Way too early 2020 schedule preview: Eastern Michigan
With spring football practices starting up now or soon for every college football program in the country we're already talking about the 2020 season even though it's months away.
While a lot will change between now and September, we're taking a look at each of Kentucky's scheduled football opponents during what will be a much-anticipated football season in Lexington.
First up, the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
Recent series history: EMU has been a familiar opponent for Kentucky in recent years. In 2017, Kentucky outlasted a scrappy Eagles team with a strong defensive line, holding on for a 24-20 win in Lexington. Last year Kentucky won by a much more comfortable margin, 38-17, but the big story from that game was the season-ending injury to quarterback Terry Wilson, who was taken down by a horse collar tackle. While EMU quarterback Mike Glass passed for 337 yards and two touchdowns, one of the best games for any quarterback against Kentucky last season, the Wildcats rode some nice offensive balance, built an early lead, and never relinquished it. UK outgained EMU 239-49 on the ground and picked off a couple of Glass throws.
Miscellaneous: EMU offensive coordinator Aaron Keen took over as head coach at Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.) this offseason and rather than hire someone to fill his position head coach Chris Creighton has decided to serve as the Eagles' offensive coordinator himself. He has indicated that play-calling duties will be the product of a collaborative effort involving his offensive coaches but it seems Creighton will have a lot of control over that side of the ball.
Before Creighton took over at EMU in 2014, the Eagles had not finished a season with a winning record since 1995. Creighton has led EMU to three bowl games in the last four years, including last year, when they lost the Quick Lane Bowl to Pittsburgh, 34-30.
Eastern Michigan takes on two SEC teams in 2019. Three weeks after playing at Kentucky the Eagles will travel to Missouri.
EMU has a fairly strong track record against Power Five opponents recently even with its 0-2 record against Kentucky since 2017. EMU defeated Illinois last season, nearly beat Pitt, won at Purdue in 2018, and beat Rutgers in 2017. That makes three straight years with a win against power conference foe.
Apparent strengths: Quian Williams and Dylan Drummond are receivers who combined for 1,150 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Whoever wins the starting quarterback position will be able to lean on those two and an offensive line that returns four starters. While Eastern Michigan does lose three of its top five pass catchers from last year there is enough returning at receiver and tight end to believe the Eagles will have some quality players on the outside who can test a defense in the throw game.
Defensive end Turan Rush (39 tackles, 5 sacks) should be one of the MAC's better defensive linemen.
Apparent weaknesses: EMU will have to replace quarterback Mike Glass and that will not be easy. He completed 66.3-percent of his passes for 3,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions last year. He was also the team's second leading rusher with 428 yards and eight scores on the ground. What's more, the Eagles lose their leading rusher, running back Shaq Vann, who rushed for more than 700 yards.
In other words, the Eagles will be breaking in a lot of new playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.
EMU loses its two starting linebackers and three of its five starting defensive backs. And aside from Rush, there aren't many players on the front seven returning who have a track record of getting after the quarterback. Rush will need to have a great year or EMU will be a team -- because of an inexperienced back seven and few pass rush options -- susceptible to teams that can throw the ball.
Most important, this is a team that is going to be searching for a defensive identity and leadership. Linebacker Kobie Beltram had a whopping 128 tackles last year. Defensive backs Vince Calhoun and Brody Hoying had 189 combined. All are gone.
How the matchup looks: Kentucky will be the heavy favorite and rightfully so. Eastern Michigan will be breaking in a new quarterback against an SEC opponent that returns plenty of starters, on the road, in the first game of the season. That is probably not a recipe for success when last year's game was so lopsided in Kentucky's favor. UK is probably going to have this game circled not only because its the opener because it's the game when Wilson went down with an injury.