This Saturday, Eastern University Football will host the Stevenson University Mustangs for a Senior-Day game with massive post-season implications. With a loss at Alvernia two weeks ago, the Eagles eliminated any margin for error as they seek to repeat as MAC Champions and to represent the league in the NCAA Tournament.

Coming off their first league loss in over a year, the Eagles (6-2, 6-1) bounced back with a strong defensive performance at Albright. With the Lions stuffing numbers in the box, Brett Nabb found success in the air. He completed 15-of-22 passes for 258 yards and a pair of scores. Averaging nearly 12 yards per attempt helped the Eagles to rush out to a 21-0 lead.

Chris Rivera then called game with a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. Rivera had 110 receiving yards in the game. Eric Smith scored late to put the Eagles up 35-7. The Lions finished the game with a 60-yard touchdown pass. Albright wound up with 164 total yards. Ninety of those came on two scoring plays in the final three minutes.

Though the Eagles found success in the passing game, Eastern's identity is rooted in the running game. Nabb ran for 26 yards and Jeremiah Avrilien finished with only 32 yards. Even with the light production against the Lions, the duo still sit atop the MAC stats table for rushing. Avrilien is at 945 yards for the year and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

After struggling to get off the field against Alvernie, the Eastern defense got a lift with the return of Jason Bateman to the lineup. The senior middle linebacker brought his playmaking and experience to the field for a limited number of plays after missing most of the year with injury.

The Mustangs (6-2, 5-2) come into the game with a chance to claim a MAC title with two wins and some help. With Eastern and Delaware Valley both having just one loss, the Mustangs would need the Aggies to stumble at home against Alvernia and at Widener to close the year.

For a moment, it looked like Widener was out of competition mode when they lost 45-2 at LVC after getting blanked at Radnor Street Road. Last weekend, however, the Pride found their feet and led Stevenson by a point until the final minute. The Mustangs kept their season alive with a five-play 91-yard drive highlighted by a 63-yard pass. Stevenson punched in a 4-yard score with 55 seconds on the clock. They converted a two-point conversion for a seven point margin, but they might have started reconsidering their decision to go into the end zone early after a Widener ran out a 37-yard return and got deep into Stevenson territory on a 38-yard pass.

The Mustangs started the game with Talon Romance under center but found their game-winner with Kirby Mason throwing the ball. Mason was seeing action in just his second game this year. With Stevenson on their third and fourth quarterbacks, the Mustangs will find their offensive identity in the running game. Nicholas Blagmon, Edward Emmens, and John Asuquo  all get regular carries and are productive. Blagmon averages over 10 yards per carry and Emmens gets over 10 opportunities per game. All three have scored in the running game.

The Mustangs threw for over 400 yards in a loss at Misericordia and had over 400 yards of offense against Delaware Valley. Since turning the ball over 10 times in the first four weeks, the Mustangs have found better ball security of late. With just one turnover per contest over the last four weeks. No team has run for more than 135 yards against the Stevenson defense.

Before the game, the Eagles will honor their class of seniors. It is the second-straight year the program will recognize an important group that helped take the team from not even a thing to a leading contender in the league.

With wins in the final two games, the Eagles would secure a second MAC Championship and the league's AQ. Should the Eagles falter today, their path to a MAC title would involve a series of complicated scenarios.