PCFB Akron v Eastern Michigan

welcome to ipsilanti and just a few miles away from the big house where this house is home to the e Eastern Michigan Eagles and we are anticipating a great turnout and a sensational game in this one today an entra conference battle between a couple of Mac Rivals as we'll see the akan Zips taking on the Eastern Michigan Eagles glad to have you with us for EA Sports college football I'm Rees Davis David Po and Jesse Palmer with me in the booth guys we are ready to Tee It Up [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Easter Michigan ready to kick it off and get this game [Applause] [Music] [Applause] going he'll bring it out it's golden nice job by the kickoff team everybody stayed in their lanes and they'll stop him at the 16 [Applause] on first down here comes this [Applause] offense the give is to Williams he's knocked down in the back field he'll lose a couple how about the defender being a heat seing missile he was on radar lock he found the football and flew down with some bad intentions after getting knocked back to open this drive it's second and 12 looking to pass it's bullet throws to the wide out tosses it incomplete and I tell you what I know it's little when these QBs Miss and and the ball's not right to them but man it makes such a difference with yards out to the catch and in this case even catching the football it was just a little bit off and it just made it a little bit difficult for his wide receivers try to make the [Music] catch this defense has kept them backed up now one more stop and they can get off the field on Third and long he'll set up to throw flushed out of the pocket fires downfield oh what a grab by the defense and he's wrapped up after a solid return on the pick well statistically this defense is not one of the better units against the pass they're trying to change that here today what a great job tracking the ball down making a play on it stabbing it out of the air for a big interception early that should be massive for their confidence find his tight end the first down he's brought down solid pickup but a little bit short of the first down it's amazing how fluid and potent an offense can seem when you get a great pick up on first down and the tight ends a terrific place to go tight ends nowadays are kind of like cheat codes I mean they just know so much about right here seeing zone no one to sit it down boom positive yards nice positive play for this offense in it's now [Applause] go that last incomplete pass has him staring at a third and [Applause] three and the pass it's picked off and after the interception and the turnover this defense has set its offense up for business really early in this game you're seeing the ball Hawks on both sides of the ball interception on the first drive of the game and now they come out and this defense gets a pick in return there are a lot of dudes in the back end with speed with the ability to close what a phenomenal play by that young man just now to get the ball back to his offense now on First and 10 from the 27 Ed the play fake now to throw fires to the wide out grabbed over the middle it's Wilson and chunk plays of the name of the game and they get one here before the defense finally makes a stop good enough for first down they've got it first and 10 at the 50 [Applause] hand off to the lone back and he finds Some solid space makes a nice game before the defense is able to stop him well it's plays like that that will help this offense stay in Rhythm all game long if you can have that kind of success on first down running the football it just opens up your entire Playbook moving forward One Step W twep squeeze this junior knows how to get him on the ground I like feeding my guy I like like getting my running back touches feeding the ball so he can break some of those big runs but I'm also okay with these little ones set the tone stay balanced trying to move the sticks on third down defense impress [Applause] coverage 24 offense calls a timeout here critically important to make sure they have the right play called and everyone on the same page here line is set on third [Applause] down and the incomplete pass will bring up fourth down he decided not to hand it off on that RPO defense great job taking the throw Now setting up [Music] fourth they really have no choice here this is a no-brainer you go for it here on this fourth [Applause] down he'll try to throw and pick up the first down looking deep down the right side touchdown akan and they score first you know sometimes as a play caller you just don't have to overthink things I've got a guy who's faster than your guys and he's just going to run straight down the field I'm going to throw it way down the field he's going to make the catch and we're going to score a touchdown and that's pretty much what just happened there just got a little casual with it and blew the extra point about to kick it away after scoring the touchdown just into the end zone and he'll bring it out really disciplined job by the coverage unit to get down there and make the stop at the 19 Eastern Michigan takes over as the offense heads to the field that last possession a prime example Jesse of how things get condensed in the Red Zone hard to throw when the windows are smaller and that's what happens down near the goal line David this quarterback here just take accountability and ownership and come out here lead your offense and move on like we needed points that's something that we can harp on we'll watch the tape this week but now it's time to move on let's get another drive going got six on first down now a lot of options on second and four Brown has it got room at the 35 good call good EX execution as they move the chains and they have a first down at the 38 and here we go if you're an offense You' got to get that ground game going so you can have some balance and then you give it to your quarterback Palmer and let him make some plays down the field later on yeah exactly you know coming into this game this offense knew they were going to have to some way somehow at least establish a semblance of a running game for exactly what you just said you got to be able to use playaction pass later in this game to get some explosive plays down the field it's a play like that that we just saw which can help them get that going still some work to do after that last completion it's second down looking for a man it's Snider feeling some heat and there was nowhere to go for this quarterback and down he goes lot a missed opportunity you know the quarterback was excited he saw man coverage he thought he was going to have an opportunity to come up with a big play but up front they could not protect him well enough they line up with some serious work to do if they want to convert this [Applause] one out of the gun they'll run it inside and the big game and theyve got it on the 46 third and long I'm thinking bringing extra DBS play for the pass rush the passer and this offense flips the script runs the football right at him nice job by this offense catching him off guard making the big play getting the first down with the run as they get set to snap it just about to reach the end of the [Applause] quarter they're getting this guy lathered up and he's brought down after a solid game and we are done in the first quarter that's the end of the first quarter with the score Eastern Michigan [Applause] [Music] Z we'll start the quarter offense about to snap it on second down hand off from the shotgun that's what you expect from a senior don't give them any extra yards great tackle there well man there's some big hitting going on in the trenches right now this defense they take a lot of pride in stopping the Run let's keep our eye on them throughout the course of the game and see if they can contain this running attack gets it out fast crosses the 30 he got awayan touchdown Eagles and once he got loose it was all over now that's the way to bail out the rest of the team start with bad field position put together a drive anyway and very confident you can see the quarterback just had a bit of a Swagger R he was like look all right we're starting deep in our own end special teams didn't help us out but we can fix that right now fellas they went out and looked so good on that last drive he for a quick update let's go to Kevin Conor in the studio a bit of an under the radar game this week guys but take a look at this Navy is trailing right now but I'm not ready to say this team is out not after the way this group has rallied around that coach it really has been something to watch it's a touchdown game they're trailing by seven to Notre Dame we'll Circle back if anything big happens in this college football matchup and how about that one Kevin will be keeping an eye on everything going on [Applause] elsewhere scanning the field it's bullet fires to the big fell that's why the good Lord invented tight ends isn't it David get a good pick up on first down open up the entire play it just makes life so easy on quarterbacks I mean you got these guys that are so gifted athletically that you can do everything with them they're like overgrown wide receivers and now understanding zones and how to attack them it's just unbelievable when you got these kind of big athletes obliterates him still on the move and they don't drag him down until he gets all the way to the 46 ydd Line This offense has a lot of different ways they can attack you and you're going to see the entire Playbook at work in this game throwing it running it and getting guys the ball out on the perimeter great job they'll throw it on first down quarterback adapted got away from trouble and got rid of it and the defense settled in to stop that one for a short gain well he made the grab but the doors closed quickly after that and I like this I want to find my running back but man he's got to do a little more damage after the catch I need I need a stiff arm I need a spin move I need something where he can make that guy Miss and can pick up a bunch of yards and maybe get a big play out of it the aerial assault continues got it in the middle it's Williams and they pick up just a few on that completion yeah and you see running backs in today's football they play your agressiv basically for you but you got to find a guy that you can throw it to and you know he's going to catch the ball consistently it's third down in the line to gain is the [Applause] 36 the corners are walked up [Applause] tight on third down he'll try to pick it up through the air he's going going to run it he goes out of bounds after a solid gain on the play and that's a pretty good job by this defense man it's so hard to limit these quarterbacks and they're spreading you out all over the field when they take off it's hard to limit the damage nice job limiting the damage and I tell you what make it physical finish those plays and try to tackle that guy and make him think about running the football in the future they'd be looking at a 53 yd field goal from here instead they'll try to pick it up on fourth down got his man quickly and this Junior loves to show off that big arm that's a great example of the receiver knowing exactly where the first down marker is he got the depth he needed to get so once he was able to make the catch he already knew he had it now a fresh set of downs looking downfield it's bullet Pockets unleashes one deep and it's incomplete as he tried to thread that needle to the back corner of the end zone I think for the quarterback he's going to have to be so good with his eyes in this game you're going up against one of the best defenses in the country you got to look guys off especially when you're trying to throw to your primary target like he was on that last one after the misfire it's second and [Applause] 10 fast motion from the offense quarterback wants to throw on second down he's brought down but there's a flag on the play Let's see see if it stands they'll decline the penalty here and the result of the play stands like it and the Zips look to keep this drive [Applause] humming we they're looking to pass from the Red Zone he's moving out of the pocket and he's left with no option he just threw it away know the situation know the game of football right right when I start to get outside the pocket I don't see anything there I can throw the ball away I don't have to take a sack get a lost yardage play I can just throw the ball out of bounds as long as it passes the line of scrimmage we go on to the next down no harm no foul looking to throw on second down this time on target they'll get him stopped just short of the end zone but they're in business here with a first down we've reached the two-minute warning and we have ourselves a ball game and they have a chance to take the lead here before the half guys how much better does it feel if you go to that locker room with a lead they have a chance to do it here they'll try to get it in with the run into to the end zone he goes touch down Zips and that is exactly what you want from your offense man l and a half you want to execute and then punch it in physically on the ground Take the Lead going into the half take all the momentum the nice execution on the drive by that offense and the extra point is good and the lead is six they put together a 74 yd touchdown drive and they capped it off with a one yd Pune [Applause] [Music] almost ready to kick it away after scoring the [Applause] touchdown bringing it out not a lot of space to be found good Hustle by the coverage team and they stop him at the [Music] 21 first Eastern Michigan has it back as the eagle offense returns to the field after standing on the sideline and watching that long touchdown Drive they really need to put something together to give their defense a rest and that's a real thing man like you played a lot of plays you get BN out you need a chance to go decompress on the sideline get some oxygen Palmer now it's on this offense yeah this is the definition of complimentary football cuz it's a two-prong problem you've got to score points and answer but you've also got to take your time and give your defense an opportunity to get their win they'll get him down but not before he crosses the 50 he's down to the 49 well the play fake on the RP bought the receiver some time to work himself open on the route that was a man-to-man coverage on the defense nice job by the receiver putting his foot in the ground and separate trying to find his man on first down finds his man it's Mitchell they'll finally get him on the ground but not before he makes it to the 30 and gets a first down big playing the passing game there and I like the receiver gearing down in the zone did a nice job finding the soft spot on defense between the Defenders giving the quarterback an easy target to throw to to complete that throw a strong tackle and wrap up from the junior you know runs like this often times are like a boxer in a boxing match obviously it's not a knockout punch but these are body blows and as the game goes on these small gains are going to turn into longer runs they'll throw it to to the back on the screen finally right out of bounds but he has this offense rolling with a first down and what a play call you can feel maybe a little bit of aggressiveness this defensive line flying up field what do you do throw a screen right behind it get it to your running back let him do the rest chew up some yardage and make the big play for the offense this offense can get a jolt of momentum headed to the locker room if they can take the lead here [Applause] barges ahead and he takes it to the house touch down eagle and I like the running back's Vision he sees the hole explodes through it he knows where the goal line is Gets In The End Zone gets [Music] six no try to attack one more on their score [Music] and the extra point puts them on top by one so that scoring Drive took only six plays and they capped it off with the Oney pun about to kick it off after punching it in for the touchdown fair catch called for and made e e e e e [Music] the Zips take over and P ready to get that offense to work back and forth we go on these last couple of drives David everybody moving the ball and these offenses are in a rhythm everything they're doing right now is working a lot of scoring this puts a lot more pressure and that pass is intercepted and they'll drag him down after a good return on the interception and the senior just snatched the ball out of the air and gave it back to his offense this is obviously not a great start for this quarterback here two interceptions already in this game he's got to do a much better job with his decision making looking for room it's McMillan you know as a defense you kind of want to force the give on the RPO you want them to run the football and you can tell maybe the quarterback wishes he pulled this small game but some information you gathered maybe for the next time you get to run an RPO going to work on second down in the red zone is still some ground to cover to pick up that first down he's got it on the move touchdown Eastern Michigan and they take it in for six more points I just love the execution by this offense late in the half man you want to take the lead you want to get that momentum on your side and they do it they finish it with the passing game now tell you what eat that passing game up you can keep this lead keep the momentum and keep putting up numbers and they kick it through for the extra point and they have an eight-point lead and let's check in with Kevin Conor's in the studio Kevin terrific Showdown this week guys let's take a look at what's going on Oho Ohio state is a big right now and what's shaping up to be a blowout to remember they're up by 28 over Nebraska we'll Circle back if anything big happens you should know about it oh and how about that I know Kevin and those guys will be keeping an eye on it for us comes out throwing on first down unloads to the wide out it's complete he's right out of bounds but a big play on that one and it'll be a first down and I love the awareness by the wide receiver on that play because I'm not sure that route was supposed to be that deep you got to wonder if the receiver decided maybe to adjust the route a little bit to make sure that he got the first down throws to the wide out and it's picked off for the third time today and the senior just took that one out of the air and sent it the other one have a day young fell two interceptions already that's that's three four five six games for some people a hot start catching the football he's acting like he's playing wide receiver out there I might think about trying a different DB Eastern Michigan takes over as the offense heads to the field they're already in field goal range but Jesse they want to be aggressive but they can't take a negative play and the play call he's Off to the Races slippery slide find his way and ran away away from the crowd into the end zone touchdown Eastern Michigan they've extended the lead and taken control here in week nine have a day young fell I foresee some social media posts in his future not one not two but three receiving touchdowns on the day what a ball game and the extra point splits the upright in 2813 and drive not to taxing on the Playbook One play put it in The End Zone just like that so they got the touchdown now going to put it in the hands of their defense to finish off this half he'll call for the fair catch here offense set on first down [Applause] out of the gun the inside hand off to the running back and sticking to the run I tell you what a lot of teams that are really good are really stubborn and they continue to run the football even with little success so this offense is going to continue to focus on running the football you can tell the give to the lone running back now after that run they in pretty good shape at the 30 yd line they'll use a timeout right before halftime maybe time for one or two more [Music] plays just a few seconds remaining here as they try to put something up before [Applause] halftime back to pass it's bullet skips away from pressure throwing right it's caught and he was Off to the Races and he gets it to the 45 the line gain of 25 on the play first for the first half in the books time now to join Kevin Connor in our halftime update the end of the first half with the score e michig 28 the Zips will kick it away to start the second [Applause] half and he's coming out of the end zone he was looking for some Running Room but not much to be found as he stopped at the [Applause] [Music] 18 Eastern Michigan has it back as the eagle offense returns to the field this offense has really been clicking in the game so far Jesse no doubt everything there and he will be sacked at the 6yd line aw I love the defensive effort there they didn't get him right away they stayed after him he was scrambling going backwards they get the sack on the first play of the dve wants to fire on second down and that's going to fall to the ground incomplete that was a physical match up there third down coming and that's your goal separate man from ball try to get your shoulder in there on the catch point and really make give him something to think about physically jar that football and knock it out nice job by the defender on Third and long you'll need to push it down field and the ball is intercepted what a nice play on the pick didn't find much Running Room they'll let it slide they've got it at the 29 and we know turnover margin is a huge part of winning ball games interception number two his quarterback has to do a better job taking care of the football Don't Force It take the high completion percentage stuff don't always try to go for the big play the give is to Williams and a nice run there before the defense finally makes the stop coaches always harp about staying ahead of the chains and when you can run with that type of efficiency on first down man you are doing just that good spot after that seven yd pickup on first down it's second and three right back to the well they bring him down and he's going to lose a yard on that one this has got to be disappointing if you're the offense guys you were expecting to have a lot of success running the ball especially against this defense which is struggled so much this season but just nothing doing they have not been good enough in the trenches so far looking to throw it's bullet throws toward the end zone and swatted down by the defense to stop the scoring opportunity thir short in college football today you see so much more pass than you used to the offense stay is aggressive and I think they stay aggressive cuz they know they're in field goal range they got that three in their back pocket oh that one will leave a mark no good guys you want every little bit you can get and they got nothing there 15-point game Eastern Michigan takes over as the offense heads to the field after throwing the pick on the last drive need to take care of the ball this time Jesse we're going to find out a lot about this quarterback right here too how does he fight through adversity after that last Drive yeah clear the mechanism move on that's a part of it you're going to be a great player got to learn how to handle these mistakes and move on and that's big play like that to open a drive just builds the confidence now first down from the 46 from the gun leaves it on the inside with the back and a pickup of eight opens a world of opportunities on second and two you want to talk about making it easy for an offensive coordinator you pick up a bunch of yards on first down make that second down really really manageable that's a great job by the offense fires to the wide out and that's going to be incomplete a lot of contact on the play but no Flags it'll be third down third trying to pick up a first [Applause] down all kinds of room to throw that one in there they are finding soft spots in this defense he's got it down to the 25 it's really easy to say the word RPO and say I'm going to run him but you got to make those decisions and you got to make them fast you can't get confused by all the craziness that's going on by all and he is finding wideopen Defenders all over the field his third interception of the day pass the 20 and he's going to score on the interception touchdown a just one moment and all of a sudden the Fortune's turn you're in a position where you're about to give up points and now you flip that around and you put points on the board perfectly executed what are you doing an interception first guy blocks the intended receiver everybody else starts to form a wall where the ball's going nice blocking nice interception nice return for the touchdown really disciplined job by the coverage unit to get down there and make the stop at the 19 first and [Music] 10 Eastern Michigan has it back as the eagle offense returns to the field that last pick six after a drive like that David can swing the momentum of a trying to beat the D deep and that one Falls incomplete they tried to go over the top on first down second down coming up hey when you speed quarterbacks up like this and you hurry their thought process they're going to make mistakes that was a mistake there throwing in a double coverage obviously not something you want to do could have been worse nice job by the defense Rocky looking for a physical attack from the gun good solid determined run there they'll Mark him down at the 27 Eastern Michigan going fast to the ground to try to pick up the first and the defense knew exactly where that first down line was and they stopped him short this offense is completely confident in their ability to get one yard they'll go for it on fourth down snatches it on the right not much of a fourth down gamble when it's that much of a short thing an easy conversion for this offense that tells you a lot about their confidence in this quarterback fourth down early in the game on on your own end and you go for it but when you make decisions and throws like that it's easy to see why and the Eagles will snap it on First and 10 they'll try the Run tackled at the 31 they'll give him six on the play I know it's sexy to throw the football but if you can pound it away and get these kind of gains they will just add up wear the defense down get first downs and ultimately get some points give to Brown and he's knocked down but not before moving the chain this is a guy that can find you the H yardage that play Just pushes the pile to get that first down the Eagles are on the [Applause] move unloads to the wide out he's got it he's brought down but he's got him inside and 10 first and goal from the eight one of the things about rpos is that it's a slow developing mesh between the QB and running back and that allows these receivers time to get vertically down field and work their routes he saw it right there on that play and he just threw that one away safe move didn't see anything Live to play another play defense rolls up deep in its own end on that last play now a second and long coming to the air it's Snider got it they will score touchdown Eagles like a Thanksgiving turkey there is being CAU no shot they have no idea how to get in this quarterback's headit he's on fire everything he's doing is working defensively he got to figure something out he got to try to do something a little bit different bring more pressure at this right shoot he's on so much fire you might as well just send everybody Blitz everybody live the results everything else ain't working in and they tacked on the extra [Music] point lining up to cover the kick after that touchdown [Music] [Applause] Drive he'll bring it out it's golden not nearly as much as he' hoped when he brought it out of the end zone he'll be stopped at the [Music] 15 good news I guess a lot of room to work with as they start this drive from their own [Applause] 15 the give is to Williams good vision and determination there to find his way up to the [Applause] 233 second down on second down he's looking downfield oh the quarterback can make a big play when he starts moving around another interception that's his fourth of the day a big turnover here from the defense to end the quarter that's the end of the third war of the score Eastern Michigan 35 aan 20 they'll break the seal on this quarter here on first down here comes the option the [Applause] pitch perfectly timed on that pitch and they pick up the first down on the play it's a point in the game I think as a coaching staff where you really challenge your offensive line to go win the football game right we've got a lead late we're going to run the football and the defense and everybody in the stadium knows that's what's going to happen can we run the ball down their throats and impose our will that's what this offense right now is trying to do I love offenses and quarterbacks that are willing to take the easy stuff take those easy throws that are guaranteed to get positive yards yeah I'm going to take big shots down the field too but don't forget it's easier to pick up second and five third and five than it is when we start getting those long yarded situations knock down at the 47 it's a 5yd gain and enough to move the Chain man this offense would really like to lean on this guy in the fourth quarter right they've got the lead and you just saw his ability there breaking a tackle he looks like he's getting stronger as the game goes on I'd expect him to get a few more carries here before this game's over and he doesn't find much Running Room a short gain on the play at this point of the game game the offense has the lead the offensive coordinator knows they want to keep running the football so he's going back he's looking at his playlist and he's saying which runs work the best for me in this game what can I lean on right here to make sure he'll take a deep shot here touchdown Eagles and the route is on they extend this lead and it looks as if they are going to make it two wins in a row and this offense continuing to put up points this game Out Of Reach you know you're going to win but still throwing the football still finding that connection I imagine there'll be some salty handshakes at the end of this game he'll try to tack on one more is on for the extra point and the extra point will tack another one onto this lead let's go to the studio now and check in with Kevin Connors Kevin what do you got hey phis here's a quick update on a top 15 Clash today Kentucky needs to pick up the pace but this puppy is far from over and with this crowd there in Lexington behind them I'm kind of banking on a comeback it's less than a touchdown lead they're trailing by six to Auburn just another week of college football where we've come to expect the unexpected fellas thanks for the update on that one Kevin let us know when it goes final akan has it back ready to send that offense back onto the field mistakes are going to happen as they did on that last drive now how will they respond Jesse and that ball is live in the back field the offense somehow fell on it and they'll retain possession that ball carrier is very lucky that easily could have ended up in the hands of the defense you have got to do a better job with ball security we'll see if they can get a little better protection after the sack it's second and 12 off the play fake they're bringing heat and this defense has maxed out this pressure another sack on the and the defense loves being in this type of situation right you've got a big lead it's in the fourth quarter you know the opponent's going to be throwing the football so you get your best pass rushers coming off the edge using that speed dipping and ripping getting to the quarterback for another big [Applause] play and and he's not going to get there the defense Stands Tall and makes the stop see they need more runs like that just been so few and far between defensively they've been in position they've been winning their one-on-one battles getting off blocks growling to the ball carrier this defense has done a nice job slowing down the Run game thus far he only needs a sliver of daylight that Nifty return sets up the offense and negates some of the yardage on the punt Eastern Michigan takes over as the offense heads to the field this has been exactly the way you draw things up David the offense has really been moving the football and it's been great execution they've done exactly what they wanted to do build the lead now Palmer is a different animal now you got to protect it you can tell they were paying attention in practice this week and the film room because they have gone out everybody right now on the same page after the three- yd pickup they come to the line Second and [Applause] seven3 the gear and tick tick tick tick tick tick tick they bring him down and he's going to lose a yard on that one it's going to be tough sledding for the offense here they're trying to ice this game by running the football and bleeding the clock they've got a pretty good lead here late in the game but the defense knows the run's coming right so they're going to be loading the line of scrimmage getting stops like what they just did be interesting to see what the offense does on this next one caught close to the marker it's Mitchell and it is a chunk play a huge gain on that one before the defense brings it to an end well this defense has tried to find ways to disguise their coverage and mix it up to try to confuse the QB it's not working though that last completion he's now get over 300 yd passing and the offense is content with where it is they'll take a knee [Applause] let's see what they've got on second [Applause] down the quarterback takes a snap and takes a knee [Applause] so with the late lead they're ready to just drain the clock in Victory formation happy with the situation the quarterback will take a knee winning can become a habit now they've won backto back games and probably building a little confidence from and you want it to be a habit that's what you talk about as a coach week after week let's build let's create momentum and continue to build on it continue and then you look up at the end of the season you never know where you could be what dreams you could bring to reality at the end of the day I think good teams find ways to win games and over these last two games it hasn't always been easy they've had to overcome some adversity but at the end of the day they were able to step up make the plays necessary and do that very very impressive so that's going to do it for us for Jesse Palmer David poock I'm ree Davis saying so long this has been another presentation of EA Sports college football [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] e e