their opponents. Smith projects to start as a freshman and could easily be the best defensive tackle on the roster heading into next season. At 6-4, 288 pounds, he has the big size that Clayton likes along the line. Even if he is unable to get into the backfield he should be able to occupy blockers and clog up running lanes. He lacks polish in his ability to shed blockers but has quick hands, favoring finesse moves to power. He will make the classic "freshman mistakes" but he will be a major upgrade for the Eagles and should develop into one of the best tackles in the conference.

Eastern Michigan 2012 Recruiting Class (to date)

Eastern Michigan Eagles Recruiting - 2011
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Tremayne Smith	DT	HS	Mentor, OH	6-4	288
Brian Parks	HB	HS	Abbotsford, CN	6-1	211
Tom Peterson	WR	HS	Manistee, MI	6-1	186

[mattrd39]

Gorgeous recruiting update. Very well laid out and informative, love it.

Glad you got a big d-tackle... although I didn't expect Tremayne to be a big red beard. Way to beat out those two big schools for him.

[Cheese2121]

EMU HB Dominique Sherrer didn't show any signs of rust, returning from the turf toe injury. Sherrer took home player of the game honors rushing for 135 yards and two scores.

Senior Superlative: Eastern Michigan Seniors Leave Ypsilanti on a High Note with 52-13 Win

Eagles open the game with 24 unanswered points in seniors' final home game | Sherrer and Welch run wild; combine for four scores | Buffalo offense has disastrous outing committing six turnovers.

AP Ypsilanti – The Eastern Michigan Eagles got their seventh win of the season and fifth in the conference, as they trounced visiting Buffalo 52-13. The Eastern Michigan offense came out firing on all cylinders as HB Dominique Sherrer returned from injury. Sherrer did not miss a step as he ran for 135 yards and two scores to take home player of the game honors. For Buffalo, it was a day to forget, as the offense led by three different quarterbacks (due to in game injuries to both Zordich and Licata) committed six turnovers in the loss. Buffalo starting QB Alex Zordich is not expected to miss any additional time suffering a mild concussion in the loss.

Picks Galore: The Eastern Michigan secured a season high five interceptions in the win.

For Eastern Michigan, there was no question that the defense came to play. Nickel senior CB Nate Wilson got things started in the first quarter as he took an interception the other way, 66 yards for the score. Wilson would collect a second interception in the game. Not to be outshined, CB Marcell Rose would also haul in two interceptions. The defensive line did a great job containing the scrambling quarterbacks recording four sacks on the day.

Eastern Michigan pulled the majority of their starters at the end of the third quarter with the victory already secured. Backups QB Tyler Benz and HB Joe Fleming were able to see significant playing time. Coach Clayton did call off the aggressive play calling on offense and ran clock not wanting to run up the score.

"Our most complete game to date. No doubt about it. There are still things we can clean up but a really complete victory today for us." -- Eagles Head Coach Dan Clayton

Eastern Michigan (7-3) will be on the road for the final two weeks of the season. They will square up next against Kent State (4-6). Despite their record, the Golden Flashes are considered a very dangerous team, with many attributing their record to playing in the much tougher MAC East. They are led by senior redshirt QB Giorgio Morgan (1304 yds, 10 TD, 12 INT), who is filling in for injured starter QB Spencer Keith. Senior impact HB Jacquise Terry (725 yds, 3 TD) is a quick back who could cause problems for Eastern Michigan on the ground. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM EST.

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Buffalo Bulls at Eastern Michigan Eagles
Nov 12, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Buffalo Bulls (5-5)	0	3	10	0	13
Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-3)	10	14	21	7	52

Team Stats Comparison
	BUFF	EMU
Total Offense	254	391
Rushing Yards	103	247
Passing Yards	151	144
First Downs	15	17
Punt Return Yards	7	11
Kick Return Yards	192	107
Total Yards	453	509
Turnovers	6	2
3rd Down Converstion	4-11 (36%)	4-10 (40%)
4th Down Conversion	--	2-3 (66%)
2-Point Conversion	--	--
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/2 (100%)	3/1 (66%)
Penalties	2-15 yds	1-10 yds
Posession Time	10:19	21:41

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	EMU
4:26	(EMU) S. Graham 40 yd FG	0	3
0:27	(EMU) N. Wilson returned interception 66 yds (S. Graham kick)	0	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	EMU
5:03	(EMU) D. Sherrer 1 yd run (S. Graham kick)	0	17
2:26	(EMU) K. Thomas 22 yd pass from M. Iannotti (S. Graham kick)	0	24
0:18	(BUFF) J. Schum 26 yd FG	3	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	EMU
7:16	(EMU) K. Thomas 24 yd pass from M. Iannotti (S. Graham kick)	3	31
5:11	(BUFF) F. Lee 39 yd pass from J. Davis (J. Schum kick)	10	31
4:40	(EMU) D. Sherrer 31 yd run (S. Graham kick)	10	38
1:11	(EMU) C. Welch 17 yd run (S. Graham kick)	10	45
0:07	(BUFF) J. Schum 26 yd FG	13	45
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		BUFF	EMU
4:31	(EMU) C. Welch 8 yd run (S. Graham kick)	13	52

Buffalo Bulls PASSING C/A YDS TD INT A. Zordich 7/12 86 0 3 J. Licata 3/10 22 0 2 J. Davis 2/2 43 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD B. Oliver 10 61 6.1 0 J. Licata 10 23 2.3 0 A. Zordich 8 19 2.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD B. Oliver 4 51 12.7 0 M. Rivers 4 29 7.2 0 F. Lee 1 39 39.0 1 T. Jackson 1 19 19.0 0 A. Neutz 1 9 9.0 0 A. Dennison 1 4 4.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK J. Violanti 1 0 J. Gordon 1 0 J. Silas 0 1 P. Wilson 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD F. Branch 5 0 0 0 D. Howard 4 2 0 0 O. Houston 4 0 1 0 I. Baugh 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG J. Schum 2/2 1/1 7 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 P. Fardon 3 121 40.3 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Rivers 5 120 24.0 0 T. Jackson 2 49 24.5 0 J. Petit 1 23 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Rivers 1 7 7.0 0

Eastern Michigan Eagles PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Iannotti 9/15 113 2 1 T. Benz 1/2 31 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Sherrer 24 135 5.6 2 J. Fleming 11 71 6.4 0 C. Welch 7 64 9.1 2 D. Brooks 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD K. Thomas 3 58 19.3 2 G. Hoskins 2 21 10.5 0 D. Brooks 1 31 31.0 0 A. Gudjeko 1 14 14.0 0 N. Olds 1 11 11.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK S. MacLeod 1 0 K. Neal 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD H. Waits 8 1 0 0 J. Westerman 2 1 0 0 J. Reese 2 1 0 0 N. Wilson 2 0 2 1 M. Rose 2 0 2 0 J. Gillepsie 2 0 1 0 B. Slater 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Graham 1/1 7/7 10 41 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Karutz 1 42 42.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD C. Welch 4 107 26.7 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD C. Welch 2 11 5.5 0

2011 Eastern Michigan Schedule/Results

   
                                                                     
Opponent (record)         Result      Record
---------------------------------------------------
vs Wyoming (0-1)          W 38-20       1-0
vs Navy (1-1)             W 42-20       2-0
at Michigan (3-0)         L 10-34       2-1
at Notre Dame (2-2)       L 10-26       2-2
vs Akron (1-4)            W 34-7        3-2
at Toledo (3-3)           L 42-46       3-3
at Central Michigan (3-4) W 31-28       4-3
vs Western Michigan (2-6) W 21-16       5-3
vs Ball State (0-10)      W 42-30       6-3
vs Buffalo (5-5)          W 52-13       7-3
at Kent State
at Northern Illinois

----------------------------------

Next Game:

Saturday, November 19, 2011 @ 3:30pm

(7-3) at (4-6)

All Time Series Record (15-13 Kent State)
Last Meeting Kent State W 28-6 (2009)

[LopaKa]

nice little streak you're on here cheese, keep the momentum going and finish the season strong! That NIU game should be really tough though.

[kswgrad2012]

I love that Recruiting Profile template. If only I knew HTML...

[Cheese2121]

Quote: Originally Posted by mattrd39

Gorgeous recruiting update. Very well laid out and informative, love it. Glad you got a big d-tackle... although I didn't expect Tremayne to be a big red beard. Way to beat out those two big schools for him.

Thank you my friend! A lot of the initial HTML template credit goes to SPFB (not sure what his username is now or if he is still active...) who taught me a lot of the initial HTML coding I know. I tend to work off basic templates (even some of the ones from the OS generators and then modify them into inspiration I get from reading sports sites around the internet, etc.). Thank you for the kind words and glad you enjoyed it.

Tremayne is a huge signing for us (both figuratively and literally). With our only two returning defensive tackles rated currently (hopefully progression will help some) at 55 and 49 ovrl we were going to be in for some big trouble if we didn't get some help in the trenches. Tremayne looks like a tremendous prospect and could easily be better than even my current senior starters as a freshman. I put a ton of time into his recruitment so it was nice to see it pay off as we pulled him away from much bigger schools. I have very high hopes for him. Hahah yeah he is a giant red beard. Thanks for checking in as always and following along!

Quote: Originally Posted by LopaKa

nice little streak you're on here cheese, keep the momentum going and finish the season strong! That NIU game should be really tough though.

Thanks man! We are on a roll right now and making some real noise in the MAC West. Thank goodness we don't play in the much more stacked East. I don't think Kent State on the road will be any slouch and I am trying not to look past them. NIU will be a real challenge regardless of where we are in the standings. Thanks for checking in!

Quote: Originally Posted by kswgrad2012

I love that Recruiting Profile template. If only I knew HTML...

Thank you! As I was saying above, a lot of the credit goes to SPFB who has helped me tremendously in learning the ropes of HTML and I am still very much a child at it. I like to tinker and try new things out though. Glad you are enjoying it!