Eastern Michigan Athletics
Football Hosts Akron on Band Day
10/13/2008 1:34:11 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Game time set for 1 p.m. at Rynearson Stadium
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2008 SEASON: The 2008 season is the 117th for the Eastern Michigan University football team. The first year of intercollegiate football in Ypsilanti was 1891 when the team posted an 0-2 record. EMU has fielded a team every year since 1891 with one exception, when the 1944 season was canceled because of World War II.
HOLTZCLAW TOPS IN THE NATION: EMU senior linebacker Daniel Holtzclaw (Enid, Okla.-Enid) turned in a 12-tackle performance at Army last weekend (Oct. 11) to give him 398 career tackles, the top total for an active player in the BCS ranks. Holtzclaw has started all 42 games over the past four years. Holtzclaw’s 398 tackles make him third on the EMU career tackles list. He now trails only career leader Reese McCaskill (1992-95) who leads the way with 450, and Scott Russell (1988-2001) who recorded 423 during his career.
BAND DAY ONCE AGAIN: The last time EMU and Akron played was Oct. 5, 2002 and Eastern recorded a 42-34 win on Band Day in Rynearson Stadium. The two teams are scheduled to play Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. in Rynearson and, you guessed it, it is once again Band Day with 10 high school bands in attendance for a halftime performance.
EAGLES IN FIFTH YEAR UNDER GENYK: Head coach Jeff Genyk’s fifth season is underway and EMU fans are expecting the Eagles to build on a number of positives that occurred last season. Eastern Michigan returns 38 lettermen, including seven starters to an offense that scored 290 points in 2007. It was the fifth most points scored in a season and the most since 2004 when the Green and White totaled 328 points. EMU returns even more experience on the defensive side of the ball as 19 lettermen, including eight starters return on defense.
EMU VS. AKRON: Eastern Michigan and Akron are meeting for the 27th time in history with Akron holding a 15-11 advantage in the series that started in 1949. Akron was the opponent in the first game ever played in EMU’s Rynearson Stadium, Oct. 27, 1969, with EMU recording a 10-3 win.
LAST TIME VERSUS AKRON: The EMU football team came up with its third straight Rynearson Stadium win with a 42-34 Mid-American conference cross-divisional win over a visiting University of Akron team in the annual Band Day game, Oct. 5, 2002. The Eagles rolled up 547 total offensive yards and came up with two fumble recoveries, a blocked field goal, a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception at the end of the game to run their record to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in MAC play. Wide receiver Kevin Walter came up with the hat trick for career records with 225 yards on nine catches while scoring two touchdowns. Walter left the game with EMU career marks for receiving yards (2,181), receptions (156) and touchdown passes caught (17). He set all three of those records this season with the yardage mark the latest to fall, in the Akron contest. Eastern jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and never trailed from that point.
JONES SELECTED THE MAC WEST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior wide receiver Tyler Jones (Belleville, Mich.-Belleville) was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 5. This marked Jones’ first career MAC weekly award. Trailing by a 21-17 score, Tyler Jones caught a 16-yard pass from junior quarterback Andy Schmitt (St. Johns Mich.-St. Johns) to score the winning touchdown with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter in a 24-21 upset win at preseason East Division favorite Bowling Green, Oct. 4. Jones caught four passes for 61 yards and took 13 direct shotgun snaps from center and rushed for 60 yards to lead the Eagles in rushing as EMU snapped a four-game losing streak.
LEADING THE TEAM: The EMU coaching staff has designated five players to serve as captains in 2008. The players picked to lead are: Tyler Jones (Belleville, Mich.-Belleville), T.J. Lang (Ferndale, Mich.-Birmingham Brother Rice), and Andy Schmitt (St. Johns, Mich.-St. Johns) on offense and Daniel Holtzclaw (Enid, Ok.-Enid), and Jacob Wyatt (Lansing, Mich.-Sexton) on defense.
