Football Makes the Short Trip to Western Michigan

Football at Western Michigan
Date	Saturday, Oct. 6 \| 12:05 p.m.
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| Waldo Stadium (30,200)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Press Conference Video \| Teleconference Audio
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	ESPN+ \| What is ESPN+?
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team returns to the road Saturday, Oct. 6, for a date with Mid-American Conference rival Western Michigan University. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich.
   The Eagles (2-3, 0-2 MAC) look to get back on track following a 26-23 triple-overtime home loss to Northern Illinois University, Sept. 29. Meanwhile, the Broncos (3-2, 1-0 MAC) escaped with a 40-39 road victory at Miami University, Sept. 29.
   The contest will be televised on ESPN+ with Chris Vosters providing play-by-play and Marcus Ray serving as the analyst. The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with Matt Shepard returning to the call alongside analyst Rob Rubick.

BATTLE FOR THE MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY: Saturday marks the beginning of the battle for the Michigan MAC Trophy, an annual trophy that goes to the football regular season series winner between Central, Western, and Eastern. CMU snapped WMU's run of three consecutive Michigan MAC Trophies last year, while EMU last captured it in 2012.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BRONCOS: The Eagles and Broncos have met a total of 53 times in their respective histories, with WMU leading the tally, 33-18-2. WMU has bested EMU in the last four matchups, with EMU's last win coming in 2013, a 35-32 overtime triumph at home.
   Eastern last won in Waldo Stadium in 2012 to retain the Michigan MAC Trophy with a 29-23 decision, Nov. 17. Alex Gillett ran nine times for 60 yards, caught five passes for 45 yards and a TD, and threw a 37-yard pass to lead the Eagles to victory.

CONTINUING TO FLUSH IT: For the past three seasons, Eastern Michigan's motto has been to go 1-0 each week while "flushing" the previous outcome. The short memory has proven beneficial for the program, with 20 of the last 30 contests decided by seven points-or-less.
   Of those contests, six have been decided in overtime with nine coming down to the final play.

ADD ANOTHER ONE TO THE RECORD BOOK: For the third consecutive season it took overtime to decide the winner between Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan. It marked just the second occurrence in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history that the same opponents needed extra time in three consecutive seasons.
   The other, of course, involves none other than Eastern Michigan and rival Central Michigan from 2004 to 2006. EMU downed CMU 61-58 in quadruple overtime at Ford Field, Nov. 6, 2004, and then again clipped the Chips in overtime during the 2005 season, 23-20, Sept. 24. Central escaped in 2006 with a 24-17 overtime victory at Rynearson Stadium, Sept. 23, 2006.

PLEASE DON'T SAY IT: No team in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history has ever played in three consecutive overtime games. Multiple teams have played in back-to-back OT contests, including Eastern each of the last two seasons.

DON'T CHANGE THAT CHANNEL!: CBS Sports Network and ESPN can thank EMU for plenty of high drama the past two seasons.
   • Sept. 9, 2017: 16-13 win at Rutgers — Eagles win, get sack on game's final play
   • Sept. 23, 2017: 27-20 2OT loss to Ohio — Ohio scores on final play in double overtime
   • Sept. 30, 2017: 24-20 loss at Kentucky — Eagles intercepted in end zone on final play
   • Oct. 7, 2017: 20-15 loss at Toledo — Eagles intercepted on final drive
   • Oct. 14, 2017: 28-27 loss at Army — Eagles fail to convert two-point conversion for win
   • Oct. 21, 2017: 20-17 OT loss to Western Michigan — Eagles miss field goal in overtime
   • Oct. 26, 2017: 30-27 OT loss at NIU — Eagles make field goal, but gives up TD in overtime
   • Nov. 8, 2017: 42-30 loss to CMU — CMU pick six with EMU down 5 points with 48 seconds left
   • Nov. 15, 2017: 27-24 win at Miami — EMU recovered onside kick with two minutes to play
   • Nov. 21, 2017: 34-31 win vs. BGSU — EMU holds off a late rally by the Falcons on Senior Day
   • Sept. 8, 2018: 20-19 win at Purdue — Kicker Chad Rylan drills a 24-yard field goal as time expires
   • Sept. 15, 2018: 35-28 loss at Buffalo — UB recovered onside kick with 40 seconds to play
   • Sept. 22, 2018: 23-20 OT loss at San Diego St. — SDSU hit a 50-yard field goal to force overtime
   • Sept. 29, 2018: 26-23 3OT loss to NIU — EMU makes FG, but gives up TD in third overtime

SECOND HALF SHUT DOWNS: The Eastern Michigan defense held Northern Illinois to just 70 yards in the second half, the fewest yards the defense has yielded in a half this season. The Eagles have allowed no more than 174 second-half yards in their last four games.
   EMU held NIU scoreless in the second half of regulation and for the fourth consecutive contest did not allowed any points in the third quarter.

STANDING TALL: EMU is ranked third nationally in the fewest second-half points given up at just 4.2 a game. Additionally, EMU is the only NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school not to have allowed a third quarter score to a FBS opponent.

MANNING THE RED ZONE LIKE SCOTT HANSON: Eastern Michigan currently holds the nation's third-best red zone defense, allowing opponents to score only 13 times on 21 attempts. Of the 13 scores allowed, EMU has given up just five touchdowns when opponents are inside its 20.

DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES FOR ALL: In a strong defensive performance from EMU in the bout with NIU, Sept. 29, four Eagles marked up the stat sheet with double-digit tackles. Kyle Rachwal (16), Vince Calhoun (12), Jaylen Pickett (12), and Brody Hoying (11) recorded 51 of Eastern's 126 tackles. Rachwal and Pickett's efforts were both career-bests, while all four Eagles set or matched their season-best performances against the Huskies.
    Furthermore, EMU's 126 stops were the most since Nov 6, 1999, when it notched 127 against Ball State in a 31-21 victory.

BIG GAME RACHWAL: EMU linebacker Kyle Rachwal turned in a career-best 16 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and an interception in the team's triple overtime setback to NIU, Sept. 29. The 16 stops were the most by an Eagle since Vince Calhoun turned in 16 last year at Toledo, Oct. 7, 2017. Overall, Rachwal logged seven tackles alone in EMU's stout third-quarter defensive efforts.
   The Lapeer, Mich. product recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, making it four-out-of-five contests he has registered a TFL this season. Through five games, Rachwal has accumulated a team-high 47 tackles, putting him on pace to break his season-best mark of 109 set in 2016.

JULIEN AGAIN TABBED MAC WEST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY OF THE WEEK: For the second time this season, sophomore Jake Julien was tabbed MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week, Oct. 1. In addition to being Julien's second weekly MAC accolade of the season, it is the fifth of the year for the Eagles.
   Julien's services were called upon nine times in EMU's triple-overtime setback against Northern Illinois, Sept. 29. The Barrie, Ontario native racked up 394 yards via punt, the 17th-most in program history, including a 55-yard boom that pinned the Huskies inside their own 20-yard line. For the season, Julien ranks 16th nationally with an average of 44.6 yards per boot.

LAST WIN VS. WESTERN: The Eagles' last win against the Broncos came Nov. 9, 2013, when EMU edged out WMU, 35-32, in overtime. Down 21-29 with less than four minutes to play, then-freshman quarterback Brogan Roback drove EMU down the field in a six-play, 36-yard drive, ending in a touchdown and two-point conversion with 51 seconds left in regulation.
   The Eagles won the overtime toss, and elected to start extra time on defense. EMU's defensive efforts held Western to a 36-yard field goal make. Eastern used the momentum from its defensive efforts when the offense took the field, earning the victory with a four-yard run from Ryan Brumfield.

ON THE HORIZON - MADE IN THE MITTEN: Eastern returns to "The Factory" Saturday, Oct. 13, to host the University of Toledo. EMU Athletics will celebrate many of the homegrown aspects of Michigan life with the inaugural Made In The Mitten game. Events surrounding the game will feature businesses that were founded in the state.

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Brumfield

Vince Calhoun

Brody Hoying

Jake Julien

Jaylen Pickett

Kyle Rachwal

Brogan Roback

Eastern Michigan Athletics