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'M' looks to bounce back after lackluster game

BY GABE EDELSON
Daily Sports Writer
Published September 15, 2005

As Michigan's disappointing 17-10 upset loss to Notre Dame last Saturday begins to fade into history, the Wolverines shift their attention to another opponent coming to the Big House tomorrow. Eastern Michigan is the second Mid-American team the No. 14 Wolverines have faced this year - Northern Illinois was the first - and Michigan is looking to remain perfect against MAC competition. The meeting is the seventh between the two schools, with Michigan winning the previous six, including a 59-20 victory in 1998 on the most recent occasion. Here's a look at how the opposing units stack up:

Michigan Football
Freshman Kevin Grady (3) will most likely get the start and the majority of the carries for Michigan tomorrow. Grady rumbled for 79 yards on 18 carries last week against Notre Dame in his second career game. (RYAN WEINER/Daily)

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Michigan passing offense vs. Eastern Michigan passing defense:

Chad Henne had a nightmare game against Notre Dame, completing just 19 of his 44 attempts and throwing a costly interception on the one-yard line to end a potential scoring drive. Henne's lone touchdown pass came with just a few minutes remaining, and the quarterback failed to get the Wolverines into the end zone after the scoring gap closed to seven points. Yet Henne looked fantastic in his last action against a MAC secondary, striking for 198 aerial yards and two passing touchdowns in the first half of the Northern Illinois game alone. And even though tight end Tim Massaquoi is out with an injury, Tyler Ecker showed that he is more than capable of reeling in Henne's throws - the backup hauled in seven receptions for 74 yards against the Irish.

Eastern Michigan, meanwhile, hasn't intercepted a single pass this season. The Eagles allowed Cincinnati quarterback Dustin Grutza to complete 17 of his 26 attempts with two touchdowns in their first game. Even Jerry Babb, Louisiana-Lafayette's signal-caller, went 21-for-29 and rolled up 228 yards against Eastern last week. That's not exactly effective pass defense.

Edge: Michigan

Michigan rushing offense vs. Eastern Michigan rushing defense:

The big story last week didn't center so much around freshman Kevin Grady, who ran for 79 yards on 18 carries against Notre Dame in his first game carrying the bulk of the rushing load. Instead, most people are worried about Mike Hart, the sophomore backfield star who was forced out of the contest early with what appeared to be a leg injury. It's expected that Hart won't see the field this week. The good news is that, even without Hart, the Wolverines are still more than capable of putting together an effective ground game. Despite some fumbling issues, Grady has looked very solid in the first two games of his collegiate career, while Max Martin, Jerome Jackson and Alijah Bradley give Michigan even more options.

The Eagles have given up an astounding 475 rushing yards and three ground scores in their first two games while allowing their opponents to carry the ball for more than five yards per attempt. Eastern has also managed just two sacks and five tackles for loss on the year to this point. This looks to be an extremely one-sided matchup.

Edge: Michigan

Eastern Michigan passing offense vs. Michigan passing defense:

The Eagles feature a spread offense, a system the Wolverines had trouble stopping last year. It's pretty safe to assume Eastern was scheduled specifically for that reason, since practice makes perfect. But Eagles quarterback Matt Bohnet is the real deal. Bohnet came to Eastern from Iowa, and last year, in his first season in Ypsilanti, the quarterback threw for over 2,800 yards and 21 touchdowns. This season, he has 430 passing yards while completing nearly 70 percent of his attempts. Bohnet also has three scoring tosses with no interceptions. Eric Deslauriers and A.J. Bennett lead the receiving corps with a combined 28 catches for 275 yards and all three of Bohnet's passing touchdowns.

Michigan's secondary allowed Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn to complete 19 of 30 passes with a pair of touchdowns last week. The Wolverines sacked Quinn three times - including two by cornerback Leon Hall - but the Irish quarterback spread the ball around to seven different receivers. Corner Grant Mason led Michigan with 16 tackles last week, but this unit has managed just one interception in the first two games.

Edge: Push

Eastern Michigan rushing offense vs. Michigan rushing defense:

Bohnet is a running threat as well. The quarterback leads the Eagles with 150 yards and two rushing touchdowns this year. As far as running backs go, freshmen Tim Conner and Dwayne Harrison have each seen significant playing time, but neither has been impressive. The duo has carried the ball for just 127 yards total through two games.