The Eastern Michigan Eagles will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers for the Quick Lane Bowl Championship at Ford Field in Detriot Michigan on Dec. 26th at 8 p.m.
How They Got Here: Pittsburgh
after a shaky 1-2 start, Pittsburgh went on to win six out of seven to position themselves to get a chance to get smacked by Clemson in the ACC Championship. Pittsburgh went on to lose their last two games to finish the regular season 7-5.
Offense:
The offense is a little bit of a problem. Averaging only 21.9 PPG with 374.1 YPG. Led by QB Kenny Pickett, the offense will need more than what they have offered all season. They do have the 20th pass offense in college football, but they simply do not score enough points. They will need big boost from RB A.J. Davis, and WRs Taysir Mack and Maurice Ffrench.
Defense:
The defense is giving up 302 YPG with 195 coming through the air and 107 on the ground. They have some solid playmakers on defense in DL Jaylen Twyman and CB Dane Jackson. The defense has been good all year and they will need to keep it up against the MAC’s number one pass offense.
How They Got Here: Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan came out of the gates hot with a 3-1 record that included an upset over Illinois. They had a rough stretch in the middle but finished the season with two wins to improve themselves to a bowl-eligible 6-6 record.
Offense:
As I said earlier, Eastern Michigan has the MAC’s top passing offense led by senior Mike Glass III. Glass is completing 67.7 percent of his passes with 21 TDs on the year. With a solid performance in the bowl game, he may earn himself some NFL noise. He will go up against a good Pittsburgh secondary so he will need to be on his game.
Defense:
Defensively is where they struggle. They are allowing 30 PPG which is 84th in the country. Going up against a solid passing attack, Eastern Michigan should have some concerns. They are allowing over 225 YPG through the air. If they can’t stop the pass in this game, It could get ugly.
Players To Watch:
Pittsburgh: Kenny Pickett
Their starting QB is going up against one of the weaker defenses in college football. With a top 20 pass offense, Pittsburgh should have no problem moving the ball through the air. They just need to be able to score, which has been one of their biggest problems.
Eastern Michigan: Their Entire Secondary
If they can’t stop the passing game they will lose. Its that simple.
Gambling: Pitt -10.5, O/U 49
I’m going to take Eastern Michigan to cover here, but I would take the Pitt ML. Pitt just does not score enough points for me to feel comfortable to take them. I would also go with the under.
