Gophers, P.J. Fleck know they can look past a MAC opponent at own risk

The Big Ten and Mid-American Conference have a big brother/little brother relationship. And every once in a while, little brother will rise up and bloody big brother's nose.

On Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Gophers will try to make sure they're not the ones getting their nose bloodied by an Eastern Michigan football team that's recently shown a wicked left jab.

Four times in the past five full seasons, the Eagles have upset a Big Ten team (Rutgers, Purdue and Illinois) or a squad from Power Five conference (Arizona State). They have the attention of Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, whose first head coaching job was at MAC member Western Michigan.

"We've got a heck of an opponent coming in here that won nine games last year and won their bowl game," said Fleck, who lost his first WMU vs. EMU game but won the next three. "It's one of the best-coached teams in college football that doesn't get talked about enough."

Fleck has another reason to be wary of the Eagles. The Gophers got their noses bloodied in their last meeting against a MAC team.

On Sept. 25, 2021, the Gophers were riding high after a 30-0 thrashing of Colorado a week earlier and entered their home game against Bowling Green as 31-point favorites. They left as 14-10 losers after passing for only 59 yards, committing three turnovers and having a decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 29-yard line backfire, leading to a Falcons touchdown.

Afterward, Fleck pointed the blame at himself.

"This is my responsibility and my fault," he said. "I apologize to our fans and apologize for everyone's Homecoming."

While the Gophers would go on to a 9-4 season, the loss to a Bowling Green team that would finish 4-8 was a considerable blemish and sparked ridicule. It's the only nonconference loss in 19 games, including bowls, in the Fleck era at Minnesota.

Creighton making a difference

Under coach Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan went 9-4 last year, won a share of the MAC's West Division and beat San Jose State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. In Creighton's 10 years in Ypsilanti, the Eagles have had four winning seasons and five bowl appearances. In the 18 seasons before Creighton's arrival, EMU had no winning seasons.

Fleck will guard against overconfidence Saturday, but not just because the opponent is a MAC team. His staff compiles video clips of upsets around the country, and they're shown to the players to drive home the fact that the shockers can happen.

"We showed 10 games yesterday of so many people beating someone else," Fleck said Monday. "It's not just MAC teams. It's not just Sun Belt teams. … You have to be your best no matter who you play that particular week."

Athan Kaliakmanis, the Gophers' starting quarterback, considers the message received.

"This is not a team to take lightly at all," he said. "We know they're coming to play. So, ton of respect for them."

Quick start for EMU

Against Eastern Michigan, the Gophers will prepare for a veteran team that opened the season with a 33-23 win over FCS-level Howard. The Eagles led the Bison 23-0 and 30-6 on the strength of two kickoff returns for touchdowns. Howard, which outgained EMU 398-285, pulled within 30-23 late in the third quarter, but the Eagles got a fourth-quarter field goal to seal the win.

Gophers co-offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. is familiar with Eastern Michigan from his days as a graduate assistant (2015-16) for Fleck at Western Michigan and his time at WMU as wide receivers coach (2020-21). He expects a stiff challenge physically and mentally.

"They want to be disruptive on defense, and they do a good job of making things a little bit gray up front," Harbaugh said. "They do a lot of different things and play multiple fronts."

Gophers wide receiver Corey Crooms Jr. knows Eastern Michigan well, too. He's a transfer from Western Michigan and is a veteran of three games against the Eagles, all losses by the Broncos.

"One thing about Eastern: They're gonna play you hard, no matter the logo, no matter who you are," Crooms said.