Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, November 23
Rynearson Stadium
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
EMU Prepares for Senior Day Clash With No. 23/24 Northern Illinois
11/19/2012 11:30:00 AM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2012 » 1:04 p.m. » Rynearson Stadium (30,200) » Ypsilanti, Mich.
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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University football team will close out its 2012 season Friday, Nov. 23, when the Eagles host Northern Illinois University in a 1 p.m. game inside Rynearson Stadium. The game is Senior Day with 20 EMU players to be honored in pre-game ceremonies marking their final Rynearson Stadium performances.
The Eagles enter the Mid-American Conference West Division contest with a 2-9 (1-6 MAC) record following a 29-23 road victory over Western Michigan University, Nov. 17, in the battle for the Michigan MAC Trophy. Meanwhile, the nationally-ranked Huskies are 10-1 (7-0 MAC) after upending the University of Toledo, 31-24, to capture the MAC West Division Championship, Nov. 14.
The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Michael Reghi providing the play-by-play and Bob Chmeil serving as the analyst. WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Matt Shepard and Herman Moore calling the action on the field.
MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY BACK TO YPSILANTI: With the 29-23 victory at Western Michigan, Nov. 17, EMU retained the Michigan MAC Trophy for the fourth time, the most out of any of the other competing schools. Created in 2005 by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, the Eagles kept the trophy due to each team finishing with 1-1 records against each other.
BEATING THE BRONCOS BACK-TO-BACK: EMU's 29-23 defeat of Western Michigan, Nov. 17, marked the first time Eastern has won consecutive games against the Broncos since the Green and White rattled off three straight wins from 1989-1991.
MULDER FROM DOWNTOWN: “True” freshman Dylan Mulder proved to be the difference in Eastern's victory against Western Michigan, Nov. 17. The Saline, Mich. native booted a career-high three field goals including a career-long 43-yard kick. With 2:33 left in the game Mulder capped off a nine-play, 52-yard EMU drive with a 34-yard kick, which proved to be the decisive margin in the 29-23 victory at Waldo Stadium. For his efforts, he was named the MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE HUSKIES: Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois will be meeting for the 43rd time in history when the two teams square off Friday, Nov. 23, in a Mid-American Conference West Division game. NIU holds a 26-14-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1927. NIU recorded a 18-12 victory last year, Nov. 25, 2011, in Huskies Stadium. Eastern's last win in the series came Sept. 15, 2007, in DeKalb, Ill. by a 21-19 margin.
SENIOR SNAPSHOTS: Saturday's game is the final Rynearson Stadium appearance for 20 Eastern Michigan University seniors. Below is a quick snapshot of each of those seniors.
#8 - Alex Gillett: Alex Gillett has played in 44 games for the Eagles, starting at quarterback for the majority of them. During his career, he has thrown for 4,411 yards and rushed for 2,386 yards. He even has caught 10 passes for 98 yards while lining up at receiver this year for the Green and White. Throughout his four years at Eastern, Gillett has recorded 50 touchdowns. Against Central Michigan this year, Gillett became the first player to record a run, pass completion, and catch in one game since Tyler Jones accomplished the feat Oct. 28, 2008 against Ball State.
#10 - Corey Manns: Defensive back Corey Manns has played in 34 games for the Eagles throughout his career recording 22 tackles. At the start of his time at Eastern, Manns played wide receiver where he caught 3 passes for 21 yards.
#21 - Bryan Pali: During his career at EMU, linebacker Bryan Pali has played in 20 games for the Eagles recording one interception, 119 tackles, two forced fumbles, and seven pass deflections. Out of the 119 career tackles, 43 of them were unassisted while six were tackles-for-loss.
#25 - Dominique Sherrer: Running back Dominique Sherrer has recorded 1,720 all purpose yards in 32 games suiting up for the Green and White. A total of 873 of those yards were recorded on the ground with Sherrer's career-long run being 77 yards. Averaging 4.4 yards per carry, he has also recorded three touchdowns during his career.
#31 - Marcell Rose: In 45 games for Eastern Michigan, Marcell Rose has had impressive statistics that include: five interceptions, 183 tackles (105 unassisted, 3.5 for loss), 19 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.
#33 - Alex Bellfy: In four years donning the Green and White, Alex Bellfy has recorded 105 total tackles, while also picking up a sack, seven tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and forced a fumble.
#36 - Blake Poole: Linebacker Blake Poole has played in 22 games during two seasons wearing the Green and White. He has recorded a career total of 88 tackles, including one sack and five tackles for loss. In two years he has forced one fumble, while also recovering one.
#37 - Jay Karutz: Jay Karutz has punted for three seasons as an Eagle. Posting a punt average of 40.3 yards per punt, he has a career-long of 64 yards. This season he is averaging 43.6 yards per punt, and he is a candidate for the 2012 Ray Guy Award.
#38 - Reo Allen: Running back Reo Allen has been a walk-on practice squad player for the Eagles for the past two seasons.
#45 - Matt Boyd: In four years donning the Green and White, Matt Boydhas appeared in 44 games for the Eagles as a linebacker and a fullback. The Southfield, Mich. native has 49 career tackles, two of which were tackles for loss. He has also forced and recovered a fumble.
#47 Justin Cudworth: Linebacker Justin Cudworth has seen action in 22 games since joining the Eagles in 2011. In two years, he has notched 168 total tackles, while forcing four fumbles and recovering two. Cudworth has picked up 1.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in his time wearing the Green and White.
#53 - Mike Zupancic: Long snapper Mike Zupancic has appeared in 46 games over four years, while picking up five tackles on the Eagles' special teams unit.
#56 - Andy Mulumba: Defensive lineman Andy Mulumba has seen action in 47 games in four seasons. He has posted 148 tackles, including 17 for loss and 4.5 total sacks in his career. The Montreal, Quebec, Canada native has forced three fumbles, while recovering one in his career.
#58 - Matt Bowman: Long snapper Matt Bowman has practice with the Eagles since 2008, earned the start against Army, Sept. 5, 2009.
#68 - Korey Neal: Offensive lineman Korey Neal has appeared in 38 games for EMU in four seasons.
#70 - Corey Watman: Offensive lineman Corey Watman has appeared in 33 games for Eastern Michigan in three seasons.
#72 - Andrew Sorgatz: Center Andrew Sorgatz has appeared in 46 games on the offensive line for the Eagles, including 45 starts.
#85 - Garrett Hoskins: Garrett Hoskins has appeared in 40 games over his four years donning the Green and White. He has 1,122 career receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
#87 - Dustin Daniels: Dustin Daniels has appeared in four games for the Eagles in 2012 after walking on the team in the spring after previously working for the EMU Equipment staff. The Flat Rock, Mich. native recovered the onside kick at Western Michigan to help seal the EMU victory to retain the Michigan MAC trophy.
#94 - Devin Henderson: In his career, Devin Henderson has appeared in seven games while picking up 14 total tackles, two for loss and one sack. The Northbrook, Ill. native also posted one interception.
HITTING THE 30s: A total of 17 current EMU players have participated in 30 or more games during their careers. The players, with total games in parenthesis, are: Andy Mulumba (47), Mike Zupancic (46), Andrew Sorgatz (46), Marcell Rose (45), Alex Gillett (44), Matt Boyd (44), Garrett Hoskins (40), Korey Neal (38), Alex Bellfy (37), Jay Karutz (35), Kody Fulkerson (35), Corey Manns (34), Kalanji Kashama (33), Donald Scott (33), Corey Watman (33), Dominique Sherrer (32), Javonti Greene (31).
SOPHOMORE SUCCESS: Eastern Michigan's 2011 recruiting class has paid major dividends in 2012, as the Eagles' sophomore class has accounted for 36 percent of the team's points this season. Bronson Hill leads the way for EMU with seven touchdowns for a total of 42 points. Meanwhile Ryan Brumfield has 18 points, Tyreese Russell has 18 and Demarius Reed has six. Defensively, Pudge Cotton also has an interception return for a touchdown.
GILLETT CONTINUES TO MAKE A MOVE UPWARDS: Senior quarterback Alex Gillett has played in 44 games for the Eagles, earning 32 starts, and has made significant advancement in several EMU career categories. Gillett has rushed 504 times for 2,386 yards and 14 touchdowns and has completed 347-of-658 passes for 4,411 yards and 35 touchdowns in those 44 games. He has recorded 1,162 total offensive plays (rush and pass) for 6,797 total offensive yards.
He is currently ranked third all-time in total offensive yards and is just the sixth player in school history to reach 4,000 total offensive yards. His 347 career completions are good for the seventh spot while his 4,411 career passing yards is eighth in EMU history. Additionally, his 35 career touchdown passes are tied with Matt Bohnet for third in EMU history.
KARUTZ CONTINUES TO BOOT: Senior punter Jay Karutz currently boasts a per punt average of 43.6 yards, an average that, if the season ended today, would be the best in EMU history for a season. The North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia, native is tops amongst all Mid-American Conference punters and currently has 22 punts that have landed inside the 20-yard line and has 12 punts of 50 yards-or-better including a career long 64-yard punt against Ball State University, Aug. 30.
TRIPLE THREAT: Senior Alex Gillett rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 77 yards (7-of-17) and one touchdown, while also catching two passes for 11 yards for against Central Michigan, Nov. 10.
Gillett became the first EMU player to have a rush, a pass reception, and a pass attempt in the same game since Tyler Jones accomplished the feat Oct. 28, 2008, against Ball State. In that contest, Jones attempted one pass, had five rushes for 19 yards, and had 11 catches for 120 yards.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Eagles rank 12th in the nation in net punting at 39.8 yards per play and 39th in pass defense at 215.9 yards per game ... EMU has been strong inside the redzone, scoring on 89 percent of trips inside the 20 ... Eastern has scored touchdowns 63 percent of the time when inside their opponents' 20.
FACING RANKED OPPONENTS: The matchup with No. 23/24 Northern Illinois, Nov. 23, will be the eighth time since 1992 that Eastern Michigan has played a team ranked in the top 25 in the nation. It is the first time during that span a nationally-ranked team has played at Rynearson Stadium. A complete list can be found on page 12 of these notes.
POWER OF SEVEN: A total of 16 of EMU's 47 games under Head Coach Ron English have been decided by seven points-or-less. The Eagles are 6-10 in those contests.
NO CUPCAKES: Playing football in the Mid-American Conference leaves little room for error. Just ask EMU Head Coach Ron English. EMU's strength of schedule is second-hardest in the Mid-American Conference and 37th nationally according to the NCAA's latest statistical release. EMU's 2012 opponents have a combined record of 56-47.
EMU DEFENSE TIGHTENS IN RED ZONE: The Eagle defense is holding its opponents to just 83 percent on their trips to the red zone. EMU's defense has allowed its opponents to enter the red zone on 48 drives, but has given up just 25 touchdowns and 15 field goals. EMU ranks 70th nationally in red zone defense.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Eastern Michigan has played 11 “true” freshmen during the 2012 campaign. That amount is tied for 18th most nationally and third most in the Mid-American Conference. Texas and TCU lead the way with 16 first-year players having seen game action. Meanwhile, Akron is tops in the MAC with 13 freshmen and Miami is next with 12.
The Eagles enter the Mid-American Conference West Division contest with a 2-9 (1-6 MAC) record following a 29-23 road victory over Western Michigan University, Nov. 17, in the battle for the Michigan MAC Trophy. Meanwhile, the nationally-ranked Huskies are 10-1 (7-0 MAC) after upending the University of Toledo, 31-24, to capture the MAC West Division Championship, Nov. 14.
The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Michael Reghi providing the play-by-play and Bob Chmeil serving as the analyst. WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Matt Shepard and Herman Moore calling the action on the field.
MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY BACK TO YPSILANTI: With the 29-23 victory at Western Michigan, Nov. 17, EMU retained the Michigan MAC Trophy for the fourth time, the most out of any of the other competing schools. Created in 2005 by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, the Eagles kept the trophy due to each team finishing with 1-1 records against each other.
BEATING THE BRONCOS BACK-TO-BACK: EMU's 29-23 defeat of Western Michigan, Nov. 17, marked the first time Eastern has won consecutive games against the Broncos since the Green and White rattled off three straight wins from 1989-1991.
MULDER FROM DOWNTOWN: “True” freshman Dylan Mulder proved to be the difference in Eastern's victory against Western Michigan, Nov. 17. The Saline, Mich. native booted a career-high three field goals including a career-long 43-yard kick. With 2:33 left in the game Mulder capped off a nine-play, 52-yard EMU drive with a 34-yard kick, which proved to be the decisive margin in the 29-23 victory at Waldo Stadium. For his efforts, he was named the MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE HUSKIES: Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois will be meeting for the 43rd time in history when the two teams square off Friday, Nov. 23, in a Mid-American Conference West Division game. NIU holds a 26-14-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1927. NIU recorded a 18-12 victory last year, Nov. 25, 2011, in Huskies Stadium. Eastern's last win in the series came Sept. 15, 2007, in DeKalb, Ill. by a 21-19 margin.
SENIOR SNAPSHOTS: Saturday's game is the final Rynearson Stadium appearance for 20 Eastern Michigan University seniors. Below is a quick snapshot of each of those seniors.
#8 - Alex Gillett: Alex Gillett has played in 44 games for the Eagles, starting at quarterback for the majority of them. During his career, he has thrown for 4,411 yards and rushed for 2,386 yards. He even has caught 10 passes for 98 yards while lining up at receiver this year for the Green and White. Throughout his four years at Eastern, Gillett has recorded 50 touchdowns. Against Central Michigan this year, Gillett became the first player to record a run, pass completion, and catch in one game since Tyler Jones accomplished the feat Oct. 28, 2008 against Ball State.
#10 - Corey Manns: Defensive back Corey Manns has played in 34 games for the Eagles throughout his career recording 22 tackles. At the start of his time at Eastern, Manns played wide receiver where he caught 3 passes for 21 yards.
#21 - Bryan Pali: During his career at EMU, linebacker Bryan Pali has played in 20 games for the Eagles recording one interception, 119 tackles, two forced fumbles, and seven pass deflections. Out of the 119 career tackles, 43 of them were unassisted while six were tackles-for-loss.
#25 - Dominique Sherrer: Running back Dominique Sherrer has recorded 1,720 all purpose yards in 32 games suiting up for the Green and White. A total of 873 of those yards were recorded on the ground with Sherrer's career-long run being 77 yards. Averaging 4.4 yards per carry, he has also recorded three touchdowns during his career.
#31 - Marcell Rose: In 45 games for Eastern Michigan, Marcell Rose has had impressive statistics that include: five interceptions, 183 tackles (105 unassisted, 3.5 for loss), 19 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.
#33 - Alex Bellfy: In four years donning the Green and White, Alex Bellfy has recorded 105 total tackles, while also picking up a sack, seven tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and forced a fumble.
#36 - Blake Poole: Linebacker Blake Poole has played in 22 games during two seasons wearing the Green and White. He has recorded a career total of 88 tackles, including one sack and five tackles for loss. In two years he has forced one fumble, while also recovering one.
#37 - Jay Karutz: Jay Karutz has punted for three seasons as an Eagle. Posting a punt average of 40.3 yards per punt, he has a career-long of 64 yards. This season he is averaging 43.6 yards per punt, and he is a candidate for the 2012 Ray Guy Award.
#38 - Reo Allen: Running back Reo Allen has been a walk-on practice squad player for the Eagles for the past two seasons.
#45 - Matt Boyd: In four years donning the Green and White, Matt Boydhas appeared in 44 games for the Eagles as a linebacker and a fullback. The Southfield, Mich. native has 49 career tackles, two of which were tackles for loss. He has also forced and recovered a fumble.
#47 Justin Cudworth: Linebacker Justin Cudworth has seen action in 22 games since joining the Eagles in 2011. In two years, he has notched 168 total tackles, while forcing four fumbles and recovering two. Cudworth has picked up 1.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in his time wearing the Green and White.
#53 - Mike Zupancic: Long snapper Mike Zupancic has appeared in 46 games over four years, while picking up five tackles on the Eagles' special teams unit.
#56 - Andy Mulumba: Defensive lineman Andy Mulumba has seen action in 47 games in four seasons. He has posted 148 tackles, including 17 for loss and 4.5 total sacks in his career. The Montreal, Quebec, Canada native has forced three fumbles, while recovering one in his career.
#58 - Matt Bowman: Long snapper Matt Bowman has practice with the Eagles since 2008, earned the start against Army, Sept. 5, 2009.
#68 - Korey Neal: Offensive lineman Korey Neal has appeared in 38 games for EMU in four seasons.
#70 - Corey Watman: Offensive lineman Corey Watman has appeared in 33 games for Eastern Michigan in three seasons.
#72 - Andrew Sorgatz: Center Andrew Sorgatz has appeared in 46 games on the offensive line for the Eagles, including 45 starts.
#85 - Garrett Hoskins: Garrett Hoskins has appeared in 40 games over his four years donning the Green and White. He has 1,122 career receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
#87 - Dustin Daniels: Dustin Daniels has appeared in four games for the Eagles in 2012 after walking on the team in the spring after previously working for the EMU Equipment staff. The Flat Rock, Mich. native recovered the onside kick at Western Michigan to help seal the EMU victory to retain the Michigan MAC trophy.
#94 - Devin Henderson: In his career, Devin Henderson has appeared in seven games while picking up 14 total tackles, two for loss and one sack. The Northbrook, Ill. native also posted one interception.
HITTING THE 30s: A total of 17 current EMU players have participated in 30 or more games during their careers. The players, with total games in parenthesis, are: Andy Mulumba (47), Mike Zupancic (46), Andrew Sorgatz (46), Marcell Rose (45), Alex Gillett (44), Matt Boyd (44), Garrett Hoskins (40), Korey Neal (38), Alex Bellfy (37), Jay Karutz (35), Kody Fulkerson (35), Corey Manns (34), Kalanji Kashama (33), Donald Scott (33), Corey Watman (33), Dominique Sherrer (32), Javonti Greene (31).
SOPHOMORE SUCCESS: Eastern Michigan's 2011 recruiting class has paid major dividends in 2012, as the Eagles' sophomore class has accounted for 36 percent of the team's points this season. Bronson Hill leads the way for EMU with seven touchdowns for a total of 42 points. Meanwhile Ryan Brumfield has 18 points, Tyreese Russell has 18 and Demarius Reed has six. Defensively, Pudge Cotton also has an interception return for a touchdown.
GILLETT CONTINUES TO MAKE A MOVE UPWARDS: Senior quarterback Alex Gillett has played in 44 games for the Eagles, earning 32 starts, and has made significant advancement in several EMU career categories. Gillett has rushed 504 times for 2,386 yards and 14 touchdowns and has completed 347-of-658 passes for 4,411 yards and 35 touchdowns in those 44 games. He has recorded 1,162 total offensive plays (rush and pass) for 6,797 total offensive yards.
He is currently ranked third all-time in total offensive yards and is just the sixth player in school history to reach 4,000 total offensive yards. His 347 career completions are good for the seventh spot while his 4,411 career passing yards is eighth in EMU history. Additionally, his 35 career touchdown passes are tied with Matt Bohnet for third in EMU history.
KARUTZ CONTINUES TO BOOT: Senior punter Jay Karutz currently boasts a per punt average of 43.6 yards, an average that, if the season ended today, would be the best in EMU history for a season. The North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia, native is tops amongst all Mid-American Conference punters and currently has 22 punts that have landed inside the 20-yard line and has 12 punts of 50 yards-or-better including a career long 64-yard punt against Ball State University, Aug. 30.
TRIPLE THREAT: Senior Alex Gillett rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 77 yards (7-of-17) and one touchdown, while also catching two passes for 11 yards for against Central Michigan, Nov. 10.
Gillett became the first EMU player to have a rush, a pass reception, and a pass attempt in the same game since Tyler Jones accomplished the feat Oct. 28, 2008, against Ball State. In that contest, Jones attempted one pass, had five rushes for 19 yards, and had 11 catches for 120 yards.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Eagles rank 12th in the nation in net punting at 39.8 yards per play and 39th in pass defense at 215.9 yards per game ... EMU has been strong inside the redzone, scoring on 89 percent of trips inside the 20 ... Eastern has scored touchdowns 63 percent of the time when inside their opponents' 20.
FACING RANKED OPPONENTS: The matchup with No. 23/24 Northern Illinois, Nov. 23, will be the eighth time since 1992 that Eastern Michigan has played a team ranked in the top 25 in the nation. It is the first time during that span a nationally-ranked team has played at Rynearson Stadium. A complete list can be found on page 12 of these notes.
POWER OF SEVEN: A total of 16 of EMU's 47 games under Head Coach Ron English have been decided by seven points-or-less. The Eagles are 6-10 in those contests.
NO CUPCAKES: Playing football in the Mid-American Conference leaves little room for error. Just ask EMU Head Coach Ron English. EMU's strength of schedule is second-hardest in the Mid-American Conference and 37th nationally according to the NCAA's latest statistical release. EMU's 2012 opponents have a combined record of 56-47.
EMU DEFENSE TIGHTENS IN RED ZONE: The Eagle defense is holding its opponents to just 83 percent on their trips to the red zone. EMU's defense has allowed its opponents to enter the red zone on 48 drives, but has given up just 25 touchdowns and 15 field goals. EMU ranks 70th nationally in red zone defense.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Eastern Michigan has played 11 “true” freshmen during the 2012 campaign. That amount is tied for 18th most nationally and third most in the Mid-American Conference. Texas and TCU lead the way with 16 first-year players having seen game action. Meanwhile, Akron is tops in the MAC with 13 freshmen and Miami is next with 12.
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