Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 9
Nashville, Tenn.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Vanderbilt
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Football Travels to the Music City to Battle Vanderbilt
10/4/2010 12:23:00 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Game time is 6 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. in Ypsilanti and will be televised on ESPNU.
Click Here for the Complete Release (PDF).
Click Here to Listen to the Game.
Click Here for Live Stats.
THE TEAMS: The Eastern Michigan University football team heads out of Mid-American Conference play Saturday, Oct. 9, to play at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Game time is 6 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. in Ypsilanti and will be televised on ESPNU.
SETTING THE SCENE: Eastern Michigan has an 0-5 overall record and an 0-3 MAC mark while Vanderbilt is 1-3 overall and 0-2 in Southeastern Conference action.
ALL-TIME VS. VANDERBILT: Eastern Michigan and Vanderbilt will be meeting for just the second time. The Commodores recorded a 30-7 win, Sept. 29, 2007, at Vanderbilt. EMU's lone score came on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Andy Schmitt to wide receiver Travis Lewis.
EMU ALL-TIME VERSUS THE SEC: The contest marks EMU's fifth venture into the Southeastern Conference in the past 11 years, with the Green and White still looking for its first victory over a team from arguably the best football league in the nation. The Eagles have lost at South Carolina (L, 6-41 – Sept. 16, 2000), at No. 10 Florida (L, 10-49 –Sept. 11, 2004), at Vanderbilt (L, 7-30 – Sept. 29, 2007) and most recently at Arkansas (L, 27-63 – Oct. 31, 2009).
BACK HOME: Dr. Derrick Gragg, EMU's director of athletics, will be returning home to Vanderbilt this weekend. Gragg graduated from Vandy in 1992 and earned four varsity football letters.
EXTENDED ROAD TRIP: Eastern Michigan University football fans will have to wait four weeks before watching the Eagles play another home game. EMU will play at Vanderbilt, Oct. 9, at Ball State, Oct. 16, and at Virginia, Oct. 23, before returning home, Oct. 30, for a MAC West Division matchup with Toledo. That EMU-UT game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. in Rynearson Stadium.
BIG PLAY RECEIVER: Sophomore wide receiver Kinsman Thomas (Bennettsville, S.C.-Marlboro County) has 29 receptions and seven touchdown catches in his 13-game EMU career and big plays have been a huge part of his success. Three of his touchdown passes have been for 40 yards or more and two of those have been for 71 and 77 yards. He has caught 29 passes for 594 yards and a 20.5-yard average per catch during his career.
LEADING THE MAC: EMU continues to remain strong in the punting game this season. The Eagles lead the Mid-American Conference and are 17th nationally in net punting at 39.50. Individually, rookie punter Jay Karutz (North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia-Holy Cross College) is ranked sixth in the league and 55th nationally with a 40.62 average.
FOUR FOR A CENTURY: Senior tailback Dwayne Priest (Roanoke, Va.-Fleming-Fork Union Academy) turned in the fourth 100-yard rushing effort of his career with 117 yards gained on 19 rushes against Ohio, Oct. 2. Priest and sophomore quarterback Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) both ran for more than 100 yards in the 2010 season opener, Sept. 4, against Army.
RETURN TO ACTION: A total of eight EMU players participated the last time EMU and Vanderbilt met, Sept. 29, 2007, at Vanderbilt Stadium. Two of those players, safety Ryan Downard (Lima, Ohio-Shawnee) and offensive lineman Dan DeMaster (Macomb, Mich.-L'Anse Creuse Central), were both starters in that game.
TWO IN THE TOP FOUR: Senior linebackers Tim Fort (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield) and Neal Howey (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's-Upper Iowa) are both ranked in the top four in tackles in the Mid-American Conference. Fort is tied for second with an average of 10.4 stops per game while Howey is at 10.20 per game.
BACK TO '60: The EMU department of athletics honored the team from 1960 on their 50th anniversery at the EMU-Ohio game Saturday, Oct. 2. The returning players were: Dale Coller, Gary Dode, Brian Dunn, Dan Gamble, Nick Genova, Paul Quenneville, Rayh Rafford and John Seckinger
LONG-RANGE SCORES: True freshman wide receiver Donald Scott (Apopka, Fla.-Apopka) has gone long-range on his two touchdown receptions this year. His first was a 51-yard touchdown catch, Sept. 18, against Central Michigan and his second was a 32-yard TD strike at Ohio State, Sept. 25.
STRONG START: True sophomore linebacker Matt Boyd (Southfield, Mich.-Lathrup) was impressive in the first start of his career Saturday, Sept. 25, at Ohio State. The 6-foot, 232-pound Boyd had a career-high 14 stops against the Buckeyes. Teammate Neal Howey (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's-Upper Iowa) also had double-figure tackles against Ohio State, turning in 10 stop on the day.
TELEVISION TIME: The 2010 EMU football team will make six television appearances. The EMU-Ohio State game, Sept. 25, was on ABC, with the EMU-Vanderbilt contest, Oct. 9, to be shown on ESPNU. The EMU-Ohio game, Oct. 2, will be shown on ESPN regional and there will be three games, EMU at Miami, Sept. 11, EMU home vs. Toledo, Oct. 30, and EMU at Buffalo, Nov. 20, all on SportsTime Ohio.
SHARING DUTIES: The EMU offense has called on both young quarterbacks for significant action this year. Sophomore Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) has started all five games this year and has completed 62-of-111 passes for 758 yards and seven touchdowns. Gillett is also second on the team in rushing with 181 yards gained on 56 carries with one touchdown on the ground. Redshirt freshman Devontae Payne (Cleveland, Ohio-South) has played in three games and completed 15-of-33 passes for 156 yards.
MOVING UP: Senior tailback Dwayne Priest (Roanoke, Va.-Fleming-Fork Union Academy) is moving up in several EMU career rushing categories. He has played in 39 games for the Eagles, earning 19 starts in the past four years. He has rushed 408 times for the 10th spot with 1,627 yards gained, 11th in history, and his 19 touchdowns, 17 by rush and two by reception, are tied for 11th.
Click Here to Listen to the Game.
Click Here for Live Stats.
THE TEAMS: The Eastern Michigan University football team heads out of Mid-American Conference play Saturday, Oct. 9, to play at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Game time is 6 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. in Ypsilanti and will be televised on ESPNU.
SETTING THE SCENE: Eastern Michigan has an 0-5 overall record and an 0-3 MAC mark while Vanderbilt is 1-3 overall and 0-2 in Southeastern Conference action.
ALL-TIME VS. VANDERBILT: Eastern Michigan and Vanderbilt will be meeting for just the second time. The Commodores recorded a 30-7 win, Sept. 29, 2007, at Vanderbilt. EMU's lone score came on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Andy Schmitt to wide receiver Travis Lewis.
EMU ALL-TIME VERSUS THE SEC: The contest marks EMU's fifth venture into the Southeastern Conference in the past 11 years, with the Green and White still looking for its first victory over a team from arguably the best football league in the nation. The Eagles have lost at South Carolina (L, 6-41 – Sept. 16, 2000), at No. 10 Florida (L, 10-49 –Sept. 11, 2004), at Vanderbilt (L, 7-30 – Sept. 29, 2007) and most recently at Arkansas (L, 27-63 – Oct. 31, 2009).
BACK HOME: Dr. Derrick Gragg, EMU's director of athletics, will be returning home to Vanderbilt this weekend. Gragg graduated from Vandy in 1992 and earned four varsity football letters.
EXTENDED ROAD TRIP: Eastern Michigan University football fans will have to wait four weeks before watching the Eagles play another home game. EMU will play at Vanderbilt, Oct. 9, at Ball State, Oct. 16, and at Virginia, Oct. 23, before returning home, Oct. 30, for a MAC West Division matchup with Toledo. That EMU-UT game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. in Rynearson Stadium.
BIG PLAY RECEIVER: Sophomore wide receiver Kinsman Thomas (Bennettsville, S.C.-Marlboro County) has 29 receptions and seven touchdown catches in his 13-game EMU career and big plays have been a huge part of his success. Three of his touchdown passes have been for 40 yards or more and two of those have been for 71 and 77 yards. He has caught 29 passes for 594 yards and a 20.5-yard average per catch during his career.
LEADING THE MAC: EMU continues to remain strong in the punting game this season. The Eagles lead the Mid-American Conference and are 17th nationally in net punting at 39.50. Individually, rookie punter Jay Karutz (North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia-Holy Cross College) is ranked sixth in the league and 55th nationally with a 40.62 average.
FOUR FOR A CENTURY: Senior tailback Dwayne Priest (Roanoke, Va.-Fleming-Fork Union Academy) turned in the fourth 100-yard rushing effort of his career with 117 yards gained on 19 rushes against Ohio, Oct. 2. Priest and sophomore quarterback Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) both ran for more than 100 yards in the 2010 season opener, Sept. 4, against Army.
RETURN TO ACTION: A total of eight EMU players participated the last time EMU and Vanderbilt met, Sept. 29, 2007, at Vanderbilt Stadium. Two of those players, safety Ryan Downard (Lima, Ohio-Shawnee) and offensive lineman Dan DeMaster (Macomb, Mich.-L'Anse Creuse Central), were both starters in that game.
TWO IN THE TOP FOUR: Senior linebackers Tim Fort (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield) and Neal Howey (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's-Upper Iowa) are both ranked in the top four in tackles in the Mid-American Conference. Fort is tied for second with an average of 10.4 stops per game while Howey is at 10.20 per game.
BACK TO '60: The EMU department of athletics honored the team from 1960 on their 50th anniversery at the EMU-Ohio game Saturday, Oct. 2. The returning players were: Dale Coller, Gary Dode, Brian Dunn, Dan Gamble, Nick Genova, Paul Quenneville, Rayh Rafford and John Seckinger
LONG-RANGE SCORES: True freshman wide receiver Donald Scott (Apopka, Fla.-Apopka) has gone long-range on his two touchdown receptions this year. His first was a 51-yard touchdown catch, Sept. 18, against Central Michigan and his second was a 32-yard TD strike at Ohio State, Sept. 25.
STRONG START: True sophomore linebacker Matt Boyd (Southfield, Mich.-Lathrup) was impressive in the first start of his career Saturday, Sept. 25, at Ohio State. The 6-foot, 232-pound Boyd had a career-high 14 stops against the Buckeyes. Teammate Neal Howey (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's-Upper Iowa) also had double-figure tackles against Ohio State, turning in 10 stop on the day.
TELEVISION TIME: The 2010 EMU football team will make six television appearances. The EMU-Ohio State game, Sept. 25, was on ABC, with the EMU-Vanderbilt contest, Oct. 9, to be shown on ESPNU. The EMU-Ohio game, Oct. 2, will be shown on ESPN regional and there will be three games, EMU at Miami, Sept. 11, EMU home vs. Toledo, Oct. 30, and EMU at Buffalo, Nov. 20, all on SportsTime Ohio.
SHARING DUTIES: The EMU offense has called on both young quarterbacks for significant action this year. Sophomore Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) has started all five games this year and has completed 62-of-111 passes for 758 yards and seven touchdowns. Gillett is also second on the team in rushing with 181 yards gained on 56 carries with one touchdown on the ground. Redshirt freshman Devontae Payne (Cleveland, Ohio-South) has played in three games and completed 15-of-33 passes for 156 yards.
MOVING UP: Senior tailback Dwayne Priest (Roanoke, Va.-Fleming-Fork Union Academy) is moving up in several EMU career rushing categories. He has played in 39 games for the Eagles, earning 19 starts in the past four years. He has rushed 408 times for the 10th spot with 1,627 yards gained, 11th in history, and his 19 touchdowns, 17 by rush and two by reception, are tied for 11th.
⏳ The wait is almost over ⏳
Sunday, September 21
Football Downs Louisiana, 34-31, on Homecoming
Saturday, September 20
2025 Football Week 4 Hype vs. Louisiana
Friday, September 19
Join Us Oct. 11 for the Annual EMU Car Show
Friday, September 19