Facing a wildcard in Sacramento State, Eastern Michigan looks inward prepping for Week 0
The Eagles open with a Week 0 matchup against Sacramento State, and aren't really sure what the visitors will want to do once the game starts.
Ypsilanti — Eastern Michigan’s Week 0 season opener vs. Sacramento State on Saturday evening, in a word, is new.
It’s the first time EMU has played Week 0. It’s also the first time in a long time, if ever, that the Eagles have opened with a conference opponent. And that’s the biggest new element here: Sacramento State.
Not only is the team new to the FBS and MAC, but it’s also got a roster with 70-plus new players and a first-year head coach. When the Eagles and Hornets kick off at 6:30 p.m. at Rynearson Stadium, it’s hard to gauge what to even expect from the visiting team.
“The first game is largely making sure that, you know, your own team is sound, right?” EMU head coach Chris Creighton said.
With an opponent that’s largely a mystery visiting in Week 0, Eastern Michigan is not getting overly wed to any one game plan or script, putting a premium on its ability to execute on offense and defense and win, regardless of what the opponent is doing. The Eagles will have a plan for Sacramento State, for sure, and have been sussing out ways they might get after the visitors. But the central message echoing around the Incarnati Athletic Center this week is not about Hornets, but about the hosts and their abilities to make winning plays in any circumstance on Saturday night.
“And I think that really this mentality going into the game is that we gotta do our job, especially in a Week 0 game. Do our job better than they do their job,” center Nic Gallegos said.
