EMU Prepares for Senior Day Clash With Bowling Green

Football vs. Bowling Green
Date	Tuesday, Nov. 21 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Rynearson Stadium (30,200)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Teleconference Audio.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669 \| Bag Policy

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team will close out the 2017 regular season with one final game at "The Factory", hosting Bowling Green State University Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. The Mid-American Conference cross-divisional matchup will be the final home game for EMU's 20-member senior class, whom will be recognized in a pregame ceremony on the gray turf inside Rynearson Stadium.
   The Eagles enter the #MACtion clash at 4-7 (2-5 MAC) after a 27-24 come-from-behind victory at Miami University, Nov. 15. Meanwhile, BGSU (2-8, 2-4 MAC) fell to MAC West Division co-leader Toledo, 66-37, for the eighth consecutive year in the Battle of I-75 .
   The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Jim Barbar providing the play-by-play and Marcus Ray serving as the analyst. WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Matt Shepard, Rob Rubick, and Chad Bush calling the action on the field.

SENIOR DAY: Prior to the start of Tuesday's game, the Eagles will honor the careers of the 2017 senior class. The members of the 20-man class that will be recognized in the pregame ceremony are Sergio Bailey II, Jason Beck, Anthony Brown, Dan Buschman, Ikie Calderon, Dion Dawson, Derrick Dunlap, Juan Giraldo, Oddie Granger III, Alec Hullibarger, Jaron Johnson, Luke Maclean, Johnnie Niupalau, Antoine Porter, Brogan Roback, Lavonte Robinson, Dan Samuelson, Ike Spearman, Derric Williams, and Sal Velasquez.

HISTORIC TWO-YEAR RUN: Despite finishing below .500 on the season, EMU will post its best two-season win totals in more than a decade. The Eagles currently have 11 wins over the last two seasons, which is the most since totaling 11 in the 1994-95 seasons. In addition, if EMU wins its final game of the season, the 12 wins will be the best two-year stretch since winning 13 from 1988-89.

OH WHAT A DEFENSIVE SEASON: With one game left to play, EMU opponents have combined to score a total of just 249 points, for an average of 22.6 points per contest. Should EMU's defense hold Bowling Green to less than 14 points, it would be the fewest allowed by an Eagle team in a season since moving to a 12-game regular season schedule in 2002, as well as the fewest average points yielded since 1993 (20.0/game).

STACKING UP THE SACKS: Sophomore Maxx Crosby has stacked up three sacks in each of his last two games to get to 11 on the season, tying the single-season program record Avery Brown set back in 1996. It is the first time in the modern statistical era (since 1998) that a player has racked up three sacks in back-to-back games. Crosby also has a strip sack in each of the last two games. For the season, Crosby ranks second in the conference and fifth in the country in sacks. In addition, his 12.5 for his career is fourth at EMU since 1998.

DYNAMIC DUO: Defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Jeremiah Harris have teamed up to wreak havoc on opposing offenses this season, putting up some of the best tandem numbers in the country. With the combined 17 sacks between the pair, Crosby with 11 and Harris with six, they are tied for the most amount of sacks between two players in the country with Northern Illinois' Sutton Smith and Bobby Jones, who have 13 and four respectively.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!: Defensive Coordinator Neal Neathery's crew has proven to be very stingy in the fourth quarter, allowing just 4.1 points per game over the course of the final 15 minutes. Even better at home, the Eagles have not given up a fourth quarter point inside "The Factory".
   Nationally, EMU ranks ninth in the fewest points given up in the fourth with Wisconsin leading the way at 2.1 ppg.

RECORDS CONTINUE TO FALL: Quarterback Brogan Roback has established a pair of school records in his last two games, setting the standard for career touchdown passes against Central Michigan, Nov. 8, and career total offense against Miami, Nov. 15. He passed E-Club Hall of Famers Charlie Batch for TD passes and Walter Church for total offense, and now holds the school records with 56 touchdowns and 8,811 total offensive yards.
    Roback is also currently second all-time at EMU with 740 completions and 8,578 passing yards, trailing Church in both of those categories by 67 and 564, respectively. The senior has also committed to play in the seventh annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl to be played Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The contest, scheduled for a 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST kickoff, will be televised on FS1.

LOOKING FOR 3,000: Quarterback Brogan Roback is also looking for a 3,000 yard passing season, needing just 185 more yards to get to the milestone on the season. Should he get there, it would be just the third 3,000-yard season in program history, as Charlie Batch did so twice in 1995 and 1997. The '97 season is the program record for yards in a season, as Batch tallied 3,280.

RUN GAME HEATING UP: The Eagles have racked up 549 rushing yards over the last three games, including two 100-yard games from Ian Eriksen. In the prior six games, Eastern combined for 515 yards on the ground.

IRONMAN BECK: Should senior linebacker Jason Beck start the final game of his college career against BGSU, he will have played in all 49 career games for EMU, tying the school record set by recent EMU graduates Pat O'Connor and Chris O'Risky. In addition, he will have started in 47 of 49 games, which would also tie the school record.

SUFFOCATING DEFENSE: Eastern Michigan's defense has not only been one of the best units in the conference, but also the country in almost every facet of the game. Heading into week 13, the Eagles rank in the top-50 nationally in 10 major defensive categories:

WHO SAID TELEVISION DRAMA IS DEAD?: CBS Sports Network and ESPN can thank EMU for plenty of high drama during the 2017 football season. For seven consecutive games, the outcome of an EMU game was decided on final drive with four of them in doubt until the final play. In total, the Eagles are 35 points away from the possibility of still being undefeated.

• Sept. 9: 16-13 win at Rutgers — Eagles win, get sack on game's final play
• Sept. 23: 27-20 2OT loss to Ohio — Ohio scores on final play in double overtime
• Sept. 30: 24-20 loss at Kentucky — Eagles intercepted in end zone on final play
• Oct. 7: 20-15 loss at Toledo — Eagles intercepted on final drive
• Oct. 14: 28-27 loss at Army — Eagles fail to convert two-point conversion for win
• Oct. 21: 20-17 OT loss to Western Michigan — Eagles miss field goal in overtime
• Oct. 26: 30-27 OT loss at Northern Illinois — Eagles make field goal, but gives up TD in overtime
• Nov. 8: 42-30 loss to CMU — CMU pick six with EMU down 5 points with 48 seconds left
• Nov. 15: 27-24 win at Miami — EMU recovered onside kick with two minutes to play

COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE: In 2017, eight of EMU's 11 games have been within seven points or less, with EMU winning just two (16-13 at Rutgers & 27-24 at Miami). The seven Eagle losses have come by a combined 35 points.
   In EMU's last 24 games, dating back to the start of the 2016 season, 16 of them have come down to final scores of just seven points or less. Of the 16 games, EMU has a 7-9 record.

ALL-TIME VERSUS BOWLING GREEN: The Eagles have squared off with the Falcons of Bowling Green on 38 occasions, beginning with a meeting during the 1919 campaign. Eastern Michigan trails in the all-time series, 12-25-1, but most recently knocked off BGSU last season in Bowling Green, 28-25.
   With this being a cross-divisional matchup, EMU and BGSU have not squared off every season, and as a result, Eastern has not beat Bowling Green at Rynearson Stadium since 1989, a 21-13 triumph. EMU will look for its first win over the Falcons at home in six tries.

DEUCES WILD: In just his second season in the program senior wideout Sergio Bailey II sits seventh on the all-time receiving yardage list with 1,709, while he is also tied for ninth on the all-time receptions list (110) and third on the career TD catches list (15). Furthermore, Bailey is one of just 38 players in the FBS to have an active streak of 20-or more consecutive games with a reception. Bailey has caught at least one pass in all 24 games during his EMU career, while Iowa State's Allen Lazard holds the national standard at 45.

TOP SIGNAL CALLER: To go along with the all-time school records, Brogan Roback is also having one of the best careers of any active FBS quarterback. Currently, his 8,578 passing yards are 12th among active QBs, while his 8,881 yards of total offense ranks 13th among active players. For the season, Roback ranks 16th in the country and second in the MAC in passing yards, while also ranking 28th in the FBS and third in the MAC for passing touchdowns. He is also 17th and first in the country and conference in completions per game, with 21.82.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES: The Green and White have made a living feasting on the opposition behind the line of scrimmage this season. In 11 games, the Eagles have registered 65 tackles for loss and 28.0 sacks, surpassing both totals in all 13 games last season. On its current pace of about six tackles for loss per game, EMU is set to rack up the most TFL's since 2001. Additionally, if Eastern is able to maintain its average of about 2.5 sacks per contest it would be the third-most in program history and most since 1999.

PAULIE RACKING UP THE POINTS: In just his second season as the primary place kicker for EMU, Paulie Fricano has racked up 168 career points, which is good for a tie for sixth on the all-time EMU scoring list. Former Eagle kicker Andrew Wellock is the program leader with 299 career points. In addition, Fricano's 32 field goals and 72 extra points rank sixth and fifth, respectively, on the all-time EMU list.

SPREADING THE LOVE: Senior quarterback Brogan Roback has spread the ball around to a multitude of targets, having completed passes to at least eight different in eight of the 11 games. The veteran found 10 different receivers against Charlotte, eight different receivers against Rutgers, 12 different targets against Ohio, eight against Kentucky, nine against Toledo, 10 against both Western Michigan and Central Michigan, and then 12 against Northern Illinois. The three games in which Roback did not connect with at least eight wideouts was against Army, Ball State, and Miami. With the average of 9.1 different receivers per game, EMU ranks fifth in the country in different wideouts with a catch per game.

INSIDE ROBACK'S TD TOSSES: During his time donning the Green and White, Brogan Roback has thrown 56 touchdown passes, the most in program history. For his career, Roback has tossed TD passes to 18 different receivers. Current teammate Sergio Bailey II has been his favorite target, hauling in 14 touchdown catches, while Antoine Porter has made seven TD catches.

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Players Mentioned

Sergio Bailey II

Jason Beck

Anthony Brown

Dan Buschman

Ikie Calderon

Maxx Crosby

Dion Dawson

Derrick Dunlap

Ian Eriksen

Paulie Fricano

Juan Giraldo

Oddie Granger III

Jeremiah Harris

Alec Hullibarger

Jaron Johnson

Luke Maclean

Johnnie Niupalau

Antoine Porter

Brogan Roback

Lavonte Robinson

Dan Samuelson

Ike Spearman

Derric Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics