Ohio has won 4 straight as of this weekend, and the scores are lopsided: 127 points scored and 38 allowed across that run. The schedule needs some context, though. Stonehill and Sacramento State, a first-year FBS program that was 1-5 going into the game, account for 83 of those points. Against MAC teams it was a 31-14 home win over Central Michigan and a 13-10 grind at Kent State. In that Kent State game the offense looked very ordinary for 4 quarters.
Lindenwood29-3
Stonehill35-7
Eastern Michigan's season has been uneven. They lost 54-10 at Wisconsin, then beat Lindenwood, UMass and Akron in a row. The 38-14 win in Amherst came on the road, and the 25-23 win at Akron took nerve. Toledo then handled them at The Factory with first place at stake. The Eagles have played well against teams below them and poorly against the two best teams they've faced, and Ohio will be the third.
Injuries are the bigger worry for Eastern Michigan's offense. Both tight ends, B. Shelton and P. Kokaly, went on the report as Out with undisclosed injuries the day of the Toledo game, and neither has a timetable. Receivers B. Minner and N. Devereaux are out too, and Devereaux has been missing since September. That's 4 pass-catchers gone, with the tight end room taking the worst of it. Ohio has 1 name on its report: receiver R. Perry, who's expected to miss the rest of the season.
The weather in Athens shouldn't be a factor. The forecast is 69 degrees and mostly sunny, with a 4 mph breeze and no rain expected. That leaves this as a straight football game: a banged-up Eastern Michigan passing game against an Ohio team whose winning streak has been longer than it has been impressive.