Football Looks For Third Straight Road Win Saturday at Ohio

Football at Ohio
Date	Saturday, Oct. 15 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Athens, Ohio \| Peden Stadium (24,000)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Press Conference Video \| Teleconference Audio.
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM) \| TuneIn Radio
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282 \| Clear Bag Policy

ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team makes the 265 mile trek south to the banks of the Hocking River Saturday, Oct. 15, for a Mid-American Conference cross divisional tilt at Ohio University. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Peden Stadium.
   The Eagles are 4-2 (1-1 MAC) after its three-game winning streak was snapped by the University of Toledo, 35-20, on Homecoming at Rynearson Stadium, Oct. 8. Meanwhile, the Bobcats (4-2, 2-0 MAC) have won three straight following a 30-24 homecoming triumph over defending league champion Bowling Green State University, Oct. 8.
    The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Dave Weekly providing the play-by-play and Dustin Fox 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.

BIGGEST TURNAROUNDS: Six games into the 2016 season, Eastern Michigan has improved on its 2015 win total by three games, from one win to four. This ties them with UCF for biggest turnarounds in the FBS so far this season. The Knights have three wins on the season after going winless in 2015.

POC'S PRESENCE: Pat O'Connor continues to close the gap on being atop the EMU leaderboard for sacks since records were kept in 1998. O'Connor has 16 career sacks, which is the second-most in school history, just 1.5 sacks behind Kevin Howe, who accumulated 17.5 for the Eagles from 2003-2006. His 4.5 sacks this season rank him 45th in the country and fifth in the MAC.

RALLYING TO RYNEARSON: After starting the season 4-1, the best start for the Eagles since 1995, EMU drew its 10th largest crowd in stadium history against Toledo, Oct. 8, with 21,412 on the 96th EMU Homecoming.

ALL-TIME AGAINST OHIO: Eastern Michigan is 11-18-1 against the Bobcats all-time. Ohio has won the last six meetings against the Eagles, the most recent in 2013 with the Bobcats coming out on top 56-28. EMU's last win in the series occurred in Ypsilanti in 1999, 27-26.
   Eastern has dropped the last five trips to Ohio's campus, as the squad's last victory in Athens was Nov. 12, 1994 when the Eagles escaped with a 24-13 decision.

EMU's LAST WIN OVER OHIO: EMU's last win in the series against Ohio occurred in Ypsilanti in 1999, 27-26. With EMU holding a slim 27-20 edge, Ohio cut the margin to just one with 1:06 remaining in regulation. The Bobcats looked to knot the score, however, the extra point was blocked to seal the EMU victory. Redshirt junior quarterback Walter Church finished 24-for-33 for a total of 347 yards and three scores. Campbell and Sheffield were the Eagles top receivers in the game, with senior Brandon Campbell registering a team-high eight receptions for 111 yards and one score. Meanwhile, senior Jermaine Sheffield totaled 152 receiving yards and two TDs on seven receptions.

EMU's LAST WIN AT OHIO: EMU's last win in Athens came on Nov. 12, 1994. With the score tied at 10 heading into the fourth quarter, the Bobcats converted a 48-yard field goal to take a 13-10 lead with 14:05 left on the clock. The Eagles closed out the game with 14 unanswered points, first scoring on a two-yard run by senior Stephen Whitfield with 9:38 remaining. EMU sealed the win with a 32 yard touchdown pass with 5:47 to go, ultimately taking home the, 24-13, win.

EXPERIENCED COACHES SQUARE OFF: Squaring off for the first time on the gridiron will be Ohio's Head Coach Frank Solich and EMU's Head Coach Chris Creighton. The two have combined for 288 wins and a .656 winning percentage in their combined 38 years of coaching experience.
   Entering the season, Solich was ranked 14th among active FBS head coaches, while Creighton was tied for 12th according to the NCAA record book. Only Akron's Terry Bowden (159) has more wins as a head coach amongst the 12 in the Mid-American Conference.

PROTECTING THE POCKET: EMU's veteran offensive line has done a tremendous job of protecting its quarterbacks this season, only allowing four sacks in six games. The 0.80 sacks allowed per game is good for eighth in the nation and second in the conference. Additionally, EMU has only allowed 3.40 tackles for loss per game, which ranks third in the nation behind Ohio State and Missouri.

THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: In its first season under new defensive coordinator Neal Neathery and his 4-2-5 scheme, Eastern Michigan has seen remarkable improvement in its overall defense. Through six games this season, EMU has allowed just 2,440 total yards (406.7 per game). Last season, the Eagles had allowed 2,972 yards through six games (495.3 per game). EMU's defense ranks 72nd in the country and eighth in the MAC.

OFFENSE KEEPS CHURNING: The Eagles' offense, meanwhile, is picking up where it left off from last season. The unit is ranked 59th in the country, sixth in the MAC, averaging 425.8 yards per game, while they are 54th in scoring, also fourth in the MAC, averaging 32.3 points a game. So far this season, EMU has put up three of the top-10 total yards' performances in Chris Creighton's tenure.

EFFICIENT IN THE RED ZONE: Both sides of the ball have got it done this season within the 20 yard lines. The offense has scored on 93 percent of its red zone opportunities, which is 48th in the nation and fourth in the MAC, while the defense has only allowed scores on 78 percent of red zone possessions, good for 21st in the nation and third in the MAC.

SPREADING THE LOVE: Through six games, Eastern Michigan has totaled 1,548 yards through the air this season, however none of EMU's receivers have recorded a 100-yard receiving game and none have more than 26 receptions. A total of 14 different Eagles have nabbed catches on the season, and six have at least one touchdown reception. EMU's leading receiver through six games is junior Sergio Bailey II, who has 329 yards on 26 catches and two touchdown catches.

SPEARMAN STOPS: Eastern Michigan redshirt senior linebacker Ike Spearman led the Eagles defensively against Toledo, Oct. 8. Spearman tied for the team-lead with 11 tackles (3 solo, 8 assisted) against the Rockets. The 11 stops marked a season-best for the Saint John, Ind. native and marked his most since Nov. 9, 2013 when he posted 13 tackles in EMU's win over Western Michigan.

BOMBS AWAY BARNES: Redshirt junior Austin Barnes continues to have a great season punting the ball. Barnes booted six punts in the Oct. 8 game against Toledo, averaging 44.0 yards per punt, and a long of 57. His season-best average came the week before at Bowling Green, where he averaged 50.0 yards per punt and a long of 56 yards. His season average of 46.895 is ranked seventh in the country and second in the MAC. The redshirt junior punter holds a career average of 43.0 yards, which is second all-time in EMU history, while his 6,019 total yards ranks eighth all-time.

GETTING TO THE QUARTERBACK: Sophomore Kwanii Figueroa recorded the first sack of his career against Toledo, Oct. 8. It was just the third sack given up by Toledo this year, and his fifth total tackle of the season.

BAILEY IS BALLING: Junior Sergio Bailey II has jumped onto the scene in his first season donning the Green and White. The junior college transfer is EMU's leading receiver with 329 yards on 26 catches and two touchdown catches. The yardage total makes the California native the 12th-best receiver in the MAC.

ROBACK RISING: With 255 yards passing against Toledo, Oct. 8, redshirt junior Brogan Roback recorded the ninth 200+ yard passing effort of career, and the first for him this season. It was the fifth highest total single-game passing total of his career. With 3,462 yards passing in his career, Roback now ranks ninth all-time in passing in EMU history.

ESSENCE OF FRICANO: Redshirt freshman Paul Fricano remains perfect on the season for PATs, going 24-for-24, which is fourth-most in the MAC.

CALHOUN COMING: Vince Calhoun recorded his third consecutive game with eight total tackles last week against Toledo, Oct. 8. Five of the tackles came in the first possession, which included a pass breakup. The "true" freshman is the fifth leading tackler this season for EMU with 33, and is tied for the lead in INTs with two.

BRECK BREAKING FREE: Redshirt freshman Breck Turner has put together quite the string of rushing touchdowns, recording a score in each of the last three games for the Eagles. After only accumulating 28 yards in his first three games at EMU, Turner has broken through in the last three and is now EMU's second leading rusher with 206 yards on 38 carries.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: So far this season, the Eagles have found success in games in which the squad has won the turnover battle. In total, Eastern holds a 12-11 TO advantage with a safety, four interceptions, and seven fumble recoveries. Not only is the squad getting the ball back, but it is taking advantage of it and putting points on the board. EMU has turned its 12 turnovers into 44 points, including seven touchdowns.

ON THE HORIZON: Next week the Eagles will hop onto I-94 and take on in-state rival and nationally ranked Western Michigan, Saturday, Oct. 22, start time 3:30 p.m. The last time the Eagles beat the Broncos was in 2013, 35-32, but Western Michigan has been victorious the last two meetings.

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Players Mentioned

Sergio Bailey II

Austin Barnes

Vince Calhoun

Kwanii Figueroa

Paulie Fricano

Pat O'Connor

Brogan Roback

Ike Spearman

Breck Turner

Eastern Michigan Athletics