Football Makes the Short Trip to Western Michigan

Football at Western Michigan
Date	Saturday, Oct. 8 \| 12 p.m. ET
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| Waldo Stadium
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide \| Press Conference Video
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	CBS Sports Network \| Channel Finder for CBSSN
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team will head west down I-94 for an in-state, Mid-American Conference showdown with Western Michigan University Saturday, Oct. 8, at Waldo Stadium. Kickoff from Kalamazoo is slated for noon.
   Eastern (3-2, 0-1 MAC) enters the game with hopes of securing its first league victory of the campaign. The Eagles fell to the University at Buffalo, Sept. 24, in their first conference affair of 2022, but got back in the win column in their most recent contest, 20-13 over the University of Massachusetts, Oct. 1. Meanwhile, Western (2-3, 1-0 MAC) is looking to keep its momentum after it dismantled the University of New Hampshire, 44-7, on the same day.
   The game will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Network. WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app will also carry the action. Veteran broadcasters Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick will provide the vocals.

A WIN OVER WESTERN: A win over Western Michigan would give Eastern Michigan four consecutive victories in the series for the first time in its 57-game history. The Eagles are in the midst of a three-game win streak for the third time in the rivalry's storied laurels. The Green and White have never stretched the streak to four seasons, however, Western has put together five streaks of three or more consecutive wins, including a stretch of five straight victories between 2014-18.

THREE'S COMPANY: EMU's 2021 win over Western Michigan gave the Eagles their first three-peat over the Broncos since EMU won in consecutive contests between the 2011-13 seasons. Eastern has scored 99 combined points on WMU in its last three contests against its Kalamazoo-based foe.

CREIGHTON BESTS THE BRONCOS: Eastern Michigan Head Coach Chris Creighton has fared better against Western Michigan than either of EMU's other two main rivals, Central Michigan and Toledo. Creighton has three wins over WMU since 2014, one more than the pair of victories he holds over CMU and UT, respectively. Additionally, Creighton has yet to best CMU or UT in consecutive seasons, but can cross the Rockets off that list with a victory over Toledo, Oct. 29.

A CHANCE TO WIN THE MICHIGAN MAC: EMU's first game against an in-state rival also means the beginning of its quest for the "Michigan MAC Trophy." Given annually to one of the Michigan-based, Mid-American Conference institutions (EMU, WMU, CMU), the trophy is awarded to the team which has the best head-to-head record against each other. It is one of just two regularly-awarded trophies between three teams (the other is the Commander-in-Chief's trophy between Army, Navy, and Air Force).
   Originating in 2005, EMU has claimed ownership four times (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012).

STRAIGHT FROM THE BEAR: The EMU Office of Athletic Media Relations is no stranger to noting EMU's close-game tendencies, but ESPN's Chris Fallica, known as "The Bear" on the network's flagship pregame show, College Gameday, took to Twitter to discuss it as well.
    According to Fallica, 35 of EMU's last 41 MAC games and 51 of its last 65 games overall have either been a win or a one-possession loss. The trend continued with Eastern's 20-13 victory over UMass, Oct. 1.

MOVING UP THE LADDER: With his team's 20-13 win over UMass, Oct. 1, Head Coach Chris Creighton picked up his 40th victory at Eastern Michigan. He now sits just one away from tying Jim Harkema (41 wins) for the fourth-best total by any head coach in program history.

THE CREIGHTON DIFFERENCE: Head Coach Chris Creighton has won nearly 50 percent (37-of-75) 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.

NON-CON FUN: EMU has recorded a non-conference victory in every eligible campaign (Mid-American Conference only schedule in 2020) since the 2011 campaign. That is the longest streak for the program since the statistic began being tracked in 1976. The previous best was a five-year stretch between 1985-89.
   Additionally, Chris Creighton's teams have won 19 of the 50 total non-conference triumphs for the program since 1976, good for 38 percent of that total accumulation.

QUITE THE NON-CONFERENCE NUMBERS: Following its Oct. 1 victory over UMass, Eastern Michigan has now won three non-conference games this season. It is the third year in a row that the Green and White have tallied at least three non-conference wins and is the fourth in the Chris Creighton era (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022). Since 1976, there are only two other seasons in which EMU has three or more non-conference victories (1977, 1987).
   EMU has won eight consecutive non-conference home games dating back to the 2016 season.

BIG TIME COMEBACK: EMU erased a 10-point halftime deficit to pull out a 20-13 win over UMass, Oct. 1. The Eagles have overcome eight 10-point deficits in the Chris Creighton era (2014-Pres.) Moreover, it is the first time that EMU came back to win under Creighton when trailing by double-digits at halftime.
   EMU scored all 20 of its points unanswered to claim the victory. The last time the Eagles scored 20 unanswered points was in a 52-49 win at Toledo, Nov. 2, 2021.

TOMASEK EARNS SECOND MAC PLAYER OF THE WEK HONOR: Sophomore punter Mitchell Tomasek collected Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Player of the Week honors, the league announced Oct. 3. It marks the second time in his career he has garnered the accolade.
   Eastern Michigan was forced to punt four times in its win over UMass, Oct. 1. In those punts, Tomasek accrued a total of 184 yards, good for a 46.0 yards per punt average. That moved his season average to 45.6 yards per punt, good for the top spot in the MAC. In addition, Tomasek also tallied one punt of over 50 yards, going for 55 yards. It is his fifth punt of the season of more than 50 yards, second in the MAC.

HOLY COW, SIDY SOW: Senior offensive lineman Sidy Sow is one of the most consistent players in EMU program history. With 47 career starts, Sow is just two nods away from tying the program's all-time record, currently held by Vince Calhoun, who started 49 games for the Green and White between 2016-19. Sow's 48 career games played sit just six marks behind all-time leaders Terry Myrick (2017-21) and Jake Julien (2017-21), who each took to the turf 54 times in their respective careers.

KEEP ON KNUE(ING): Wide receiver Tanner Knue continued his outstanding senior season against UMass, Oct. 1. The Mason, Ohio native racked up a team-best 72 yards on five receptions, including the team's longest reception of the game, 39 yards. Knue recorded his fifth touchdown of the season, which puts him in a tie for the MAC lead for receiving scores. He is currently fifth in the league with 363 yards receiving this season.

MOVING THE CHAINS: EMU's offense was one of the best in the Mid-American Conference on third down a season ago. As an offense, Eastern converted 42.4 percent (67-of-158) of its third down tries. That number ranked 45th in the nation in the regular season.
   The EMU scoring unit is off to a good start in 2022. The Eagles are currently converting at a 51 percent clip (31-for-61). That number sits at second in the Mid-American Conference and 15th nationally.

THE SAMSON SPECIAL: Senior Samson Evans is off to a great start through five games in 2022. In addition to having the single-best rushing performance in the NCAA this season, Evans has also been one of the most consistently good backs in the nation. He currently ranks 10th in the nation with 540 rushing yards. He is first in the MAC and 11th in the country with a 108 rushing yards per game average. Additionally, Evans ranks third in the MAC and 33rd nationally in all-purpose yards, where he has averaged 122.4 per game in 2022.

RETURNS ACCEPTED HERE: EMU returned three kicks for 123 yards and a score against Buffalo, Sept. 24, for an average of 41.0 per try. That average is the most by an EMU squad in the modern statistical era that dates back to the 1999 campaign. The previous standard was 36.5 yards gained per kick return against Mississippi Valley State, Sept. 2, 2016. EMU has just eight games in the last 23 years with an average of 30-or-more yards per kick return.
    EMU special teams rank second in the MAC and 17th nationally in kickoff returns at 26.1 yards per try. Furthermore, Jaylon Jackson is one of just 16 players in the FBS this season to take a kickoff back to the house. Jackson is ninth nationally with a 31.0-yard average on kickoffs.

SO FAR, SO GOOD: The Eastern Michigan offense remained red hot in the red zone against UMass, Oct. 1. The Green and White put together two trips inside the Minutemen 20-yard line, and came away with points on each. The Eagles are a perfect 19-for-19 in its red zone trips this season, coming away with points in each trip thus far. Tied for first nationally in the category, Eastern is one of just six teams who are still perfect inside the 20 this season.
   Red zone success is not uncommon at EMU. Offensively, EMU ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 100 percent red zone scoring clip (tied with Washington State) in 2020. The Eagles produced points in 28-of-28 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line that season. In total, 21 of EMU's red zone trips resulted in touchdowns. Additionally, the team averaged 4.66 trips to the red zone per game in 2020.

HOW ABOUT JESUS: Sophomore kicker Jesus Gomez has looked all but uncomfortable in his first season as the primary placekicker for the Green and White. After another made field goal and three extra points against Buffalo, Sept. 24, he now sits at a perfect 4-for-4 in that category this season. He is one of just two kickers in the Mid-American Conference and 17 kickers nationally that is yet to slip up this season. Moreover, he is 17-for-17 on extra-point attempts this season.

HOLDING THEM DOWN: One week after holding Buffalo to a 5-for-14 (36%) clip on third down tries, its best defensive percentage of the season, the EMU defense was even better against UMass. The Eagles held Massachusetts to a 5-for-16 mark, just a 31 percent clip. Eastern has held its opponents below 50 percent conversion on third down tries in three consecutive games, dating back to the team's contest at Arizona State, Sept. 17. That stretch is the best for the Green and White in nearly a calendar year, when the team did so over a three-game stint between Sept. 25-Oct. 9, 2021 (vs. Texas State, at Northern Illinois, vs. Miami).

WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE: A common goal in Head Coach Chris Creighton's program, Eastern has won or tied (28 wins, 6 ties) the turnover battle in 34 of its last 37 victories under Creighton. Despite EMU's game against UMass serving as one of the rare anomalies to this statistic (EMU lost TO battle, 2-1), the Eagles were still able to emerge victorious.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE: Eastern Michigan's offense has scored 20+ points in six consecutive games dating back to Dec. 18, 2021, against Liberty in the LendingTree Bowl. The stretch is the fourth of the sort under Creighton. The best stretch of consecutive 20+-point games came between Oct. 26, 2017-Nov. 3, 2018, when the Eagles accomplished the feat in 14 straight games.

YARD STICK: The Eagles outgained UMass, 339-255 in total yardage, including a 217-168 advantage on the ground, Oct. 1. The 20-13 win marks the second time EMU has out-rushed its opponents this season, the previous being at Arizona State, Sept. 17.

A FIRST FOR THE DEFENSE: The Eastern Michigan defense notched a "first" in 2022 in its game against UMass by holding the Minutemen to under 100 yards of total offense in four consecutive quarters. EMU saved its best for last, holding its visitor to just 48 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter. That number is the fourth-best single-game mark for the team this season. The Eagles have held their opposition under 40 yards of total offense in three separate quarters this season, including a season-best 35 yards allowed to Arizona State in the first quarter of the team's game in Tempe, Sept. 17.

NO, NO, NO, NOT TODAY: The EMU defense dominated third down in the second half of its game against UMass, Oct. 1. The Eagles kept the Minutemen from converting a third-down try, stopping their competition on each of their seven attempts. It marks the first time in the 2022 campaign in which an EMU opponent has failed to convert a single third-down attempt.

IN THE BACKFIELD: The Eagles' defense set a season high in tackles for loss against UMass with 7.0, and accumulated a season high 21 yards on those TFLs. The Green and White also had a season best outing in QB hurries (7) and pass break-ups (5). EMU's last game with 7.0 or more tackles for loss came during the 2021 season, when the Eagles recorded 9.0 in their game against Texas State, Sept. 25.

HOW ABOUT THIS: The Eagles have twice trailed in a game and come back to win in 2022. In both games, a Tanner Knue touchdown reception put Eastern ahead for good. Against Eastern Kentucky, Sept. 2, Knue hauled in a 15-yard strike from graduate student Taylor Powell to put the Eagles up 7-3. A 39-yard bomb from Austin Smith to Knue gave Eastern a 14-13 lead and lifted the team to victory over UMass, Oct. 1.

ANOTHER EFFORT FROM EVANS: Senior running back Samson Evans toted the rock for 122 yards on 16 carries against UMass, Oct. 1. It was his second career 100-yard rushing effort after previously gashing the Arizona State defense earlier this season for 258 yards, Sept. 17.
   With his effort, Evans became the first 1,000-yard career rusher at EMU since Shaq Vann in 2019. He now has 1,058 career yards on the ground. Heading into 2022, Evans had 518 yards on the ground in his career, and has added 540. The Crystal Lake, Ill., native is 149 yards away from cracking the top-22 in career rushing yards in EMU history.

MARK LEE FOR MAYOR: Junior defensive back Mark Lee Jr. picked off the first pass of his career at the Minutemen's 36-yard line in the fourth quarter of EMU's game against UMass, Oct. 1. The sole turnover forced by the Eagles marked the second consecutive matchup against UMass that an Eagle tallied an interception, with David Carter Jr. snagging an interception in the Sept. 18, 2021, tilt. Lee's interception was the first by an Eastern cornerback since 2018 when Kevin McGill had an interception, Nov. 10, versus Akron at Rynearson Stadium.

WE SEE YOU, SCANDRETT: Sophomore defensive back Quentavius Scandrett set a career high in tackles against Massachusetts with 10. The defensive back smashed his previous career high of five, which was set against Buffalo, Sept. 24. Scandrett, who was second on the team in total tackles for the game, finished with a team-best seven solo tackles to go along with three assists.

EVERYONE'S CHASE(ING) HIM: Junior Chase Kline notched 12 tackles against UMass, Oct. 1, to once again lead the Eagles. The Michigan State transfer has now double-digit tackles for the second time in his collegiate career after setting a career high 14 stops against Buffalo, Sept. 24. Chase leads all Eagles with 47 stops this season.

JOSE HEATING UP: Senior defensive end Jose Ramirez tied his career high in tackles for loss with 3.0 against UMass, Oct. 1. The total matches the number he set in EMU's game at Toledo, Nov. 2, 2021. Additionally, it was Ramirez's fifth career outing with multiple TFLs. This season, the defensive end has tallied 4.5 of the Eagles' 16.0 tackles for loss. Ramirez also recorded the sole sack of the afternoon, grabbing five yards from the Minutemen in the first quarter. It was his first sack since Nov. 16, 2021, against Western Michigan.

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER: Junior wideout Darius Lassiter notched the first score of the game for the Eagles in their Homecoming contest against UMass, recording an eight yard touchdown reception with 8:56 left in the third quarter, Oct. 1. The TD was the first in Lassiter's career at EMU. A junior college All-American at Butler Community College, Lassiter came to EMU after playing in 17 career games for Grizzlies, with 51 career receptions for 18.1 yards per reception.

BIG PLAY BOONE: Junior Darius Boone Jr. found the end zone for the second straight week, against UMass, Oct. 1. The score was his third of the season and 11th in the career of the Tulsa, Okla. native. That number is the second-most of any rusher on the team. Senior Samson Evans is the only Eagle to have found the end zone more; He has rushed it in 17 times for the Green and White. Boone has scored touchdowns in consecutive games for EMU for the first time since the 2021 campaign, when he found pay dirt against both Ball State, Oct. 16, and Bowling Green, Oct. 23. He now has three career stretches that include TDs in two or more consecutive games.

DRUMMOND NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR CAMPBELL TROPHY: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced 156 semifinalists for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. Named on the list is Eastern Michigan senior wide receiver Dylan Drummond. Celebrating its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
   Drummond is off to a great start in 2022. Although he has missed the last three contests due to injury, he has been one of the most efficient pass catchers for EMU this season, racking in six grabs for 72 yards, including a long of 40 yards, so far this season.

BEAT THE DRUM(MOND): Dylan Drummond is among the nation's most impactful wideouts. After a pair of receptions against Louisiana, Sept. 10, the Cleveland, Ohio native now has 156 career receptions, which ranks 27th among all active FBS players (teammate Hassan Beydoun ranks 12th with 180). Additionally, he has recorded a reception in 33 consecutive games, which is fourth-best among active FBS players.
   Last season, Drummond had 64 catches for 704 yards and a team-best six receiving touchdowns - a number that ranks tied for 10th all-time in a single season at EMU. Drummond now has 12 career receiving touchdowns, tied for fifth-most in EMU history.

ALL-TIME VS WESTERN: Saturday will mark the 58th meeting between EMU and WMU on the football field. The Broncos lead the all-time head-to-head series against the Eagles 34-21-2. Despite the deficit, Eastern has taken three straight from Western, dating back to 2019. In those three victories, the Eagles out-scored the Broncos, 109-90. The battle between the two Michigan schools has come in stretches with EMU taking three consecutive from 2011-13, while WMU won five straight from 2014-18.

LAST TIME VS THE BRONCOS: The last time the two programs met Eastern rallied from a 12-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Western 22-21, Nov. 16, 2021, inside Rynearson Stadium. Former Eagle standout Chad Ryland knocked through five field goals in as many attempts to help surge the Eagles past the Broncos. Jose Ramirez tallied his career-high in tackles (10) to go along with a sack.

CLOSE CONNECTION: Eastern Michigan's Athletic Director Scott Wetherbee hails from Kalamazoo, Mich. Furthermore, WMU women's basketball Head Coach Shane Clipfell spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, and was the acting head coach for most of the 2006-07 season when then-head coach Suzy Merchant was on maternity leave. While serving as the acting head coach at EMU for the majority of the 2006-07 season, he guided the Eagles to a 16-13 overall record and a 10-6 finish in the MAC, good for second place in the West Division. Individually, Sarah VanMetre became the first women's basketball player in program history to be named Academic All-American, Patrice McKinney was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Alyssa Pittman was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will continue their Mid-American Conference slate with a home date against Northern Illinois Saturday, Oct. 15, inside Rynearson Stadium.

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Players Mentioned

Hassan Beydoun

Darius Boone Jr.

David Carter Jr.

Dylan Drummond

Samson Evans

Jaylon Jackson

Jake Julien

Chase Kline

Tanner Knue

Darius Lassiter

Mark Lee Jr.

Terry Myrick

Taylor Powell

Jose Ramirez

Chad Ryland

Quentavius Scandrett

Austin Smith

Sidy Sow

Mitchell Tomasek

Eastern Michigan Athletics