Seventeen seniors will play their final game at Doyt L. Perry Stadium tomorrow night, looking to help the Bowling Green football team right the ship after two straight road losses have put them out of Mid-American Conference title consideration.
Tomorrow’s test comes in the form of an Eastern Michigan team who, entering the game at 3-8 and 1-6 in conference play, don’t pose much of a threat on paper. But, combine two spectacular performers on the Eagles’ offensive side of the ball with BG’s first two-game losing streak in two years, and the game becomes all the more dangerous.
“You will see an extremely motivated team, a team that will do everything in its power to win its ninth game, which is an accomplishment,” BG Coach Urban Meyer said Tuesday. “This is a must-win, much like when we played Akron last year. We have to find a way, however possible, to win this game. … Losing is awful, and it’s an awful time around here right now.”
Both Northern Illinois two weeks ago and South Florida last week used a combination of a stifling defense and great offensive athletes to keep BG off track and hand them losses. While Eastern may struggle on the defensive side of the ball, they certainly possess the offensive weapons in wide receiver Kevin Walter and running back Ime Akpan. Walter leads the team with 86 receptions for 1,239 yards and eight touchdowns, and is closing in on many EMU career records.
Walter made just one reception during his freshman year, and has steadily improved through the years and is now what Meyer calls one of the best receivers in the conference. Meyer said his team simulated what Walter can do in practice this week.
“Their next receiver only has 30 or so catches,” Meyer said. “I think he’s one of the best receivers in the Mid-American Conference, so we’re going to take [reserve receivers] Cornelius McGrady and Steve Sanders and put a blue jersey on them and our secondary will know where they are the entire time. He [Walter] can beat you. He’s the guy we need to stop.”
Eastern coach Jeff Woodruff said that while his offense may seem like it is based around Walter, it is really a progression-based attack.
“Our plan is to take what they give us,” Woodruff said. “The design is not to get the ball to Kevin; he may end up getting the ball if we follow our reads. We try to be as balanced as we can be.” Another feature of the Eagles’ attack is running back Ime Akpan, a senior who has gained 1,115 yards, including 251 against Southern Illinois.
Meyer said that his staff and players have done the job of stopping the people they’ve needed to stop thus far this season. “We do a good job of knowing where those kinds of players are at,” Meyer said. “We had to stop [Missouri quarterback] Brad Smith, and we did. I don’t want to say we stopped [Northern Illinois’] Michael Turner, but we kept him in check. He didn’t have the long ones he had against Miami and other teams. We contained the kid Merriweather from Ball State, as well.”
NOTES
Both Woodruff and Meyer spoke of injuries, but from different perspectives. Meyer’s team, which has been banged up throughout the season, looks to be healthy for the home stretch.
“This will be the first game since Ohio where we will be relatively [healthy],” Meyer said. “Everyone’s going to be pretty close to be coming back. Our secondary will be full speed for first time since I don’t know when.”
Woodruff, though, was a little less optimistic about his team’s predicament.
“We’re so beat up on the offensive and defensive lines that we just try to find out from team doctor who can play on game day.” Senior wide receiver Robert Redd’s closing in on some pretty distinct company as his career winds down.
Redd needs just a reception for 200 in his career, and two to break his school record single-game total of 72 set last season. Redd also needs 91 yards receiving to take over Stan Hunter’s career mark of 2,679 set in 1985.
