Football Opens a Three-Game Road Swing Saturday at Kentucky

Football at Kentucky
Date	Saturday, Sept. 30 \| 4 p.m.
Venue	Lexington, Ky. \| C.M. Newton Grounds at Kroger Field (61,000)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Press Conference Video. \| Teleconference Audio.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	SEC Network
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics

LEXINGTON, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team dips back into non-conference play when it heads to Lexington, Ky. to square off with the University of Kentucky Saturday, Sept. 30. Kickoff from Kroger Stadium is set for 4 p.m.
   Both teams enter the contest hoping to shake off heartbreaking home setbacks in conference play. The Eagles (2-1, 0-1 MAC) were stung in double overtime by Ohio, 27-20, while the Wildcats (3-1, 1-1 SEC) came up just short on a 57-yard field goal attempt as time expired against No. 20 Florida, 28-27.
   The contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network. The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with veteran broadcasters Matt Shepard, Rob Rubick and Chad Bush calling the action on the field.

EMU IN THE BLUEGRASS: Saturday's game marks just EMU's fifth venture into the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its first since 1999 when the team battled Louisville. Eastern Michigan has an all-time combined record of 3-6-1 against Eastern Kentucky (0-3-1), Kentucky State (2-1), Louisville (0-1), and Western Kentucky (1-1).

ALL-TIME VS KENTUCKY: This will be the first all-time meeting on the gridiron between the Eagles and Wildcats in their respective histories. EMU has a history with the Wildcats in a host of other sports though, having met them on the hardwood twice in both men's (0-2) and women's (0-2) basketball, as well as five times in volleyball (1-4). EMU and UK have met the most times in baseball with 27 meetings on the diamond (4-23). They have also met once in gymnastics earlier in 2017, when Kentucky took the meet, 195.075-192.050.

HOYING GOING THE OTHER WAY: Sophomore Brody Hoying has been a menace to opposing offenses so far this season, as he has at least one turnover in each of the first three games. The safety notched an interception in games one and two, and forced two fumbles in game three against Ohio. As of Sept. 24, he is just one of three players in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ranks with at least two forced fumbles and two interceptions.
   His efforts have him ranked tops in the conference and country in multiple categories, including: fumbles forced (MAC 2/NCAA 3), fumbles recovered (MAC 2/NCAA 14), interceptions (MAC 3/NCAA 12), passes defended (MAC 5/NCAA 30), solo tackles (MAC 4/NCAA 34).

STINGY DEFENSE: In the first three games of the season, the Eagles' defense has been the catalyst for the team with its stingy play. The Eagles' D has given up just two regulation touchdowns, including one against Charlotte in its first possession, and one at Rutgers. In the 27-20 overtime defeat to Ohio, the Bobcats scored three times, but one came in regulation on a pick-six, and the other two came on a short field in OT.

THREE-AND-OUT: The EMU defense has been one of the best nationwide at getting of the field in 2017. Defensive coordinator Neal Neathery's crew is averaging 6.0 three-and-outs per game, which ranks 12th in the FBS.

TURNOVERS GALORE: A huge part of EMU's hot start on defense has been the turnover battle. In three games, EMU has five picks, which is 16th most in the country. They also have forced three fumbles, recovering two of them, which is 62nd in the nation. The seven total turnovers is 41st in the FBS, while EMU's +3 turnover margin comes in at 21st in the nation.

SACK LUNCH: EMU's defense was in the backfield all-day against Ohio, as the Eagles tallied four sacks, seven tackles-for-loss, and 10 QB hurries against the Bobcats. Leading the way was senior Luke Maclean, who had a career-best two sacks, 2.0 TFLs, and three hurries.
   Coming into the contest, Ohio's line had given up just two sacks in its first three games.

OVERTIME HEARTBREAK: The 27-20 double-overtime defeat to Ohio was the 11th overtime game in EMU history, and just the fourth multi-OT contest. EMU is now 5-6 all-time in extra time, including 1-1 in double-OT and 2-2 in multi-OT. The game marked the first multi-overtime game for the Eagles since a four-overtime affair at Ford Field against Central Michigan in 2004, in which EMU was victorious, 61-58.

HOT, HOT, HOT: The game time temperature at kickoff against Ohio, Sept. 23, was a steamy 93 degrees, with it feeling even hotter on the gray turf inside 'The Factory.' It marked the warmest temperature during an EMU game since modern records began being tracked during the 1999 campaign. The previous record was 88 degrees in the Eagles' Sept. 30, 2006, contest in Lafayette, La. against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. EMU also played in a humid 87-degree contest at Navy in 2003.
   In EMU's last 146 games dating back to the start of the 2005 campaign, the average temperature at kickoff has been 59.39 degrees. A total of 14 of those games have been played in conditions above 80 degrees. Meanwhile, six have occurred below the freezing mark with a low of 24 at kickoff.

COACH TO CURE: For the 10th-consecutive year, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) members nationwide will join in support of the Coach To Cure MD program. EMU coaches will wear the traditional Coach To Cure MD logo patch on the sidelines.

ALL-TIME VS THE SEC: EMU will look to add another notch in its belt after defeating its first 'Power 5' opponent in program history earlier this season against Rutgers, by trying to knock off its first Southeastern Conference Team in its 10th try. EMU is winless against six teams from the Birmingham, Ala.-based conference.
   EMU has tangled with an SEC team in each of Head Coach Chris Creighton's four years in Ypsilanti. The Eagles battled Florida in 2014 (L, 0-65), No. 9 LSU in 2015 (L, 24-44), and Missouri last year (L, 21-61).

HE CAN DO IT ALL, FOLKS: Not only is senior quarterback Brogan Roback one of the prolific passers in the conference and country, he has also discovered another talent that has been put to good use on the field this season. That skill is punting. The veteran has seven "pooch" style punts for an average of 44.86 yards this season, including a team-long of 61 yards, three of 50+ yards, and two that were downed inside the 20.

ROBACK RISING: Senior quarterback Brogan Roback has put up standout numbers in his four seasons in the Green and White, placing him near the top of the EMU record books for numerous categories. For his career, he has 6,561 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, which ranks third all-time in program history for each category. Meanwhile, his 569 completions and 6,828 total yards are both fourth in the EMU annals.

HOYING EARNS MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Defensive back Brody Hoying was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Sept. 24. Hoying led EMU's defense in a double-overtime game against Ohio, Sept. 23. Hoying paced the Green and White with a career-best 10 tackles, eight solo and two assisted, while also making his presence known in the turnover game as he has done all year. Having already registered a pair of interceptions in EMU's first two games of the season, Hoying recorded a career-high two forced fumbles against the Bobcats. The Coldwater, Ohio native also recovered a fumble, running it back 40 yards to set the Eagles up with prime field position, ultimately leading to a field goal.

EAGLES IN TIGHT GAMES: Eastern has become accustomed to playing in games that go down to the wire. Since the start of 2016, the Eagles are 6-4 in games decided by seven points or less.
   Last year, the Eagles bested Wyoming, 27-24, Bowling Green, 28-25, Ohio, 27-20, Ball State, 48-41, and Central Michigan, 26-21. This year, EMU eked out a 16-13 win at Rutgers, Sept. 9. Two of those blemishes have come in overtime (2016 - Northern Illinois, 24-31; 2017 - Ohio, 20-27).

HUNNID TIMES 10: With his 1,135 career yards, senior wideout Sergio Bailey II (@JustHunnids) sits at 19th on the all-time receiving yardage list in just his second season in the program.

SPREADING THE LOVE: In the first three games of the season, senior quarterback Brogan Roback has spread the ball around to a multitude of targets, finding 10 different receivers against Charlotte, eight different receivers against Rutgers, and then 12 different targets against Ohio.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to Mid-American Conference play when it has its first conference road battle against MAC West favorite the University of Toledo Saturday, Oct. 7. The kickoff time against the Rockets from the Glass Bowl is set for noon.

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Players Mentioned

Sergio Bailey II

Brody Hoying

Luke Maclean

Brogan Roback

Eastern Michigan Athletics