EMU Treks to Oxford Saturday to Battle Miami

OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team gets back on the road in the 10th week of the season with a rare road trip to Oxford, Ohio, to take on the RedHawks of Miami. Both schools are a bit down on their luck this season, entering the Saturday, Nov. 7, contest with identical 1-8 records and still looking for their first Mid-American Conference triumph of the season. The teams are coming off of mid-week contests, as the Eagles fell to in-state rival Western Michigan at home 58-28, while Miami was upended at home by Buffalo, 29-24.
   WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Matt Shepard and Rob Rubick calling the action on the field. The contest will be broadcast by ESPN3.

JACKSON MOVING UP CAREER RUSHING LIST: With his 95 yards on the ground against Western Michigan, Oct. 29, Darius Jackson now has 1,402 rushing yards in his career since joining the EMU football program, good for 15th on the all-time rushing list. The WMU contest was the seventh time Jackson surpassed 95-or-more yards in a single-game this season, and he has gone over 100+ yards five times in 2015.
   With his 894 yards on the ground in 2015, Jackson is looking to become just the 13th back in EMU history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. The current record holder for single-season rushing is Anthony Sherrell, who rushed for 1,531 yards in 2003.

SERIES RENEWED WITH THE REDHAWKS: Miami and Eastern Michigan are meeting for the 22nd time in history with the RedHawks holding a 17-4 advantage in the series. In a rivalry that has been dormant since the 2010 campaign, Miami holds a seven-game winning streak that dates back to Oct. 1, 1994, when MU escaped with a 21-17 victory at Rynearson Stadium.

ONE OF THE TOP BACKS IN THE MAC: Senior running back Darius Jackson has been one of the best backs in both the MAC and the country this season. He ranks first in the MAC in rushing this season with 894 yards on the ground, good for 99.3 yards a game. This ranks 21 in the country. Jackson has also totaled 78 points on the season. That is third in the MAC and 49th in the nation. Additionally, 12 of his 13 touchdowns have been rushing touchdowns, which is second in the MAC and 11th in the country.

MOVING UP THE CHARTS: With 13 touchdowns this season, senior running back Darius Jackson continues to move up the EMU single-season touchdown rankings. The Sparta, Ill. native already is tied for third most and is within two of equaling the all-time mark of 15 held by Kerry Keating (1957) and Ime Akpan (2002).
   Since the 1987 campaign, only nine EMU student-athletes have recorded 10 or more touchdowns in a particular season. Of those players, all but one (Eric Deslauriers - 2004) have been running backs.

LOOKING TO STOP THE SKID: With infrequent meetings between the two schools, EMU will be looking to post its first victory over Miami in 22 years – a streak of 8,071 days.
   The Eagles notched a 15-7 decision at Yager Stadium, Oct. 12, 1993, as the defense led the way. Trailing 7-0, EMU scored 15 third quarter points including a safety and a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown by Vashone Adams. A defensive struggle, neither side cracked 300 yards of total offense (EMU 294, MIA 208) on the day.

TIES BETWEEN EMU AND MIAMI: Despite not playing on a regular basis, Eastern Michigan and Miami do have some common bonds. EMU assistant coach Jay Peterson was a standout running back for the then-Redskins, where he earned four varsity letters from 1980-83 at Miami. His career total of 2,874 rushing yards ranks fifth on MU's all-time career rushing list. He was a co-captain as a senior and was a First Team All-MAC selection in 1982, a second team pick in 1983 and an honorable mention choice in 1981. Wide receivers coach Herb Haygood worked as an offensive intern at Miami in 2011 and 2012, assisting with the RedHawks wide receivers.
   On the Miami sideline, six different coaches or staff members spent time in Ypsilanti. Head Coach Chuck Martin was the linebackers coach at EMU from 1998-99 before departing to Grand Valley State University. Associate A.D. for Football Operations Steve Brockelbank was a three-year letter-winner as an offensive lineman at EMU, earning second-team honors in 1990 and first-team honors in 1989. Defensive Coordinator Matt Pawlowski coached the linebackers and special teams at Eastern Michigan for the 1999 season while safeties coach Joseph Palcic began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at EMU in 1998. Additionally, Darrell Hallberg, Miami's Assistant AD/Equipment Services, worked for four years at EMU as the department's equipment manager before departing for Oxford. He also took Chad Burns with him as a part of his staff at Miami.

CONSISTENTLY PUTTING UP POINTS: After scoring 28 points against Western Michigan, Oct. 28, the EMU offense has put up at least 20 points in six consecutive contests. This is the first time an EMU offense has accomplished the feat since 2004, when the Green and White did so in seven straight games.

RED HOT IN THE RED ZONE: Eastern Michigan has been one of the most efficient teams in the red-zone through nine games this season, scoring on 25-of-29 (86 percent) attempts, which is good for third in the MAC and 46th in the country. 22 of those scores have been touchdowns for the Green and White.

MANUFACTURING SOME OFFENSE: The 2015 EMU offense is shaping up to be one of the most potent in the history of the program. Through eight games, EMU has tallied a total of 3,244 total yards and 28 touchdowns.
    Given that pace, the squad would finish the season with 4,866 yards and 42 scores, which would both rank in the top three all-time. EMU's high-water mark for total offense is 5,010 yards set during the 2008 campaign, while the 1995 club led by Charlie Batch racked up 48 TDs.
    Through the opening nine contests of 2015, the Eagles have already compiled more touchdowns than they did in 12 seasons dating back to 1998.

TWO-MINUTE DRIVE MASTERS: Of Eastern Michigan's 32 touchdowns scored this season, 15 of them have been scored in less than two minutes, which is good for 46.9 percent of its TDs.

SPREADING IT AROUND: The EMU passing attack has spread the wealth with five different receivers having 20-or-more receptions. EMU is one of just eight schools nationally to accomplish that feat through the first seven contests.

# of Receivers with 20 or More Receptions
Seven – Texas Tech, Washington State
Six – Ole Miss, Cal
Five – Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, BYU, East Carolina, EMU, FIU, Southern Miss, Wake Forest, WKU

GREAT TACKLING: Senior linebacker Great Ibe currently leads the team and the conference in total tackles, recording 90 on the season, despite missing one game due to injury. This ranks fifth in the country. In three seasons for the Green and White after transferring into the program, Ibe currently ranks 18th on the all-time tackles list at EMU with 285 stops.

ALL-TIME GREAT EMU KICKER: Senior kicker Dylan Mulder will go down as one of the greatest kickers to suit up in the Green and White, as his name is near the top of a few EMU all-time records. He is second in career extra points made (97), fifth in career field goals (32) and fourth in career points (193).
   Mulder is up for the Wuerffel Award, which goes to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with academic and athletic achievement. He is also nominated for the Burlsworth Award, which is presented each year to college football's most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.

(C)REELING IT IN: Senior wide receiver Dustin Creel had the best game of his 2015 season against Western Michigan, hauling in five catches for a season high 82 yards and two touchdowns. Creel now has 1,364 yards in his EMU career, which is 11th in program history. He has also matched his career high in touchdowns this season with five touchdown receptions, and has 10 in his collegiate career.

LAST TIME WE MET: EMU came up just short in its 2010 Mid-American Conference opener to Miami, 28-21, at Yager Stadium, Sept. 11, 2010. The Eagles had a pair of fourth-quarter drives into RedHawk territory but were turned away each time. With the ball at midfield, sophomore quarterback Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) was sacked on third down as the clock rolled under three minutes. On 4th-and-9, senior tight end Josh LeDuc (Canton, Mich.-Plymouth) caught a Gillett offering that was just long enough for the first down at the MU 42. Two plays later, Trey Hunter (Pemberville, Ohio-Eastwood) looked to have caught a touchdown pass, but he was unable to get his foot down in the front corner of the end zone.
   Then on 4th-and-11 at the 22-yard line with just 41 seconds showing on the clock, Gillett's pass intended for LeDuc was knocked away, giving the ball back to Miami. MU was able to run out the clock and preserve the 28-21 victory.
   Gillett led the Eagles offensively, going 18-for-30 for 171 yards via the air with two scores. Sophomore Kinsman Thomas (Bennettsville, S.C.-Marlboro County) caught four balls for 133 yards and two touchdowns, while LeDuc grabbed seven passes for 45 yards and a score plus throwing for a touchdown as well. Junior Corey Welch (Akron, Ohio-Green) picked up 18 yards on seven carries via the ground.

SENIOR DAY UP NEXT: The Eagles return home Nov. 14 for the final game of the 2015 season inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium for Senior Day against Massachusetts. The game will also mark Fan Appreciation Day for all EMU football fans. This will be just the second all-time meeting between the two schools, with UMass winning last year's bout 36-14.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dustin Creel

Great Ibe

Darius Jackson

Dylan Mulder

Eastern Michigan Athletics