Football Has a Homecoming Date with Ball State

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Following back-to-back games on the road, the Eastern Michigan University football team returns to Rynearson Stadium Saturday, Sept. 21, for its annual homecoming contest. The Eagles (1-2) host Ball State University (2-1) at 1 p.m. in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.
ESPN3 will broadcast the game with Dan Gutowsky giving the play-by-play while Forrest Conoly will serve as the analyst. As with every EMU football game, the conference opener will be live on WEMU (89.1 FM) with Matt Shepard and Rob Rubick calling the action on the field.

HOMECOMING 2013: The EMU-BSU game Saturday, Sept. 21, will be Homecoming 2013 for the Eagles. The game will be the 86th Homecoming game in school history. The tradition started in 1926 when then-Michigan Normal College downed Kalamazoo College, 19-0, on Nov. 29. The Green and White are 44-39-2 in homecoming games, including winning four of the last eight contests.
The Eagles beat Western Michigan two seasons ago, 14-10, Oct. 22, 2012, while also edging the Broncos, 19-2, Oct. 27, 2007. EMU handed Toledo a 17-13 setback, Oct. 21, 2006, and edged Kent State, 27-20, Oct. 1, 2005. The four losses in the last eight Homecomings include a 41-14 loss to KSU, Oct. 6, 2012, a 30-27 setback to Ohio, Oct. 2, 2010, a 24-12 loss to Temple, Oct. 3, 2009, and a 37-0 setback to Northern Illinois, Sept. 27, 2008.

FAMILIAR FOES: While Ball State has always been a familiar foe for the Eagles, there are some members of the EMU sideline that are far more familiar with the team. EMU Offensive Coordinator Stan Parrish, assistant coach Brad Wilson and graduate assistant Michael Switzer used to roam the Ball State sidelines either as players or coaches.
Parrish was the head coach of the BSU football program for three years. Not only was Parrish at the helm of the Cardinals' squad from 2008-10, but he also served in roles as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator (2006-08) and quarterbacks coach (2005). In the 2006 season, he was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant coach in the nation. Parrish engineered a Ball State offense which helped the Cardinals to a 12-1 record, an 8-0 Mid-American Conference mark, the MAC West Division Championship and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first-time in school history.
Wilson, who coaches the offensive line at Eastern, played tight end at Ball State from 2002-06. Following his playing career, he coached the Cardinals' offensive line as a graduate assistant during the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Parrish leading the program.
Just a season ago, Switzer faced the Eagles in the 2012 season opener as the team captain for the Cardinals. Starting 51 games throughout his career as a four-year starter at Ball State, he also earned All-MAC Third Team honors in 2010.

TIME FOR #MACTION: Saturday's contest kicks off the 38th year that the Eagles have been a part of the Mid-American Conference football championship race. EMU was admitted into the league in 1971, but a complete league schedule was not available until the 1976 season. During that span, the Green and White are 13-24 all-time in MAC lid lifters.

ALL-TIME VERSUS BSU: Ball State and Eastern Michigan will be meeting for the 55th time in school history. The Cardinals hold a 31-21-2 edge in the series that began in 1936 when EMU recorded a 6-0 victory in Ypsilanti, Sept. 26.
The Green and White's last victory over the Cardinal and White came Oct. 16, 2010, when the Eagles mounted the biggest comeback in school history. Eastern rallied to out-score the Cardinals, 41-17, after the midway point of the second quarter to capture the thrilling 41-38 overtime victory.

BRINGING THE BILTZ: Thanks in large part to Pat O'Conner, Kalanji Kashama and Hunter Matt, the Eagles have racked up 10 sacks through the first three contests. The total ranks ninth nationally with an average of 3.33 quarterback-takedowns per contest. Maryland leads the nation with an average of 4.67 sacks per contest.
In addition, EMU's 10 sacks already surpassed its total of seven from all of last season.

BRINGING IT IN NINE TIMES: EMU tight end Tyreese Russell managed to pull in nine receptions against Rutgers Saturday, Sept. 14. That was the first time an Eastern receiver had caught nine or more passes since Tyler Jones caught an NCAA record 23 receptions in a single game against Central Michigan, Nov. 28, 2008.

BENZ AIRING IT OUT: Quarterback Tyler Benz threw the ball all over the field in the Eagles', 28-10, loss to Rutgers, Sept. 14. The redshirt junior completed a career-high 24 passes while throwing for 335 yards and a touchdown. The passing yardage was the second-most in the career of the second-year starter. Benz passed for a personal-best 369 yards in a 48-38 victory over Army, Oct. 12, 2012. Through three games this season, Benz has a 65.2 completion percentage, throwing 60-92 for 660 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

CREEL'S CAREER HIGHS: In just his second season donning the Green and White, wide receiver Dustin Creel has made an impact on the Eastern Michigan offense. Against Rutgers, Sept. 14, the sophomore tallied a career-high 77 yards receiving on four catches, tying a personal-best in number of receptions. With 10 receptions for 127 yards through three games, Creel is second on the team in both categories.

RUSSELL FILLING THE SHOES: With Tyler Benz losing his favorite target from a year ago in All-MAC Second Team tight end Garrett Hoskins, the Eagles were left wondering who will fill the void. Through three games this season, EMU may have found its guy at the same position. Junior tight end Tyreese Russell is currently leading EMU in catches (19) and yards (185) through two games in 2013. The Chicago, Ill. native recorded career highs against Rutgers, Sept. 14, hauling in nine catches for 84 yards.

STEALS STEPPING UP: After redshirting his first season at EMU, Mike Steals has provided a lift to Coach Ron English's defense. The North Braddock, Pa. native has recorded seven tackles in the past two games, including his first career sack against Rutgers, Sept. 14.

STOPPING THEM ON THIRD: The EMU defense has gotten very stingy on third downs as of late. In the last two games, the Green and White have held their opposition to an 11.1 percent conversion rate on third downs. When the Eagles took on Penn State, Sept. 7, they held the Nittany Lions to just one conversion on 10 tries, just a 10 percent conversion rate. Rutgers was also only able to convert a single first down, Sept. 14, against the EMU defense. The Scarlet Knights went 1-for-8 in third down attempts, which is just a 12.5 percent rate.

REDZONE WARRIORS: Eastern Michigan has done damage when entering the opposition's redzone territory this season. In its five times coming within 20 yards of their opponent's endzone, the Eagles have scored touchdowns in four of those trips, good for 80 percent efficiency.

HOLDING ON TO THE FOOTBALL: Ball security is a vital part of college football, and the Eagles have done a good job on this aspect of the game throughout its past five games. The Green and White have only turned the ball over three times in its past five contests dating back to last season. EMU did not turn the ball over in a 29-23 win at Western Michigan, Nov. 23, 2012, as well as in the 45-7 setback at Penn State, Sept. 7.

STRONG DEFENSE IN NEW JERSEY: Eastern Michigan gave itself a chance to top Rutgers, Sept. 14, with its strong defensive play. In the Eagles first game played in the Garden State, it surrendered just 274 yards defensively, while out-gaining Rutgers by 99 yards in the game. The 274 yards is the fifth lowest total that the Green and White has allowed under Head Coach Ron English.

PLAYING THE PASSING GAME: Head Football Coach Ron English has made it clear over the last few years that he prefers to run the football on offense, however when the passing game is working, English doesn't shy away from airing it out. Saturday, Sept. 14, the Eagles tossed the football for 335 yards against Rutgers. That total was the second most passing yards the EMU offense has posted since English took over as the head man in Ypsilanti before the 2009 season.

DOUBLE-DIP IN NEW YORK: After a bye week, EMU returns to action by traveling to New York for games in back-to-back weeks. First, the Green and White stay in-conference, Oct. 5, facing Buffalo for the fifth time in school history. The following weekend, Oct. 12, the Eagles meet the Black Knights of Army to close out the non-conference slate. The contest between EMU and Army will be the fifth matchup on the gridiron between the two in the last six years.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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