Yesterday, we talked about a few players in the MAC to keep an eye on this fall. Today, we’ll discuss which team will be the biggest surprise in the MAC this season.
Question: Which team will be the biggest surprise in the MAC this fall?
Bart Doan
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
Buffalo scuffled to a 5-7 record last season, which probably wasn’t the expectation after going 5-6 in 2014 and going with a coaching change. It had to be a shock to the system to Lance Leipold, their new coach, who basically made a career out of not losing, just about ever.
This year, expectations are mostly tempered. The star quarterback and running back are gone. Also gone is most of the offensive line, which struggled at times last season anyway and put pressure on Joe Licata and the short passing game. They return only two starters, both along that maligned offensive line, though they do have depth and experience at running back.
The key to surprising success will be along that defense. The entire defensive line is back. Boise Ross is one of the best defensive backs in the MAC, and he’s part of a defensive backfield that has three starters coming back. They’ll be a little more green up the middle, but this defense was markedly more physical than pre-Brian Borland and this looks like a possibly very stingy unit that can carry the Bulls to a few upsets and maybe at best, a push for a MAC division title.
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
I’ll go with the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Let’s be honest: Kent was a much better team than last year’s 3-9 record would indicate. Sure, the nine losses look bad on paper, but five of them were by a touchdown or less, including games with Minnesota and Marshall. With a few breaks here or there, the Flashes would have finished the season 6-6 and qualified for the postseason.
I believe that this year’s team will qualify for a bowl, which would be just the school’s second in the last 40 years. After all, the Golden Flashes were one of the top defensive units in the country last season, ranking 20th nationally in yards per play (4.86) and 27th in the country in yards per game (350.1). They were especially tough against Big Ten opponents, giving up an average of 315 yards and 4.63 yards per play in two games last year.
Eight starters return from that talented unit, including All-MAC safety Nate Holley (139 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 PBU, 1 INT), cornerback Demetrius Monday (6 INT, 6 PBU), linebacker Elcee Refuge (9.5 TFL), and defensive end Terence Waugh (12.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks).
On the other side of the ball, look for Kent to be one of the most improved offenses in the country. Sure, the unit struggled with consistency last season, but with ten returning starters – including a veteran offensive line with 92 career starts – things can only get better this fall. Expect them to at least double last year’s output of 13.1 points per game.
Adding those two factors together, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Flashes are the most improved team in the country. Just remember that you heard it here first.
