After three consecutive home games, football will play its first conference road game of the 2014 season when it travels to Eastern Michigan. The Huskies (5-2, 2-1 MAC) will take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-5, 1-2 MAC) 4 p.m. Saturday at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich. Football beat writer Danny Albers breaks down the Eagles.

Quarterback: Reginald Bell Jr.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Reginald Bell Jr. has made quite the name for himself this season. In an offense that has displayed three quarterbacks, Bell has made the biggest impact. He has only passed for 362 yards with three touchdown passes, but he is the team’s leading rusher with 290 yards and three touchdowns. On Oct. 11, Bell was called in with 4:15 left in the second quarter and the Eagles trailing Buffalo 10-0. He led the Eagles to a 37-27 victory over a tough conference opponent and was honored as one of the Manning Award Stars of the Week by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Running Back: Ryan Brumfield

Senior running back Ryan Brumfield is just one of the many weapons the Eagles display in the running game. Brumfield has been the Eagles’ power runner, dominating on the goal line with three touchdowns. He has averaged 27.4 yards per game and has racked up a total of 192 rushing yards. Brumfield shares a lot of similarities with Bronson Hill, his backup this week, who is also in his senior year and has almost the same stats as Brumfield. Where they differ is Brumfield’s contribution on the goal line, where only one other Eagle running back has recorded a touchdown.

Wide Receiver: Tyreese Russell

Senior tight end Tyreese Russell has been the go-to guy in the Eagles’ passing game. Russell leads the team in receptions with 18. He has a total of 191 total receiving yards and has two touchdowns in an offense that tends to have a run-first mindset. His best game of the season came in the team’s opening-day victory over Morgan State, where Russell has six catches for 48 yards. He is one of 33 tight ends in the nation who made it onto the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List, which is given to the most outstanding tight end.

Offensive Line: Robert McFadden

Robert McFadden, redshirt senior left tackle, is the leader of the offensive line and has been a force in protecting the quarterback. There hasn’t been a lot that has been able to make it through McFadden, who is 6-foot-7, 303 pounds. The biggest part of McFadden’s game has been opening holes for the Eagles’ efficient running game. Like the Huskies, the Eagles like to run with their quarterback, and that can’t happen without efficient blocking from McFadden and the rest of the offensive line. If they create the right holes Saturday’s matchup could be a field day for the Eagles on the ground.

Defensive Line: Pat O’Connor

Junior defensive tackle Pat O’Connor has been a big player in the Eagles’ pass rush this season. Through the first seven games O’Connor has recorded 6.5 sacks, with no other Eastern Michigan defender recording more than one sack. O’Connor, 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds, has also played a big part in Eastern Michigan’s run prevention. He has posted a team-leading 10 tackles for loss. O’Connor has recorded 34 total tackles and has made by far the biggest contribution to the Eagles’ defensive front, which is a multiple system and rotates between a 3-4 and 4-3 look.

Linebacker: Great Ibe

Redshirt junior linebacker Great Ibe has been one of the leaders of the Eagles’ defense. In seven games played Ibe leads the team with 84 total tackles, with the next closest Eastern Michigan defender having 59 total tackles. What has made Ibe so effective for the Eagles’ defense is his range. Ibe has posted six tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks. He is coming off his best game of the 2014 season, where he recorded 21 total tackles against the Massachusetts Minutemen. Ibe is on pace to break Eastern Michigan’s  single-season record for total tackles.

Secondary: Kevin Johnson

Senior defensive back Kevin Johnson has stood out as a big-time player for the Eagles on defense. Johnson has come up with two interceptions so far this season. One of those came in a key conference win against the Buffalo Bulls, where Johnson picked off the ball at the Eagles’ own 12-yard line, ending a potential Bulls scoring drive. Johnson also had a forced fumble in a losing effort to Massachusetts last week. He is second on the team in tackles, recording 59 total tackles, 37 of those unassisted.

Special Teams: Owen Dubiel

Senior punter Owen Dubiel has had quite the year in his last season with the Eagles, who have called upon Dubiel to punt 30 times. He has kept 12 of those punts inside the 20-yard line. He has placed 11 punts inside the 12-yard line and has pinned four punts inside the 5-yard line. This has given the Eagles’ defense the upper hand when the other opposing offense has been forced to start with bad field position. It has also given the Eagles’ offense a chance to start with good field position with the opposition forced to punt from deep in its territory.