Football Set to Meet Buffalo Saturday on ESPNU

Football vs. Buffalo
Date	Saturday, Nov. 2 \| 12 p.m. ET
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Rynearson Stadium (30,200)
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Press Conference Video \| Teleconference Audio
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPNU
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team returns home to "The Factory" for a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional showdown against the University at Buffalo Saturday, Nov 2. Earmarked as "Celebrate America Day," kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
   The Eagles (4-4, 1-3 MAC) are back in action after suffering an overtime loss at the hands of the University of Toledo, Oct. 26. Down, 31-10, in the third quarter, the Eagles fought back to tie the game, and send it into overtime. After taking its first lead of the game in the extra session, 34-31, the Rockets scored a 15-yard touchdown to win the game, 37-34. Quarterback Mike Glass III returned from injury to complete 21-of-37 passes, for 268 yards. Meanwhile, the Bulls (4-4, 2-2 MAC) are looking to build off a 43-20 rout of Central Michigan University, Oct. 26.
   The contest will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Mike Couzens providing play-by-play and Kirk Morrision serving as the analyst. The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with Matt Shepard and Rob Rubick calling the action from the press box, and Tom Helmer providing insights from the sideline.

NOVEMBER BOOM: EMU is 8-2 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.

CELEBRATE AMERICA: Saturday's contest has been designated with a theme of "Celebrate America." As special thank you to all active duty military members, veterans, and first responders, the EMU Department of Athletics will provide free tickets for any individual, and their family members, included in one of the categories. For more information, call the EMU Ticket Office at 734.487.3669.
   Prior to kickoff, there will also be a fly over of A-10 Thunderbolts from the 122nd Fighter Wing stationed in Fort Wayne, Ind.

SHAQ ATTACK: Senior running back Shaq Vann has posted season-best rushing numbers in back-to-back weeks. The South Bend, Ind. native rushed for 97 yards on 17 attempts against Western Michigan, Oct. 19, and followed that performance with a season-best 20-carry, 110-yard, two-touchdown effort against Toledo, Oct. 26.
   The 100-yard effort in the rain at Toledo was the fifth of his career and the first since passing the century mark last season against Central Michigan, Nov. 3, 2018. Additionally, Vann is best among MAC running backs with 211 carries without a fumble. His last miscue came versus Bowling Green, Nov. 21, 2017.
   Vann is just the 11th running back in program-history to surpass 2,000 yards rushing with 2,180 yards in 39 career games. Overall, his 439 all-time carries rank 13th at EMU, as he needs five carries to pass Ian Eriksen (2015-18) for the next spot on the career rushing attempts list. Meanwhile, his 18 career touchdowns (17 rushing, 1 receiving) is tied with Steve Clay for 17th.

EAGLES ON MAC LEADERBOARDS: After eight games, a slew of Eagles have established themselves on one-or-more MAC leaderboards. Offensively, Mike Glass III's 270.9 passing yard per game leads the league, while his 298.1 yards of total offense per game also sets the pace in the league. Wide out Arthur Jackson III ranks seventh in the conference with 57.0 reception yards per-game, while teammate Quian Williams also sits inside the top-15 in reception yards per game, with a 49.6 yard average. As a unit, the EMU offense ranks first in the MAC with a 289.8 yards per game average.
   Defensively, senior Vince Calhoun ranks fifth in the league with 9.5 tackles per game, while fellow upperclassman Turan Rush is third in the MAC with five sacks on the season.

CALHOUN NEARING MORE MILESTONES: With his nine tackle performance against WMU, Oct. 19, senior Vince Calhoun moved past 300 in his career. The Middleton, Ohio product stands at 315 stops, which is tied with Tom Williams (1976-78) for 16th all-time at EMU.
   With six more tackles, Calhoun will move past Kevin Harrision (2001-04) for 15th. Given his current pace, Calhoun would surpass 114 tackles on the year and would have a chance to become just the eighth Eagle to record 350 career takedowns.
   Furthermore, Calhoun's 179 solo tackles is tied for seventh and needs 10 more to pass Ron Rice (1991-94) for fifth all-time. Meanwhile, his 45 career games played at EMU is tied for 31st.

ACTION JACKSON: Senior wide receiver Arthur Jackson has caught six touchdown passes in his last nine games. The number is tied for the most among MAC skill players during that span.
   In his two seasons at EMU, Jackson has 74 receptions for 1,048 yards and nine TDs. His nine career receiving scores rank 14th at EMU, while he joins teammate Mathew Sexton as just the 30th player in program history to accumulate 1,000-or-more yards receiving.

COMEBACK KIDS: Eastern's 21-point third quarter comeback against Toledo, Oct. 26, tied the program record for the largest deficit overcome by an EMU team. The Eagles have overcome 21-point deficits on two previous occasions. EMU erased a 21-point disadvantage against Ball State, Nov. 8, 2016, to become bowl eligible for the first time in 29 years. Prior to that, EMU came back from 21 points down in 2010, defeating Ball State in overtime at Scheumann Stadium.

OPENING UP THE OFFENSE: After a slow first quarter (26 total yards) against Toledo, Oct. 26, Offensive Coordinator Aaron Keen allowed quarterback Mike Glass III to attack through the air for the remainder of the game. In total, 30-of-37 EMU pass attempts, and 272-of-286 total passing yards, came in quarters two-through-four.

CONTINUING TO FLUSH IT: For the past four 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 29 of the last 45 contests decided by seven points-or-less.
   Of those contests, seven have been decided in overtime with 16 coming down to the final play.

CLOSE CALLS UNDER CREIGHTON: In its 128-year history, the Eastern Michigan football team has played in 329 one-possession games. In just five-plus years at the helm of the program, Chris Creighton has coached in nearly 10 percent of those games, as his squads have played in 33 one possession affairs. Creighton's groups have been much improved as of late, as the Eagles have won five of its last eight one-possession games.

CLOSE CALLS: EMU is one of just 10 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams to have played in at least five one-score games this season. EMU is tied with Pittsburgh for the third-most single possession contest, as only Miami (Fla.) and North Carolina have played in more games that have gone to the wire.

THE WRONG SIDE OF OVERTIME: After falling to Toledo in overtime, Oct. 26, the Eagles have lost in seven-consecutive overtime games. Eastern Michigan is tied with Cincinnati, Missouri, SMU, and Syracuse for 10th all-time among FBS teams with 16 overtime contests. Unfortunately, the Green and White are tied with SMU for the most losses all-time in the extra period with 11.
   Eastern's last overtime win came in the 2013 season, when it bested Western Michigan, 35-32, at Rynearson Stadium, Nov. 9.

KEEPIN' UP WITH QUIAN: Sophomore wide receiver Quian Williams turned in a great performance against Toledo, Oct. 26. The Oklahoma City native hauled in a career-best nine receptions, for 87 yards, including a career-long 41 yard grab. Williams' nine catches led all receivers in the game, and was his sixth multi-reception outing of the 2019 campaign.

BIG PLAY DAY: Despite the soggy conditions, the Eagles had 10 plays go for more than 20 yards, against Toledo, Oct. 26. Mike Glass III's 41-yard completion to Quian Williams was the best play of the day through the air, while running back Shaq Vann's 26-yard touchdown score paced all plays on the ground. Eastern has 20 receptions of 20-or-more yards over its last five games, the most in the MAC.

QUICK-STRIKE MIKE: After putting together a season-long six-plus minute drive against WMU, Oct. 19, the Eastern Michigan offense changed its pace against Toledo, Oct. 26. EMU needed an average of just 3:11 in its five scoring drives against the Rockets. The Eagles' longest scoring trip was just 4:58, while its shortest strike came in just 1:44. Each drive was greater than 60 yards, with four-of-five going for better than 70 yards.

TACKLING TOGETHER: In total, 18 different Eagles recorded multi-tackle efforts against Toledo, Oct. 26, which tied for a season-high previously set against Ball State, Oct. 12. Freshman Mikey Haney and senior Vince Calhoun led EMU with 10 tackles a-piece. Calhoun currently leads all Eagles with 76 total tackles in 2019, and ranks second on the team with 3.5 tackles-for-loss.

PLAYING DISCIPLINED: Eastern ranks among the nation's best in both fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game. EMU's 39 total penalties ranks 19th-nationally, while its 44.38 penalty yards per game is 23rd-best in the country.

DUCES ARE WILD: EMU has attempted 10 two-point conversions this season, the most in the modern statistical era that began in 1999. The previous high was four set in 2004, 2016, and again in 2018. EMU is 3-of-3 on rushing PATs while just 1-for-7 when passing. Since 1999, Eastern success rate when going for two is 38.9 percent (19-for-49), including 46.7 percent (7-of-15) running and 35.3 percent (12-of-34) throwing.
   Over the past 10 years according to NCAA statistical data, two-point conversions have been attempted after less than one percent (0.42) of the touchdowns scored at the FBS level.

ALL-TIME VS. BUFFALO: When UB and EMU meet on the gridiron Saturday, the Eagles will be looking for their seventh all-time victory over the Bulls. Eastern holds a 6-2 record against the University at Buffalo, its best win-loss record over any MAC opponent. Last season, the Bulls edged Eastern, 35-28, in a down-to-the-wire game played in the Empire State, Sept. 15, 2018.

RECAPPING LAST YEAR'S MEETING: A week-three battle of unbeatens, Eastern limited Buffalo to just 165 yards in the second half, but were never able to overcome an early deficit in a 35-28 setback. Down, 35-21, in the fourth quarter, Eastern rallied back. Feeding off the energy of a forced fumble by Maxx Crosby with under four minutes to go, quarterback Mike Glass III was able to punch it in on the ground. The PAT made it 35-28 with less than a minute to play, but an onside kick was recovered by Buffalo to seal the defeat.

LAST TIME AT YPSI: Behind 34 second-half points, EMU rolled to a 37-27 Homecoming victory over Buffalo, Oct. 11, 2014. The Eagles were led by a career day out of redshirt freshman quarterback Reginald Bell Jr. Bell went 8-for-13 for 144 yards and one touchdown, but the Golden State native truly shone in his rushing. He led all players with 202 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including a pair of 70+ yarders. Bell acted as the catalyst for the Green and White, as the offense went from 73 yards of total offense to 484 yards after he went into the game with 4:15 left in the second quarter.
   Buffalo was paced by Joe Licata, who was 27-of-44 for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Anthone Taylor led the offense on the ground, as the MAC-leading rusher went 128 yards on 24 carries. Defensively, just one Bull had a double-digit tackle performance in Lee Skinner, with 10 stops.

NATIONAL TV RETURNS TO THE FACTORY: EMU will be making its 12th appearance since 2005 on ESPNU as a national television audience will be able to tune in for the 12 p.m. contest. It's just the third time ESPNU has visited Rynearson Stadium, and the first since 2017 against Central Michigan, Nov. 8. EMU has never won while playing on the "U" with an 0-11 all-time record.

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: Buffalo's Director of Player Personnel Brad McCaslin returns to Ypsilanti after previously serving as EMU's defensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. McCaslin was also part of Head Coach Chris Creighton's staff for two years at Drake University, where he served as the team's defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. Linebackers coach Chris Simpson also spent the 2014 on Creighton's as the outside linebackers coach. Furthermore, Buffalo's Director of Recruiting Operations Timothy Silvernail was a graduate assistant at EMU. UB's Devon Russell also began his career at EMU in 2015 before transferring to Ellsworth Community College.
   Meanwhile, EMU's Fred Reed was the secondary coach at UB in 2008 when the Bulls won the MAC Championship and played in the International Bowl. His 2008 defense led the nation in forced fumbles and his 2009 unit ranked 43rd in total defense. In 2009, Reed was promoted to defensive coordinator and he also coached the secondary.

ON THE HORIZON: Following its matchup with the Bulls, Eastern will hit the road for the first of two "Midweek #MACtion," contests, starting against the University of Akron, Tuesday, Nov. 12.

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Players Mentioned

Reginald Bell

Vince Calhoun

Maxx Crosby

Ian Eriksen

Mike Glass III

Mikey Haney

Arthur Jackson III

Turan Rush

Mathew Sexton

Shaq Vann

Quian Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics