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Metro Detroit Football News & Highlights
NORTHERN ILLINOIS and TEMPLE FAVORED
CMU and WMU to be near the Top in MAC
BY Raymond Rolak
DETROIT- The head football coaches of the Mid-American Conference were all optimistic. The media voters predicted that Temple would win in the East and Northern Illinois would win the West. This was all part of Football Media Day at Ford Field where the MAC Championship will be played on Friday, December 3.
Central Michigan and Western Michigan will be competitive but it looks like a long season for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles failed to win a game last year and prospects look dim with a tough schedule on the horizon. EMU hosts Army on September 4, at 7:00 PM at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti for their home opener.
Second-year quarterback Alex Gillett will share time with redshirt freshman Devontae Payne. Payne stands at 6’6” and is more of a traditional pocket passer than Gillett. The Eagles are expecting the defense to be led by senior Latarius Thomas.
Central Michigan finds itself in a rebuilding position this season. The Chippewas have had four consecutive outstanding seasons. They have played in four straight bowl games and have had a 27-4 record in MAC games. Former quarterback Dan LeFevour, is now with the Chicago Bears. His top two receivers have also moved on.
Are the Chippewas in a predicament this year? Not according to Central Michigan linebacker Nick Bellore. He said, "We know we have our work cut out for us, and people will think we won't have a great season because we lost so and so ... but we have a really talented group and a lot of parts left from the championship teams.” Bellore anchored the CMU defense last year.
Western Michigan returns 34 letterwinners, including four All-MAC selections. The Broncos also return 15 starters, with seven on offense and six on defense. It is a good core to build around. Wide receiver Jordan White and safety Jamail Berry are expected to be front and center.
Senior, Robert Eddins from Ball State was one of the featured student-athletes. He is a 6-3 defensive end from Detroit Crocket. Eddins started all 12 games last year.
Temple will feature sophomore running back Bernard Pierce who had 16 rushing touchdowns last year. Coach Al Golden has eight All-Mac selections returning this year. They are an experienced team with 16 starters coming back from a 9-4 year.
Northern Illinois has All-MAC runner Chad Spann highlighting the offense. The senior had 19 touchdowns last season. The Huskies will boast 17 starters from last year.
Kent State running back, Eugene Jarvis and Ohio’s Noah Keller are on my highlight list as exciting players to watch this year.
There will be three new head coaches, Rob Ianello at Akron, Dan Enos at Central Michigan and Jeff Quinn at Buffalo.
For the first time in its 64-year history, the MAC will have five bowl game relationships—three primary and two secondary—for the next four football seasons (2010-2013).
The MAC’s three primary bowl agreements are with the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (Detroit, Mich.), GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) and Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, Ida.). The primary agreement with the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl replaces the International Bowl, which hosted the MAC’s No. 3 selection the past four years (2006-09) in Toronto, Ont., Canada. The Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl will have the MAC’s No. 1 selection in 2010 and 2012, with the GMAC Bowl having the No. 1 selection in 2011 and 2013. The Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl will own the MAC’s third selection of bowl eligible teams all four years.
In addition, the MAC has secured two secondary agreements over the next four years with the Papajohns.com Bowl (2010-2013), the Dallas Football Classic (2010 and 2012) and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (formerly the Emerald Bowl)/San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl/New Mexico Bowl (2011 and 2013).
For the fourth consecutive season, ESPN Regional Television and the Mid-American Conference have announced a six-week regionally syndicated football package that will air in 24 television markets, including Chicago; Philadelphia; Detroit; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati; Indianapolis; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Buffalo. The package will consist of six weeks of MAC conference and non-conference matchups, beginning Saturday, Sept. 18.
Detroit native Michael Reghi will call the action each week with analyst Doug Chapman. Chapman who was a running back for the Minnesota Vikings was the MVP in the 1999 Motor City Bowl with Marshall.
A game of great interest will be the CMU –EMU matchup on September 18, at 4:00 PM at Rynearson. EMU season tickets are available starting at $35, www.EMUEagles.com
2010 MAC 'Game of the Week' Schedule (All Times Noon ET)
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Date |
Matchup |
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Sat, Sep 18 |
Universityof Connecticut at Temple |
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Sat, Oct 2 |
OhioUniversity at Eastern Michigan |
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Sat, Oct 9 |
Templeat Northern Illinois and
Western Michigan at Ball State (Split Network) |
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Sat, Oct 16 |
Miami(OH) at Central Michigan |
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Sat, Oct 23 |
Templeat Buffalo |
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Sat, Oct 30 |
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan |
(Raymond Rolak is a Michigan based Sports Broadcaster)
Eastern Michigan University Opens New Practice Facility at Spring Scrimmage
By Raymond Rolak
Ypsilanti, MI -- The football program and the entire athletic department is open to use the new multi-purpose indoor practice facility located next to the football team building. This will allow all the team’s to practice indoors in case of inclement weather. The 3.9 million dollar facility is also up and running for intramurals.
“Having the indoor practice facility changes everything,” Head football coach Ron English explained. “Our players will have an opportunity to develop year round now.”
“The 2009 season was a disappointment but we have a lot to look forward to,” continued English. “We will start off at home against Army and that will set our tone.”
Eastern is returning 44 lettermen and that experience will help in a very competitive Mid-American Conference schedule. EMU will host Army at Rynearson Stadium on September 4. Last year, Eastern drew over 15,000 for that game. The Cadets specialize in the running game.
English ran 60 plays at the recent spring scrimmage to get a look at his squad under game conditions. One position with great depth is at the long snapper spot. Mike Zupancic, Alex Gudejko and Matt Bowman are all experienced and coaches are putting a premium on that position. “The kicking game starts with the long snapper,” said special teams coach Tom Burpee. He added, “Everything starts with the center.”
Gudejko, a redshirt sophomore from Barrington, Illinois, has the size. At 6’-5” and 221 he takes up blocking space after he gets the ball off. He comes from a football pedigree. His father Kevin Gudejko played at Rhode Island. Zupancic, from California is a letter winner and has experience.
Something new for this season will be the women’s clinic. Many women watch football without understanding the ins and outs of the sport. Coach English and his Eastern Michigan University coaching staff want to remedy this situation. They will offer to make football more understandable for women. EMU will be offering a Football 101 Skills Clinic for Women Saturday, July 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rynearson Stadium.
“There are a lot of women who are interested in football and Football 101 is designed to teach them about the rules of the game and why specific plays and strategies are used in certain situations,” said English, EMU head football coach. “Armed with this knowledge, the women who participate in the clinic will come out not only with a better understanding of the game, but also with a new appreciation of the sport. Plus, they’ll be able to hold their own with their football crazed friends and family.”
All ladies joining the EMU Football 101 team will experience what it is like to be a player as coaches teach them the importance of different positions and run them through practice drills. At the end of the day, participants will have the basic knowledge and skills needed to enjoy the game of football.
Registration for the event is $30 per person ($15 for EMU students) and includes lunch, a Football 101 t-shirt and autograph and photo opportunities with English and his coaches. Every participant will also receive a season ticket to the 2010 EMU Football home schedule.
For more information about the EMU Football 101 Skills Clinic, call 734-487-8109 or visit www.EMUEagles.com
(Raymond Rolak is a Michigan based Sports Caster)
LJAL JV FALCONS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP AT RYNEARSON STADIUM
The Livonia Junior Athletic League JV Falcons beat the Novi Bobcats 30-22 to win the championship at Eastern Michigan University's Rynearson stadium today. The Falcons took an early 6-0 lead, but the Bobcats answered and added the 2 point (kick) conversion to go up by a deuce. LJAL went up by 2 scores, but in this seasaw battle, the Bobcats came back again and it was tied at 22. The Falcons scored late in the 4th and walked away with the title.
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