Mildcats

NU routed oops I mean snuck by a powerful oops I mean anemic EMU squad today, 14-6. The offense managed exactly two good drives, one the first drive of the game, the other the first drive of the second half. Each resulted in a TD; other than these two drives, the offense was AWOL.

Mike Kafka started but was replaced at the half by Andrew Brewer. Neither QB was effective, and we may have a QB controversy brewing. Similar to the UNH loss, the O line and running game did not seem up to pre-season expectations.

The most effective offensive play for EMU was the punt. The EMU punter averaged 42.7 yards on 10 punts, and routinely gained 10-20 yards of field position with each punt. He outplayed his NU counterpart, Slade Larscheid, who had a spectacular shank. The teams combined for 19 punts and 751 yards of...punting, if there is such a word and stat.

Now on to the positive news. The defense played well, albeit against a weak EMU offense. While the official Impact Play of the Game was Brewer's sneak for a TD, Deante Battle and Cory Wootton were the real impact players. Battle stopped an EMU drive with a crushing hit to break up a third-down pass, and later intercepted a pass to end EMU's last drive. Wootton had several tackles and a key interception.

The win leaves the Cats 2-1 and now they head on to the road for three weeks to play Nevada, Penn State, and Wisconsin. This latest win gives cause for concern, especially around the offense. EMU had given up over 1000 yards of total offense in its previous two losses...so things could get ugly on the road.