Football Set to Honor Senior Class Nov. 29 Versus Kent State

Football vs. Kent State
Date	Friday, Nov. 29 \| 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	ESPN+
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 will close out the 2019 regular season at "The Factory", hosting Kent State University Friday, Nov. 29, at 12 p.m. The Mid-American Conference cross-divisional matchup will be the final home game for EMU's 22-member senior class, whom will be recognized in a pregame ceremony on the gray turf inside Rynearson Stadium.
   The Eagles enter the MAC clash at 6-5 (3-4 MAC) after a strong performance in a 45-17 road victory over rival Northern Illinois University, Nov. 19. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes (4-6, 3-3 MAC) will still host Ball State University, Nov. 23, before making the "Black Friday" trip to Ypsilanti.
       The meeting will be televised on ESPN+. The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with Tom Helmer and Super Bowl XLV Champion T.J. Lang calling the action from the press box.

SANTA VISITS THE FACTORY: Eastern Football team will have a special guest as they take on Kent State, Nov. 29. Bring your young Eastern fan to visit Santa Claus in the Holiday Factory. Located on the west concourse of Rynearson Stadium, the Holiday Factory includes ornament decorating, face painting and a balloon artist, all inside a heated tent to help get you in the holiday spirit. Exclusive to this game, adult tickets are just $10 each and all kids under the age of 18 are FREE! Additionally, $2 from every adult ticket will be donated to the Shop With A Cop program to benefit youth from our county who are in need.

NOVEMBER BOOM: EMU is 10-3 in the month of November the last four years. In the four seasons prior, Eastern combined for a total of seven wins during the entire 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 campaigns.

LET'S BOWL: With its win at NIU, Eastern is bowl eligible in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. EMU is bowl eligible for the fifth time in program history, and the third time in the last four seasons.

WIN AND IN: Although Eastern is bowl eligible, the team is not guaranteed a postseason bid. With 78 total slots available among the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions, there are often multiple teams left home. A seventh win, however, would all-but-cement back-to-back bids for the Eagles.

WHAT'S STILL AT STAKE: While the goal of a 2019 MAC Championship may be dashed, plenty of opportunities to cement the team's legacy still await Eastern Michigan in its final contest. EMU can post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since doing so from 1986-89. It would also mark just the 13th winning campaign for Eastern since 1970. Furthermore, Eastern has never played in a bowl in consecutive seasons, as it looks for its first postseason victory since the 1987 California Bowl.

SETTING NEW STANDARDS: With a 6-5 record heading into the final week of regular season play, Eastern has guaranteed a .500-or-better regular season record. If the Eagles are able to beat Kent State, Nov. 29, they will secure a seven-win season for third time since 1989, after reaching that mark in 2016 (7-5, 4-4 MAC) and 2018 (7-5, 5-3 MAC).

CREIGHTON CHECKS FINAL BOX IN MAC: With EMU's victory over NIU, Nov. 19, Head Coach Chris Creighton has now notched at-least one win against all 11 MAC opponents he has faced. He is the first coach in EMU football history to best every conference opponent.
   Jim Harkema defeated the then-nine other MAC schools during his tenure from 1983-1992, while the late-Rick Rasnick downed nine of the 13 league members from 1995-99.

BREAKING THE STREAK: Eastern's win at Northern Illinois, Nov. 19, was its first against the Huskies since 2007, also the last time the team won in DeKalb. Additionally, EMU's 45-point showing was the squad's most at Huskie Stadium since the 1997 season.
   Efficient is a term that best describes Eastern's 24-point third quarter. After an eight-yard TD rush by Shaq Vann put EMU up, 21-7, EMU went on to score three times in its next eight offense snaps.
   In all, the Eagles scored three touchdowns and a field goal in just nine offensive snaps.

BACK-TO-BACK BLOWOUTS: In its last two games, EMU has won by an average of 28 points, defeating Akron, 42-14, Nov. 12, and Northern Illinois, 45-17, Nov. 19. The last time Eastern compiled consecutive wins of better than 28 points was in 1971, when it bested Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 31-0, and Northern Michigan, 31-3, in back-to-back weeks.

PICKSILANTI: The Eastern Michigan secondary wreaked havoc on the NIU passing attack, Nov. 19, as it corralled three interceptions. The three picks were the most by Eastern since it nabbed four balls from Coastal Carolina in its week one matchup with the Chanticleers, Aug. 31.
   Furthermore, Eastern's 112 yards off those picks rank third in program history. It marked the first time since Oct. 19, 1991, that EMU racked up more than 100 yards of interception return yardage.
   Senior defensive back Brody Hoying had a two-interception day against Northern Illinois, Nov. 19. Hoying was the first Eagle to collect two picks in a game since DaQuan Pace did so against Ball State, Nov. 8, 2016.

CALHOUN GETS HIS FIRST: Senior defensive back Vince Calhoun, the team's second-leading tackler with 93 stops in 2019, stepped up against Northern Illinois, Nov. 19. In addition to registering six stops, Calhoun tallied his first interception of the season. Calhoun now has seven-career INTs, the most among active student-athletes at EMU.
   With his next start, the Middleton, Ohio product will become the program's leader in career games started. Currently tied with Daniel Holtzclaw (2005-08), Andy Fretz (2006-09), and Jason Beck (2014-17), Calhoun has started 47 of his 48 career games played. Defensive lineman Jeremiah Harris (2014-18) holds the EMU career games played record with 52.

GETTING IN THE BACKFIELD: The Eastern Michigan defense was stout against Northern Illinois, Nov. 19, as the unit racked up five tackles-for-loss. Senior Kobie Beltram led the defense effort with a team-high 10 stops, two TFLs, and a sack. Beltram leads all Eagles with 104 tackles on the season, while his 9.5 tackles per game is good for fifth in the conference and 20th in the FBS. For his efforts, Beltram collected MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period ending Nov. 24.

NO GLASS CEILING HERE: Senior quarterback Mike Glass III has been outstanding in his last two performances. Glass has combined to go 40-for-49 (81.6%) passing for 481 yards and three scores against Akron and Northern Illinois. On the ground, he racked up 114 yards and two scores on 14 attempts. Overall, Glass has completed passes at 80 percent-or-better three times this season. He also has completed at least one 25+ yard pass in every game he has played in this season.

PAY DIRT PAYING OFF FOR VANN: Senior running back Shaq Vann was one of five players to score a touchdown against Northern Illinois, Nov. 19. Vann has scored five touchdowns in his last two appearances, dating back to the Eagles' game against Akron, Nov. 12, the most in a two-week span in the entirety of his six-year EMU career.
   Vann is tied with Bob Foster (1986-88) for sixth in program-history with 23 touchdowns scored. He can tie Kerry Keating (1954-57) with two more scores or Larry Ratcliff (1969-71) with three. Running back Gary Patton set the EMU standard with 31 touchdowns from 1984-87.

PASSING 2,400: Senior Mike Glass III's 235 yards passing against NIU put him at 2,472 through the air this season. Glass is the ninth EMU signal caller to toss for more than 2,400 yards in a season. The St. Louis, Mo. native is on pace to throw for more than 2,700. His 3,496 career passing yards ranks 10th in the EMU record books, while he has accounted for 41 (13 rush, 28 pass) of the team's 86 touchdowns the last two seasons.

ACTION JACKSON: Senior wide receiver Arthur Jackson III has caught eight touchdown passes in his last 12 games. In his two seasons at EMU, Jackson has 81 receptions for 1,142 yards and 11 TDs. His 11-career receiving scores tied for seventh all-time at EMU, while he joins teammate Mathew Sexton as just the 30th player in program history to accumulate 1,000-or-more yards receiving.

PLAYING DISCIPLINED: Eastern ranks among the nation's best in both fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game. EMU's 47 total penalties ranks 12th-nationally, while its 38.45 penalty yards per game is seventh-best in the country.

THE CREIGHTON DIFFERENCE: According to SportSource Analytics, Head Coach Chris Creighton has won 51 percent (25-of-49) of his games since the start of the 2016 season. In the three seasons prior to his arrival in Ypsilanti, the Eagles were victorious in just 28 percent (10-of-36) of their games.

WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE: A common goal in Head Coach Chris Creighton's program, the Eagles were able to win the turnover battle against Northern Illinois, Nov. 19. Eastern has won or tied (21-3) the turnover battle in 23 of its last 26 victories under Creighton.

EAGLES ON MAC LEADERBOARDS: After 11 games, a slew of Eagles have established themselves on one-or-more of the MAC leaderboards. Offensively, Mike Glass III's 247.2 passing yards per game ranks first in the league. Wide out Arthur Jackson III's 50.0 yards per game in the air ranks 13th in the league, just ahead of 14th-ranked Quian Williams' 48.6 yards per contest. Defensively, senior Kobie Beltram is fifth in the league with 9.5 tackles per game, while fellow upperclassman Vince Calhoun ranks ninth with 8.5 per game. Turan Rush is eight in the MAC with .45 sacks per game on the season.

SHAQ ATTACK: Senior running back Shaq Vann's 101-yard effort in the snow at NIU was the seventh of his career. Additionally, Vann is best among MAC running backs with 259 carries without a fumble. His last rushing miscue came versus Bowling Green, Nov. 21, 2017.
   Vann is just the eighth running back in program-history to surpass 2,400 yards rushing with 2,456 yards in 42 career games. Overall, his 487 all-time carries rank eighth at EMU and he needs 12 carries to pass Dwayne Priest (2007-10) for the next spot on the career rushing attempts list. Meanwhile, his 23 career touchdowns (22 rushing, 1 receiving) is tied with Bob Foster for sixth.

ALL-TIME VS. KENT STATE: Kent State and Eastern Michigan will be meeting for the 32nd time in this year's Black Friday affair. The Golden Flashes hold a 17-14 edge in the series that began in 1973 when KSU recorded a 34-20 victory in Ypsilanti, Oct. 20. Last season, EMU bested KSU, 28-20, in Kent, Ohio.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE GOLDEN FLASHES: The defense held strong as Eastern picked up a bowl-clinching seventh win over the Golden Flashes, 28-20, in Kent, Ohio, Nov. 23, 2018. Jeremiah Harris tied a program record for single-game sacks, with three, while Vince Calhoun nabbed a late interception to halt the Flashes comeback attempts. Offensively, Ian Eriksen used 17 attempts to rush for 118 yards and three scores, helping the Eagles to secure its second winning season in three seasons, and earn their fourth-ever bowl appearance.

LAST TIME KSU VISITED YPSI: The Eagles and Golden Flashes have not met in Ypsilanti since the 2012 season when Kent State spoiled Eastern Michigan's homecoming game, 41-14, Oct. 6.
   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.

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: EMU defensive line coach Ben Needham spent five seasons with the Golden Flashes prior to his time in Ypsilanti. He served as the defensive line coach for three seasons, before becoming the Defensive Coordinator, and eventually, the Associate Head Coach/Defensive and Special Teams Coordinator.

DESTINATION UNKNOWN: The Mid-American Conference has direct tie-ins to five different postseason bowl games, with secondary ties to an additional two bowls. These seven postseason games are the most likely destinations for an EMU bowl game in 2019-20.

Football Set to Honor Senior Class Nov. 29 Versus Kent State

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Players Mentioned

Jason Beck

Kobie Beltram

Vince Calhoun

Ian Eriksen

Mike Glass III

Jeremiah Harris

Bronson Hill

Brody Hoying

Arthur Jackson III

DaQuan Pace

Turan Rush

Mathew Sexton

Shaq Vann

Quian Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics