Football Readies for Election Night Matchup at Ball State

Football at Ball State
Date	Tuesday, Nov. 8 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Muncie, Ind. \| Scheumann Stadium (22,500)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Press Conference Video \| Teleconference Audio.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	CBS Sports Network
Listen	W4 County (102.9 WWWW-FM) \| TuneIn Radio
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.2282 \| Clear Bag Policy

MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team, after a 10-day break, begins play in the phenomenon known as "MACtion" when they travel down to Muncie, Ind. for a mid-week showdown with Mid-American Conference West Division foe Ball State University Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Schuemann Stadium.
   The Eagles enter the contest at 5-4 (2-3 MAC), looking for their sixth win after falling at home to Miami University, a 28-15 defeat at Rynearson Stadium, Oct. 29. Meanwhile, Ball State (4-5, 1-4 MAC) opened mid-week play with a 52-20 setback to Western Michigan University, Nov. 1.
    The contest will be nationally televised by CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden providing play-by-play, Jay Feely serving as the analyst, and John Schriffen reporting from the sideline.

ELECTION NIGHT RADIO CHANGE TO W4 COUNTRY: The Tuesday, Nov. 8, contest will shift radio affiliates to Cumulus Media Ann Arbor's W4 County (102.9 WWWW-FM). Due to election night coverage, EMU Athletic's tradition flagship station WEMU (89.1 FM) will remain with local and national election results updates. The usual broadcast crew remains unchanged with Matt Shepard on play-by-play with Rob Rubick serving as the analyst and Jeff Fulton as the executive producer/engineer. The pregame show is schedule to begin 10 minutes before kickoff. W4 Country will stream the game on their website as well as on the iHeartRadio or TuneIn applications on your phone or other steaming device. The station's signal covers all of southeastern Michigan, reaching north of Flint, Mich. and as far south as Toledo, Ohio while also reaching part of Canada.

BIGGEST TURNAROUNDS: Nine games into the 2016 season, Eastern Michigan has improved on its 2015 win total by four games, from one win to five. This ties for the lead in the FBS for the largest turnaround from 2015 to 2016 with UCF and Wyoming, who have improved their win total from zero to four and two to six, respectively.

BARNES SELECTED TO RAY GUY WATCH LIST: Redshirt junior punter Austin Barnes was named a candidate for the 2016 Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation's top collegiate punter, the Augusta Sports Council announced Oct. 31. The 66 candidates were nominated for the award by their school's sports information department.
   The Fairview Heights, Ill. native has done a fantastic job when it comes to punting the football in 2016. Out of 42 punts, 19 have been downed inside the 20-yard line, and only four have gone into the end zone for a touchback. Moreover, his season average of 46.4 is ranked sixth in the country and second in the MAC. Barnes holds a career average of 43.3 yards, which is second all-time in Eastern Michigan history, while his 6,884 total yards ranks seventh all-time.
   Barnes was just one-of-four Mid-American Conference punters to make the list as Bowling Green's Joseph Davidson, Buffalo's Kyle DeWeen, and Kent State's Derek Adams were also named 2016 candidates for the honor.

APPROACHING BOWL ELIGIBILITY: If the Eagles get their sixth win, this would mark the first time since 1995 that the team was bowl eligible. EMU has not played in a bowl game since 1987 when it won the California Bowl with a 30-27 win over San Jose State. It would also snap the second-longest bowl drought in the FBS ranks, as New Mexico State has not been to a bowl since 1960.

ALL-TIME VS BALL STATE: The Eagles and Cardinals have met 57 times in their respective histories, with BSU leading the all-time series, 34-21-2. The two schools first met back in 1936, and have faced off annually since 1973. EMU has not tasted victory in the series since 2010, a thrilling 41-38 triumph in overtime at Schuemann Stadium.

LAST WIN VS BALL STATE: The Eagles, who overcame a sluggish start and a 21-point hole, rallied past Ball State University for a 41-38 overtime victory Saturday afternoon, Oct. 16, 2010, at Scheumann Stadium, in a Mid-American Conference West Division battle. In the extra period, Ball State started with the football but was unable to advance on the offensive end. Ian McGarvey was called upon for a 44-yard field goal try that sailed through to make it 38-35. With EMU needing a score of its own, quarterback Alex Gillett continued to make plays for the squad. On 3rd-down in the overtime session, Gillett lofted a pass for tight end Ben Thayer, who was able to secure the nine-yard aerial for the game-winning touchdown grab.

DROPPING DIMES WITH DIEULY: Redshirt freshman Dieuly Aristidle had a breakout game against Miami, Oct. 29, hauling in seven catches for a career-high 193-yards and a score. Aristidle's performance placed him in ninth all-time in the EMU record books for receiving yards in a single game, and it was the most amount of receiving yards for an EMU player since Oct. 9, 2004. Overall, the 193 yards also ranks 25th most in a single-game this season and second-best among MAC wide receivers.    Coming into the game, he had just one reception for 20 yards, and now he holds the longest touchdown reception of the season at 75 yards, which was also his first career touchdown. It was the most single-game receiving yards this season for any EMU receiver.

ROBACK RISING: Redshirt junior Brogan Roback tossed for 328 yards on 23 completions and two scores against Miami, Oct. 29. The passing yardage was the fourth 300+ yard game of his career, and his third-straight game with over 300 yards through the air this season. The Maumee, Ohio native leads the team with 1,387 yards on 113 completions and 10 touchdowns. For his career, Roback has 4,456 and 30 passing touchdowns, which rank sixth and seventh all-time in program history, while his 394 completions rank fifth.

POC'S PRESENCE: Senior Pat O'Connor's sack tally sits at 5.5 this season, and 17 for his career, which places him just a half sack behind the all-time program leader since 1998. Former Eagle Kevin Howe set the record with 17.5 from 2003-06. His 5.5 sacks rank 83rd in the nation and seventh in the MAC.

ESSENCE OF FRICANO: Redshirt freshman Paul Fricano remains perfect on the season for PATs, going 31-for-31, which is tied for first in the MAC. The first year kicker is also 12-of-15 in field goals, which ranks him 33rd in the nation in field goal percentage (2nd MAC), as well as 37th in field goals per game (3rd MAC).

NEW RECEIVERS THRIVING: So far this season, EMU's five leading receivers are all newcomers. A trio of JUCO receivers have found success donning the Green and White, as juniors Sergio Bailey II, Antoine Porter, and Johnnie Niupalau have totaled 614, 421, and 234 receiving yards, respectively, on the season. Additionally, redshirt freshman Nigel Kilby and Dieuly Aristilde have been stellar catching the ball, as they currently have the third and fifth-most receiving yards so far this year with 339 and 213 respectively. The five players have also combined to catch 15 of EMU's 17 touchdown passes on the season.

CLUTCH ON FOURTH DOWN: In the game against Miami, Oct. 29, Eastern converted on two-of-three fourth down tries, including one that turned into a 4-yard touchdown from Brogan Roback to Nigel Kilby in the fourth quarter. EMU has converted on 6-of-9 fourth down tries this season, which ranks 14th in the nation and second in the MAC.

FOCUSING ON THE FUMBLES: EMU's 10 fumble recoveries this season rank them fourth in the country and top among the MAC. Senior Pat O'Connor and redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Harris both lead the team with three forced fumbles, which is good for 31st in the nation and second in the MAC.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: Eastern tied the turnover battle, 1-1, against Miami, Oct. 29. In total, Eastern holds a 17-15 TO advantage with a safety, six interceptions, and 10 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 16 turnovers into 61 points, including nine touchdowns.

BOMBS AWAY BARNES: Redshirt junior Austin Barnes continues to have a great season punting the ball. Barnes booted six punts for 288 yards (48.0 average) against Miami, Oct. 29, which included three punts of 50+ and two of 60+, plus a season-high 61-yarder. He pinned the RedHawks inside their own 20 three times as well. It was the first game of his career where he has had two punts for more than 60 yards. His season-best average came four weeks before at Bowling Green, where he averaged 50.0 yards per punt and a long of 56 yards. For his efforts, he was named the MAC's West Division Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season.
   His season average of 46.4 is ranked sixth in the country and second in the MAC. The redshirt junior punter holds a career average of 43.3 yards, which is second all-time in EMU history, while his 6,884 total yards ranks seventh all-time and his 50 punts downed inside the 20 rank tied for third.

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 nine games this season, EMU has allowed 3,821 total yards (425 per game). Last season, the Eagles had allowed 4,148 yards through nine games (518.5 per game). EMU's defense ranks 84th in the country and seventh in the MAC. Additionally, the top-three total defensive performances of Creighton's tenure have all come in 2016.

OFFENSE KEEPS CHURNING: The Eagles' offense, meanwhile, is picking up where it left off from last season. The unit is ranked 54th in the country, sixth in the MAC, averaging 423.6 yards per game, while they are 63rd in scoring, fourth in the MAC, averaging 29.7 points a game. So far this season, EMU has put up four 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 92.3 percent of its red zone opportunities, which is 13th in the nation and second in the MAC, while the defense has only allowed scores on 84.4 percent of red zone possessions, good for 68th in the nation and seventh in the conference.

SPREADING THE LOVE: Through nine games, 16 different receivers have caught passes for EMU, while seven have 10 or more receptions and eight have 100+ yards receiving on the season. Additionally, seven have caught a touchdown pass.

BUMPING UP THE WINS: With five wins this season, the Eagles have produced as many wins as the previous three years combined. Last year, EMU won one game, while the squad won two apiece in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles remain in mid-week action when they return home for a MAC West showdown with defending division champion Northern Illinois. Kickoff from Rynearson Stadium is set for 7/8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 16.

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Players Mentioned

Dieuly Aristilde Jr.

Sergio Bailey II

Austin Barnes

Paulie Fricano

Jeremiah Harris

Nigel Kilby

Johnnie Niupalau

Pat O'Connor

Antoine Porter

Brogan Roback

Eastern Michigan Athletics