Eagles Clash With the Cardinals Saturday, Nov. 22, in Muncie

MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUGameDay.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University football team is set to play its final road game of the year, traveling to Muncie, Ind., Nov. 22, to battle the Ball State University Cardinals at 2 p.m.
   The Eagles are 2-8 (1-5 MAC) on the 2014 campaign following a 51-7 road setback to Western Michigan, Nov. 15. Meanwhile, the Cardinals dropped to 3-7 (2-4 MAC) with a 24-10 road loss to the University of Massachusetts, Nov. 12, for their second-straight loss.
   The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Jim Barbar providing the play-by-play and John Gregory serving as the analyst. WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Matt Shepard and Rob Rubick calling the action on the field.

CLASH AGAINST THE CARDINALS: The Eagles and Cardinals will be meeting for the 56th time in the all-time history between the two squads. Ball State holds a 32-21-2 edge in the series which began in 1936 when Eastern claimed a 6-0 victory in Ypsilanti, Sept. 26. BSU has taken the previous three matchups, but EMU's last win in the series came on the road in Muncie, Oct. 16, 2010, in an overtime thriller. The Eagles overcame a sluggish start and a 21-point hole before rallying past Ball State in a 41-38 overtime victory. The overtime session was set up after the Eagles took a slim 35-28 lead on a Alex Gillett two-yard touchdown run with 4:43 to play in the fourth quarter. Not to be outdone, the Cardinals answered with a touchdown of their own to force overtime. On third down in the overtime session, Gillett lofted a pass for senior tight end Ben Thayer, who was able to secure the nine-yard aerial for the game-winning touchdown grab.
   The 21-point comeback is the biggest in school history.

THIRD QUARTER DEFENSE: Coming out for the start of the second half, the Eagles have made adjustments to the defensive scheme that has worked as of late. The third quarter is the best for the Eagles' defense, holding teams to under a touchdown average (6.7 points) during that 15-minute span. Allowing a field goal against Western Michigan was the first time the EMU defense has surrendered any third quarter points in the last three games. Over the past five contests, Eastern's defense has only given up a combined 12 points in the third quarter of play.

RUSSELL RECEIVING: Senior tight end Tyreese Russell has proved why he was named to the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List, especially over the last four games. The Chicago, Ill. native leads the team in receiving with 29 catches for 393 yards, more than double the amount of yardage of his nearest teammate. The next closest Eagle in the receiving category is Tyler Allen, who has 170 yards on 16 receptions. Russell has been the Green and White's leading receiver in the last four games, and his productivity has increased each contest. He has hauled in 14 catches for 242 yards during the past month, including a career-best 98-yard game against Western Michigan, Nov. 15.

CASHING IN CAREER DAYS: Several Eagles recorded personal-best days courtesy of the Eastern passing game versus rival Western Michigan, Nov. 15. Quarterback Reginald Bell went 14-of-21 through the air for a career-high 283 yards passing, the most passing yards in a game by an EMU quarterback since Tyler Benz threw for 335 yards last season against Rutgers, Sept. 14, 2013. The redshirt-freshman found eight different Eagles throughout the afternoon, but his favorite receiver was Tyreese Russell as the senior tight end made four catches for a career-high 98 yards. Bell found running back Bronson Hill out of the backfield for a 76-yard touchdown pass for the longest pass of the season and Hill's longest reception of his career. Kray'shawn Brewer and Cole Gardner each had 33 yards receiving to post career bests as well. Brewer tied his career high in receptions with three, while Gardner's pair of grabs became a new personal best for himself.

BIG PLAY TOUCHDOWNS: On EMU's opening drive of the second half at Western Michigan, Nov. 15, the Eagles found the end zone to get on the scoreboard. Facing a second and long from the EMU 24-yard line, Reginald Bell flipped a screen pass to Bronson Hill, who shook a pair of defenders before scampering 76 yards down the sideline for the touchdown. The big play was the longest play of the year for the Green and White, and it also marked the third touchdown of the year over 70 yards. The other two scores longer than 70 yards were runs of 72 and 71 by Bell in Eastern's victory over Buffalo earlier this season, Oct. 11, at The Factory.

POC-MAN: Much like Pac-Man in the 1980s arcade game that became a pop culture phenomenon, Pat O'Connor has been gobbling up the opposition behind the line of scrimmage this season. The team co-captain currently leads the Mid-American Conference in sacks as well as ranking second in tackles-for-loss. Pushing opponents back a combined 67 yards on 13.5 tackles-for-loss, O'Connor's total ranks 22nd nationally. The Windy City native is among the top-30 sack leaders throughout the country, sitting at No. 29 with 7.0 sacks.

RETURNING HOME TO THE HOOSIER STATE: EMU has 11 players on its roster from the state of Indiana: Jason Beck (Indianapolis, Ind.-Arsenal Technical), Kray'shawn Brewer (Indianapolis, Ind.-North Central), Dwayne Brown (Indianapolis, Ind.-Warren Central), Kevin Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.-Warren Central), Derrick Dunlap (Indianapolis, Ind.-Lawrence Central), Kenny Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.-Lawrence Central), D'Marcus Moon (Fort Wayne, Ind.-North Side), Chris O'Risky (Poseyville, Ind.-North Posey), Deshai Powell (Indianapolis, Ind.-Lawrence Central) Ike Spearman (Saint John, Ind.-Lake Central) and Shaq Vann (South Bend, Ind.-John Adams) are all Indiana natives with seven of them hailing from the state's capital, Indianapolis.

LAST TIME WE MET: Last season, the Eagles were able to score the first touchdown of the Mid-American Conference opener, but four turnovers plagued the Eagles in a 51-20 setback to Ball State, EMU's homecoming game, Sept. 21, 2013. Quarterback Tyler Benz led the Eagles in passing, connecting on 22-of-32 attempts for 212 yards and one touchdown, while running back Bronson Hill rushed for 126 yards on 21 carries. EMU wide receiver Dustin Creel led the Green and White in receiving, racking up 60 yards on five catches to go with one touchdown, while Demarius Reed added 55 yards receiving. On the Ball State side, quarterback Keith Wenning threw for 317 yards, tossing two touchdowns. Jahwan Edwards and Horactio Banks led in rushing, gaining 83 and 65 yards, while Willie Snead headed the receiving core with 175 yards on nine catches.

BLOCK PARTY: Eastern Michigan's special teams have been putting up big numbers when it comes to blocking kicks. During the 2014 campaign, the Eagles have blocked six kicks in nine contests, which are the most since the 2009 season when the Green and White rejected six kicks as well. Mike Steals leads the way with two blocked field goals, while Gary White Jr. and Willie Creear each rejected one field goal attempt apiece. The fifth blocked kick goes to Nathan Adams, who blocked a punt in the season opening victory against Morgan State, Aug. 30, Amos Houston also added a punt block versus Central Michigan, Nov. 1.
   Nationally, EMU is tied with Northwestern for most blocked kicks this season.

FINISHING UP AT THE FACTORY: EMU will close out the 2014 campaign in front of its home fans for an annual day-after-Thanksgiving game, Nov. 28. The Green and White host the Rockets of the University of Toledo at The Factory. Kickoff time is to be determined, but the game will be broadcast on ESPN3, while WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide the audio coverage.

Eagles Clash With the Cardinals Saturday, Nov. 22, in Muncie

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Adams

Tyler Allen

Jason Beck

Reginald Bell

Tyler Benz

Kray’shawn Brewer

Dwayne Brown

Willie Creear

Dustin Creel

Kevin Davis

Derrick Dunlap

Cole Gardner

Bronson Hill

Amos Houston

Kenny Jones

D’Marcus Moon

Pat O'Connor

Chris O'Risky

Deshai Powell

Demarius Reed

Tyreese Russell

Ike Spearman

Mike Steals

Shaq Vann

Gary White Jr.

Eastern Michigan Athletics