will begin the season returning kickoffs, while senior Blake Banham figures on punt returns

SCHEDULEThe Eagles open at home on August 31 against FCS opponent Monmouth before heading on the road for four of their next five games. That stretch includes trips to Purdue and San Diego State.

Eastern Michigan’s MAC schedule opens on September 15 at Buffalo. Two big West Division challenges -- Northern Illinois and Toledo -- are at home. However, EMU meets Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. Along with their battle against the Bulls, the Eagles “crossover” games against the East are home against Akron and at Kent State to close the season

OVERVIEWWhile Northern Illinois and Toledo are favorites in West, Eastern Michigan has the defense to hang with just about anybody in the MAC. The Eagles mayrely on running game early, but challenging for a division title and/or getting to a bowl could hang on developing an effective passing game with some new faces.

Eastern Michigan should again field one of the conference's better defenses this season. (MVSmith/MRO)

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Publisher﻿

Mike Smith saw his first MAC footb﻿a﻿ll action as a nine-year-old while hanging onto the flagpole of a nearby baseball stadium. The view got better after he discovered he could get in free at halftime. Decades later, he can usually be found either on press row or along the sidelines.Mike has won awards for both his stories and pictures during his time in journalism. Combining his own skills with those of other writers and photographers, along with conference and school resources, he constantly works to provide