Football to Tangle with Kent State on 'Black Friday'

Football at Kent State
Date	Friday, Nov. 23 \| 12:05 p.m.
Venue	Kent, Ohio \| Dix Stadium (25,319)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Press Conference Video \| Teleconference Audio
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – After becoming bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons, the Eastern Michigan University football team will close out the regular season Friday, Nov. 23, at Mid-American Conference East Division foe Kent State University. Kickoff for the MAC finale between the Eagles and Golden Flashes at Dix Stadium is set for 12 p.m.
   EMU, which has not allowed an offensive touchdown in eight quarters, enter the clash at 6-5 (4-3 MAC) after stopping the University of Akron, 27-7, on Senior Day at "The Factory", Nov. 10. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes (2-9, 1-6 MAC) dropped an offensive slugfest at home to the University of Toledo, 56-34, Nov. 15.
   The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with Matt Dery and Chad Bush calling the action from the press box. ESPN3 will show the contest nationwide.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: Lava lamps were all the rage in 1970 and also the last time the EMU football team held the opposition without an offensive score in back-to-back contests. Then-Head Coach Dan Boisture's team blanked Northeast Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe), 20-0, Nov. 7, and followed it up with a 60-0 home shellacking of Ball State University, Nov. 14. In those two games, EMU's defense gave up just 0.8 yards a play for the then-Hurons that finished 7-2-1.
   In its last two contests against Central Michigan, Nov. 3, and Akron, Nov. 10, EMU's defense has combined to allow just 228 total yards and zero points. Neither opposition score came against the defense, as one was a 68-yard fumble return and the other a 70-yard punt return.

TURN BACK TIME: Eastern's defense led the charge once again in the 27-7 victory over Akron, Nov. 10, limiting the Zips to just 90 yards of total offense while forcing 10 three-and-outs.
   The last time the EMU defense gave up that few yards of total offense was Nov. 14, 1970, in a 60-0 shutout of Ball State University. In that game, the Cardinals were held to just 24 yards on the afternoon, as EMU running back Larry Ratcliff scored four times and rushed for 212 yards.

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT: For the first time since This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan was blaring on the radio, EMU football has posted four consecutive Mid-American Conference victories with wins over Toledo, Ball State, Central Michigan, and Akron. That year was 1995, as Eastern started out the conference campaign with wins over Akron (49-29 – Sept. 2), Ohio (31-20 – Sept. 23), Central Michigan (34-24 – Oct. 7), and Ball State (40-35 – Oct. 21).
    If EMU wins out it would mark the program's longest MAC streak since the 1989 season when the then-Hurons rolled off five-straight league wins. Additionally, it would give Eastern Michigan its first winning record in conference play since 1989, when the Eagles finished with a 6-2 MAC mark.

BEST THREE-YEAR STRETCH: EMU is currently amid one of the best three-year stretches in program history. EMU is 18-18 since 2016, its most wins in a three-season span since 1987-89 when the Eagles went 10-2, 6-3-1, and 7-3-1.
   EMU is 7-2 in the month of November the last three years. In the four seasons prior, Eastern combined for a total of seven wins during the entire 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 campaigns.

BOWL ELIGIBLE: With the Eagles' win over Akron, Nov. 10, EMU became bowl eligible for the second time in the past three years. EMU posted its lone bowl victory in 1987 when it downed San Jose State, 30-27, in the California Bowl. Most recently, EMU battled Old Dominion in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl.
   The MAC has tie-ins with the Bahamas Bowl, the Camellia Bowl, the Dollar General Bowl, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and the Frisco Bowl. In addition, it has secondary agreements with the Boca Raton Bowl and the Quick Lane Bowl if other league's are unable to fill their allotments.

PICK PARTY IN PICKSILANTI: Eastern Michigan picked off Akron's quarterback three times in its 27-7 win, Nov. 10, as Kevin McGill, Vince Calhoun, and Maxx Crosby all came up with interceptions. It was EMU's first game with three INTs since Eastern registered three against Charlotte, Sept. 1, 2017, and just the third time the Eagles have accomplished the feat since 2008. That season, Eastern had three interceptions in a 52-0 thumping of Indiana State, Aug. 28, in Ypsilanti.

TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE: Defensive end Maxx Crosby added an interception to the box score in EMU's 27-7 win over Akron, Nov. 10, as he caught a Zips' pass in the shadows of Akron's goal post and ran it in for a one-yard score. The pick-six was the first by an Eagle since Jeff Hubbard against Ball State, Nov. 2, 2017. For his efforts, he was named the MAC West Division's Defensive Player of the Week with one sack, eight tackles, and three TFLs.

+15 IN T.O.P…AGAIN: Eastern out-possessed Akron 38:19 to 21:32 in the 27-7 victory over the Zips, Nov. 10. The Eagles' 16:47-advantage marks the second time this season EMU has held the ball for 15-or-more minutes than their opposition, as they edged Ball State in time of possession 37:34 to 22:26, Sept. 10. Moreover, it is the first time since the 2010 campaign the Green and White has recorded two games with a 15+ margin of TOP in a single season, when Eastern accomplished the feat at WMU (39:37-20:23), Nov. 13, and versus NIU (38:45-17:37), Nov. 26.

NEATHERY NAMED BROYLES AWARD NOMINEE: For the second straight season, Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Neal Neathery was named to the Broyles Award nominee list. Neathery is 1-of-53 assistant coaches named to the nominee list, chosen from the pool of approximately 1,500 assistant coaches representing the 129 NCAA football programs at the Division I level.
   His 2018 squad has been no different than the previous two seasons, as the Eagles have earned attention as one of the most feared defenses throughout the MAC, as well as the country. EMU currently holds the NCAA's seventh-best redzone defense (.714), while having allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards per game (155.5) in all of college football. Overall, the defense ranks 22nd in interceptions (12), 33rd in total defense (349.7) and 34th in scoring defense (22.2). In MAC games, EMU has allowed just 317 yards a contest and just 69% of trips inside the redzone for scores.

THIRD-DOWN-AND-OUT: The Green and White's defense has been especially stout in its last two games, forcing Central Michigan and Akron into a combined 18 three-and-outs in 27 drives, good for a 66.7 percentage. Moreover, Eastern Michigan did not allow Akron to convert on 11 third-down tries. It is the first time EMU has held an opponent without a third-down conversion since it held Louisiana Lafayette to 0-for-11, Sept. 30, 2006.

LEADING THE NATION: Eastern Michigan holds the nation's stingiest kick return defense at just 14.83 yards per return. The Eagles have allowed just 23 kick returns for 341 yards to go along with 18 touchbacks. New Mexico is ranked second nationally in the category at 14.89.

SAXX CROSBY: Opposing quarterbacks have gotten to know junior defensive end Maxx Crosby more than they would like over the past three seasons as the Colleyville, Texas native has wreaked havoc in opponents' backfields. Against Akron, Nov. 10, Crosby recorded a sack and three tackles-for-loss to move into a tie for second all-time in EMU career sacks. His 20.0 career sacks are tied with Pat O'Connor who had 20.0 from 2011-16. Meanwhile, Crosby has 39.5 career TFLs, the second-most in EMU history, as well as the most since Jason Jones' 50 from 2004-07.

ALL-TIME AGAINST KSU: Kent State and Eastern Michigan will be meeting for the 31st time in school history. The Golden Flashes hold a 17-13 edge in the series that began in 1973 when KSU recorded a 34-20 victory in Ypsilanti, Oct. 20.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE GOLDEN FLASHES: The Eagles and Golden Flashes have not met since the 2012 season when Kent State spoiled Eastern Michigan's homecoming game, 41-14, Oct. 6, 2012.
   In that game, Bronson Hill added the first Eagles' touchdown with a 68-yard scamper down the field in the second quarter. Kent State would then score four more times without allowing a single EMU point. The Eagles fought back in the fourth quarter, as quarterback Tyler Benz threw a 25-yard dart to Demarius Reed to score the only other touchdown of the day with 7:30 left in the meeting.

LAST WIN OVER KENT STATE: Eastern has not bested Kent State since the 2005 campaign, when it posted a 27-20 home triumph, Oct. 1, 2005. Quarterback Matt Bohnet was 23-of-40 for 218 yards with two touchdowns in the victory, as the Eagles built a 20-point lead through three quarters of play. A.J. Bennett and Eric Deslauriers caught long balls for scores, while Dwayne Harrison scampered 16-yards for the lone rushing score of the day. Andrew Wellock added two field goal makes to send the Eagles past the Golden Flashes, 27-20.

TOP-LEVEL COMPETITION: Eastern's five losses have come against teams that are a combined 20-8 in conference play and are 38-17 overall. All five of those teams are bowl eligible.

BANHAM AND VAN HOVEN NAMED GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Senior Blake Banham and sophomore Mike Van Hoeven were named Google Cloud Academic All-District®, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Nov. 15.
   Banham and Van Hoeven are the first Eagles to receive the honor since Cy Maughmer did so in 2013. It is just the third time multiple Eagles garnered the award, as well as the first time since 2005 when E-Club Hall of Famer Andrew Wellock and Jean Olivier Gagnon Gordillo were tabbed academic all-district.

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Players Mentioned

Blake Banham

Vince Calhoun

Maxx Crosby

Bronson Hill

Jeff Hubbard

Kevin McGill

Pat O'Connor

Mike Van Hoeven

Eastern Michigan Athletics