Eastern Michigan Athletics
Remembering Tales from the Gridiron: Week 1
9/3/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
EMU’s Greg Steiner is taking a weekly lookback at top games from the past 20 seasons
Written by Greg Steiner, EMU Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a stadium. Breathe in, and instantly your senses are aroused by the sweet aromas of popcorn, cotton candy, or perhaps a grilled dog. Now the carbonated bite of a freshly poured cola instantly provides a moment of divine serenity and escape from the hot, soon-to-be fall sun.
As the clock winds towards kickoff, the anticipation grows, as does the speed of the hearts of nearly every fan inside the venue; fans who live vastly different lives, but that feel like family for 12 Saturdays every year. Now, with all eyes on the field, you hear it. The subtle rumble of the snare drums signaling that kickoff has come. Next, a low groan out of thousands. A groan that grows noticeably louder as the kicker approaches the 35-yard line, coming to a collective crescendo at the very moment his foot collides with the auburn brown ball.
For a moment in time, just one moment, the world stops, and euphoria is felt among all. For the first time all day, your ears feel alive – why? Because while you may have heard the ticket scanner beep, or the cashier tell you the price of your hot dog, or even the cries of a baby as it experiences its first game—those are just noises. The drum, the groans, and the smack of the ball, and the pop of the first collision—those are sounds. You see sounds are different. They have the ability to transport us into another world, and bring out a sixth sense.
Today, Sept. 3, marks what would have been the start of the 129th season for Eastern Michigan University football. Tonight, 60,000 fans should be packing in to Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky., while thousands more turn on their televisions to watch the Eagles battle Kentucky. The smell of the food, the pounding of the hearts, and the sounds of perhaps the most beautiful game in the land – college football, should be upon us. Instead, we are all tackling a new challenge in COVID-19.
While EMU must wait to kick off its campaign, perhaps not all is lost, for it is always rewarding to relive history. This week I’ve selected five games since my arrival on campus in 1999 that showcase the unexpected. It includes everything from Mother Nature’s effect on the sport to nail-biting finishes. Best of all, winning has been a signature of the period, with Eastern notching 12 wins on opening weekend.
Did I overlook your favorite EMU week one memory or game? Let me hear about it and you just might find your moment added to the list. To submit a memory, click here and tell me why it was so special.
This will be the 129th year for the EMU football team when it attempts to play in the spring following the fall postponement due to COVID-19. The first year of intercollegiate football in Ypsilanti was 1891, when the team, then known as the Michigan Normal College Normalites, posted an 0-2 record. EMU has fielded a team every year since 1891 with one exception, when the 1944 season was canceled because of World War II.
Connecticut’s Division I-A Debut Spoiled – Sept. 2, 2000 – W, 32-25 vs. Connecticut
Back then it was known as Division I-A, today it simply goes by the Football Bowl Subdivision or FBS. The highest level of collegiate football is now populated by 130 schools around the country, but back in 2000 Connecticut was the new kid in the block as it began a two-year Division I-A transition period.
The Huskies went to Ypsilanti with high hopes and entered the game as a decided underdog. Early in the third quarter, it looked as though the Huskies had run out of gas, as the Eagles took a 24-10 advantage. But a UConn rally produced a field goal and a pair of touchdowns to take a 25-24 lead with under five minutes to go.
The Huskies held the Eagles and took over needing only a first down to ice the win. Unable to sustain the drive, UConn was forced to punt from its own end zone with three minutes to go. Freshman punter Adam Coles miskick traveled only seven yards and allowed Eastern Michigan to go in for the winning score in the final minutes and dash the Husky upset hopes.
Future E-Club Athletic Hall of Famers Walter Church and Kevin Walter hooked up for a four-yard touchdown toss with 1:50 left. For added insurance, Kenny Christian caught a two-point try to cap the six play, 17 yard drive.
Not a bad way for the Eagles to welcome the Huskies, which 11 years later would earn a BCS berth in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl.
Heartbreak in the Queen City - Sept. 1, 2005 – L, 26-28 at Cincinnati
I always think back and ask what if Eastern had won this game - how could then-Head Coach Jeff Genyk’s tenure changed or would have Michigan State looked as favorably upon then-UC Head Coach Mark Dantonio with a blemish against EMU.
For 59 minutes, yards were pretty easy to come by when Cincinnati hosted Eastern Michigan in the 2005 season opener for both teams. The Bearcats rolled up 469 yards in total offense, 293 on the ground. The Eagles countered with 316 yards, nearly half of that rushing.
In the final 55 seconds, it became a case of not being able to get a yard, first for Cincinnati after a bold decision by Dantonio posed a serious threat to a narrow 28-26 lead his Bearcats owned. Facing fourth and less-than-a-yard on the UC 48, Dantonio elected to go for the first down instead of punting the ball away. Bearcat running back Butler Benton slammed off left tackle but was pulled down six inches short of what would have been the game-ending first down.
With EMU's All-American kicker Andrew Wellock, runner-up for the 2004 Lou Groza Award, loosening his leg for a game-winning field goal attempt, Eastern had the ball about 15 yards from Wellock's range. Four plays later, the Bearcat defense found itself in a position of needing to guard about 30 inches of FieldTurf to win the ball back on downs. EMU's Tim Connor tried to gain that distance off right tackle. A swarm of Bearcats stopped him, and 18 seconds later UC celebrated a 28-26 victory.
Power Scramble Version 1 - Sept. 4, 2010 - L, 27-31 vs. Army
Move-in weekend has been known to test the infrastructure at Eastern Michigan, and the 2010 opener was the first of a couple of times that tested the aging facility at Rynearson Stadium. Both EMU and Army were reliant on the game clock being kept on the field after a blown transformer shut down the scoreboard from midway through the second quarter through the entire second half.
The score was tied 7-7 when the lights on the west side of the stadium and the scoreboard, located at the north end of the field, went dark. Play resumed with only the east side light banks and no scoreboard.
The lights came back on shortly after the contest was restarted. The scoreboard remained inoperable for the rest of the first half as officials kept time on the field.
Back on the field, EMU saw a fourth quarter comeback topped by Army in a heartbreaking 31-27 loss.
The Eagles rallied to take a 27-24 lead with just 2:59 left in the game on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Gillett to tight end Ben Thayer followed by the extra point kick by newcomer Sean Graham.
Army would spoil the Eagles' chance at the win, however, scoring on a seven-yard touchdown run by Jared Hassin and the PAT by Alex Carlton with just 38 seconds left in the game for a 31-27 Army lead.
EMU would manage to march all the way to the Army 32-yard line, but the last play of the game was an incomplete pass, giving the Black Knights the victory.
College Football on Sunday? Sept. 4, 2011 – W, 41-9 vs. Howard
Sunday’s are normally reserved for the NFL, but the 2011 season opener shared the day out of necessity. Eastern and season-opening opponent Howard University both went through pre-game warmups on Saturday, Sept. 3, before a series of lightning strikes forced both teams into their respective locker rooms just after 6 p.m. The teams did not return to the field Saturday as the storm, with lightning and rain present, swept through the area for most of the evening, forcing the postponement of the game until Sunday, Sept. 4, at noon.
After 17 hours of waiting to take the field, Eastern Michigan made it worthwhile with a 41-9 victory. Redshirt junior tailback Dominique Sherrer came up with an electrifying 77-yard run from scrimmage in the third quarter to give the Eagles a comfortable 34-9 lead with 14:05 left in the third quarter. That Sherrer run, the first touchdown of his career, was the second longest for an EMU player in Rynearson Stadium-history and tied for the fifth-best single-rush effort in the EMU rushing record book.
Sherrer finished the game with 120 yards rushing, his first 100-yard game for the Eagles while sophomore tailback Javonti Greene also rushed for 120, with both backs carrying the ball 14 times each.
Steiner’s Week 1 Slate of Games
Aug. 31, 2019 – W, 30-23 at Coastal Carolina
Aug. 31, 2018 – W, 51-17 vs. Monmouth
Sept. 1, 2018 – W, 24-7 vs. Charlotte
Sept. 2, 2017 – W, 61-14 vs. Mississippi Valley State
Sept. 5, 2015 – L, 34-38 vs. Old Dominion
Aug. 30, 2014 – W, 31-28 vs. Morgan State
Aug. 31, 2013 – W, 34-24 vs. Howard
Aug. 30, 2012 – L, 26-37 at Ball State
Sept. 4, 2011 – W, 41-9 vs. Howard
Sept. 4, 2010 - L, 27-31 vs. Army
Sept. 5, 2009 – L, 14-27 vs. Army
Aug. 28, 2008 - W, 52-0 vs. Indiana State
Sept. 1, 2007 – L, 3-27 at Pittsburgh
Aug. 31, 2006 – L, 20-38 at Ball State
Sept. 1, 2005 – L, 26-28 at Cincinnati
Sept. 2, 2004 – W, 37-34 vs. Buffalo
Aug. 28, 2003 – W, 28-21 vs. East Tennessee State
Aug. 31, 2002 – L, 7-56 at Michigan State
Sept. 1, 2001 – W, 16-12 vs. Southeast Missouri State
Sept. 2, 2000 – W, 32-25 vs. Connecticut
Sept. 11, 1999 – L, 7-51 at Michigan State
Greg Steiner is in his 19th year with the Eastern Michigan University Athletic Media Relations Office and his fifth as the Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations. From Dec. 2004 until Oct. 2012, he was the office’s assistant director before serving as the assistant athletic director from 2012-16. He serves as the primary contact for the football and golf teams, while aiding in game-day help with nearly all 18 sports.
Steiner also oversees the EMU-ESPN initiative and production unit, in which EMU students receive valuable hands-on experience working with professional equipment and producing content for a national audience on ESPN3/ESPN+. Since its launch in 2015, EMU has produced 185 games for ESPN to go along with dozens more in-house productions.
Favorite Eastern Memories
This will be the 129th year for the EMU football team when it attempts to play in the spring following the fall postponement due to COVID-19. The first year of intercollegiate football in Ypsilanti was 1891, when the team, then known as the Michigan Normal College Normalites, posted an 0-2 record. EMU has fielded a team every year since 1891 with one exception, when the 1944 season was canceled because of World War II.
