Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, September 17
Tempe, Ariz.
8 p.m. MST
Eastern Michigan University
at
Arizona State
Football Preps for a Late Night in the Valley of the Sun
9/12/2022 2:42:00 PM | Football
Game 3 • Sept. 17, 2022 • 8 p.m. MST (11 p.m. ET) • Tempe, Ariz. • Sun Devil Stadium (53,599)
| Football at Arizona State | |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 17 | 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. MST) |
| Venue | Tempe, Ariz. | Sun Devil Stadium |
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TEMPE, Ariz. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team will play away from home for the second consecutive week as the Eagles head to the Valley of the Sun for a battle with Arizona State University Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is slated for 8:10 p.m. MST (11 p.m. ET) inside Sun Devil Stadium.
EMU looks to bounce back from its week two setback at the University of Louisiana, Sept. 10. The Eagles (1-1, 0-0 MAC) jumped out to a 14-0 lead against the Ragin' Cajuns in a contest that included a 66-minute lightning delay. Despite the early success, EMU was outscored, 49-7, in the second half en route to a 49-21 setback. Meanwhile, ASU (1-1, 0-0 PAC 12) is coming off a 34-17 setback at the hands of No. 11/10 Oklahoma State University on the same day.
The game will be broadcast nationally on the PAC-12 Network where J.B. Long (play-by-play) and Bob Davie (analyst) will have the call. WEMU 89.1 FM and The Varsity Network app will also carry the action as Tom Helmer and Greg Steiner will have the call.
THROUGH TWO: The Eagles have held their opponents scoreless in consecutive first quarters to begin the 2022 campaign (EKU, Sept. 2; Louisiana, Sept. 10). The Eastern Michigan defense has not held its opposition off the board in the first quarter in consecutive games since the 2019 campaign, when it did so against Akron, Nov. 12, and Northern Illinois University, Nov. 19.
THE NOT-SO UNDERDOGS: Head Coach Chris Creighton has directed his EMU teams to three "Power Five" wins during his tenure in Ypsilanti (Rutgers – 2017, Purdue – 2018, Illinois – 2019). Creighton is the only active MAC coach to have multiple "Power 5" wins.
FLY THE FLAG: Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher debuted a pirate flag in 2018 for when a conference member posts a non-conference victory. EMU has previously posted road non-conference wins in 2015 (Wyoming), 2016 (Charlotte), 2017 (Rutgers), 2018 (Purdue), 2019 (Illinois), and 2021 (UMass). The streak is the longest by EMU since the then-Hurons rolled off non-league road triumphs in 10 consecutive years between 1966 and 1975.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: 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 17 of the 48 total non-conference triumphs for the program since 1976, good for 35 percent of that total accumulation.
WHAT'S AT STAKE AT ASU: Eastern Michigan has recorded a non-conference road victory in every eligible campaign since the 2015 season. That is the best stretch for the program since the statistic has been tracked (1976). A win against the Sun Devils would keep that streak alive. The program has won 12 non-conference road games since 1976. Head Coach Chris Creighton is responsible for 58 percent (7) of those victories, the most by any EMU bench boss during that span.
RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY!: A lightning delay saw the action between EMU and UL paused for 1:06 before resuming at 9:26 p.m. ET. A victim of unfortunate weather in recent seasons, the delay was the second of more than one hour for Eastern Michigan in the last calendar year. The Eagles were last paused due to lightning Oct. 2, 2021, when EMU and Northern Illinois University stopped play for nearly three hours (2:45).
EMU has experienced three road lightning delays since the start of the 2016 campaign, and is 1-2 in those contests. The Eagles bested Bowling Green State University, 28-25, after a stoppage of play, Oct. 1, 2016, but has since dropped contests to NIU, 27-20, and Louisiana, 49-21, after weather delays.
SO FAR, SO GOOD: EMU was a perfect 5-for-5 on scoring opportunities in the red zone against Eastern Kentucky, Sept. 2, and followed that up with a 3-for-3 clip at Louisiana, Sept. 10. EMU is one of just 35 teams nationally that are perfect in red zone scoring opportunities through two weeks of the regular season. A nod in favor of the Mid-American Conference, there are currently five MAC institutions on that list. The Eagles are 8-for-8 with eight touchdowns in the red zone 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 University) 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.
YET TO ATTEMPT: EMU's red zone success has kept the field goal unit off the field for EMU through two games this season. The 2022 season marks consecutive campaigns in which the EMU special teams unit did not attempt a field goal through the first pair of contests in the season. Prior to 2021, EMU had not failed to attempt a field goal through two games since 2010, when the team went without a three-point try until week five of the season.
EMU's place kicker, Jesus Gomez, is a perfect 9-of-9 on extra point tries this season.
BIG TIME DRIVE: Eastern Michigan opened its contest against Louisiana, Sept. 10, with its best opening drive of the 2022 season. The Green and White used 13 plays to drive the Ragin' Cajuns 75 yards down field, taking 6:31 off the clock and scoring the team's first game-opening touchdown since Nov. 9, 2021 against Ohio University.
The drive was also the longest for Eastern Michigan this season. The Eagles' previous long drive, in terms of number of plays, was 10, which came in week one against EKU, Sept. 2. Prior to its game-opening scoring drive against Louisiana, Eastern had gone four games without an opening-drive touchdown.
DEFENSE STARTS STRONG: The EMU defense pitched a first-half shutout against Louisiana, Sept. 10. The week two contest marked the first time since the 2021 season, in a match-up against Georgia State University, Nov. 4., that Louisiana was kept off the board during the first half of a contest.
Additionally, it marked the first time the Eagles have blanked an opponent in a half since the 2019 campaign, when they kept the University of Akron from scoring in the first 30 minutes, Nov. 12. EMU won that contest, 42-14.
LASSITER GOES LONG: Junior wide out Darius Lassiter recorded a 44-yard grab with 9:08 left in the third quarter against Louisiana, Sept. 10, an EMU-career-best for Lassiter and the longest reception for any EMU player this season. The previous long grab was a 40-yard haul by Dylan Drummond, against EKU, Sept. 2.
KNUE(FOUND) SUCCESS: After hauling in a 25-yard touchdown grab against Louisiana, Sept. 10, senior wide receiver Tanner Knue has now scored in consecutive games for the second time in his career, the first since the 2020 season, when he did so against Western Michigan University, Dec. 5, and NIU, Dec. 12. Knue's second quarter TD was the Ohio-native's MAC-leading third touchdown reception of the season. Knue's eight receptions tie for his second-most, better only by his 11 against Ohio, Nov. 9, 2021.
HIGH-VOLUME PASSING: Eastern Michigan attempted 51 passes against Louisiana, Sept. 10. That number is tied for the 13th-most single-game pass attempts in program history, and the most in a game for EMU since it attempted 57 tosses against Ohio University, Nov. 9, 2021. The 32 offensive completions for EMU is tied for 11th all-time in a single game at EMU.
Individually, quarterback Taylor Powell amassed 31 completions against the Ragin' Cajuns. That is good for 15th all-time in EMU single-game laurels. It is the most for an EMU passer since Ben Bryant completed 41 passes against the Bobcats in the previously mentioned Ohio game. Powell's 52 attempts are the 14th most in program history.
SENIOR STRIKER: Senior quarterback Taylor Powell's 44-yard pass to junior Darius Lassiter in the third quarter against Louisiana is tied for his second-longest collegiate completion. His career-best single-pass mark is 49 yards, which came against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Sept. 25, 2021, while Powell attended Troy University. The transfer threw a 44-yard pass one time previously against University of Tennessee-Martin, Sept. 1, 2018.
CAREER YARDAGE FOR POWELL: Senior signal caller Taylor Powell set a personal standard, throwing for a career-best 317 yards against Louisiana, Sept. 10. The Fayetteville, Ark. native completed 31-of-50 pass attempts for the Green and White en route to his passing totals. Powell's previous personal-best throwing yardage came a season ago, when he tossed for 311 yards in a game against the University of Louisiana-Monroe while a member of the Troy University program.
BETTER THAN MOST: Senior signal caller Taylor Powell is off to an efficient start in 2022. He has completed 65 percent (52-of-80) of his passes through two games this season. That number currently ranks first in the MAC and 47th in the nation.
BAD TO THE BOONE: Junior running back Darius Boone Jr. recorded his first touchdown of the season last weekend against Louisiana, rushing for a one-yard score midway through the third quarter. The ninth TD of his collegiate career, the score was Boone's first since Oct. 23, 2021, when he punched one in at Bowling Green State University.
JOLT FROM JACKSON: Senior tight end Aaron Jackson added another "first" in his EMU career with 8:29 left on the clock in the first quarter of Eastern's game at Louisiana, Sept. 10. The Detroit, Mich., native hauled in a three-yard touchdown reception, finding the pay dirt for the first time in his career. Jackson had just three career receptions entering the contest, with his most recent coming in a game against Toledo, Nov. 18, 2020.
SAMSON SHOWING OFF: Senior running back Samson Evans showed off his arm in the first quarter as he delivered a three-yard touchdown pass to Jackson to cap EMU's opening drive. The TD pass was the fourth of Evans' career at EMU. He tossed for a trio of touchdowns during the 2021 campaign.
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. EMU is 12-for-25 (48%) in 2022, good for third in the MAC.
WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE: A common goal in Head Coach Chris Creighton's program, Eastern has won or tied (28 wins, 5 ties) the turnover battle in 33 of its last 35 victories under Creighton. The Eagles tied the turnover battle (2-2) against EKU. EMU was unable to win the turnover battle against Louisiana. The Eagles gave the ball away five times, their most in a single game since it recorded the same number in a game against Central Michigan, Nov. 27, 2020.
TOMASEK CONTINUES TO SHINE: Sophomore punter Mitchell Tomasek, the reigning MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week, was outstanding yet again at Louisiana, Sept. 10. Tomasek booted five balls for an average of 44.8 yards per kick. Additionally, he registered a new career-best punt of 58 yards, and pinned the Ragin' Cajuns inside the 20-yard line once. Through two games, Tomasek is second in the conference with a 43.8 yards per boot average. He has three kicks of 50+ yards, which is also second in the MAC, and he is one of just two players with a punt of more than 55 yards 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 15th among all active FBS players (teammate Hassan Beydoun ranks seventh with 175). 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.
TURNOVERS ARE PROBLEMATIC: EMU turned the ball over five times in the second half against Louisiana, Sept. 10, accounting for 28 of the Ragin' Cajuns points. The five miscues were the most since EMU gave the ball back five times in a 31-23 setback to Central Michigan, Nov. 27, 2020.
EMU has turned the ball over five-or-more times on four occasions during the Chris Creighton era, resulting in an 0-4 record in those games (6 at Michigan State - 2014; 5 at CMU in 2017; 5 vs. CMU in 2020; 5 at Louisiana - 2022).
ALL-TIME VS ARIZONA STATE: Saturday, Sept. 17, will mark the first time that Eastern Michigan and Arizona State have met on the gridiron. It will be just the second time the men from Ypsilanti have traveled to the Valley of the Sun, after previously hooking up with the University of Arizona during the 1988 campaign.
ALL-TIME VS PAC-12: Arizona State is not the only Pacific-12 program that EMU has experience against. In fact, Eastern has only played one game against a current member of the San Francisco, Calif.-based conference. The Green and White's lone game against the league came in the form of its 1988 matchup with the Arizona Wildcats, a game which saw the Green and White fall, 55-0, Sept. 24 in Tuscon.
EMU will again venture into the league during the 2024 campaign, when it travels to Seattle, Wash. Sept. 7 to take on former assistant coach Kalen DeBoer, who is now in-charge of the University of Washington.
SUN DEVILS TURNED EAGLES: Despite the lack of history on the gridiron, EMU has plenty of ties to its upcoming opponent. There are various former Sun Devils that now call Ypsilanti home. EMU's Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs, Andy Rowdon spent time as the Director of Marketing and Revenue Generation at Arizona State before his time in Ypsilanti. A member of the athletic media relations staff, Assistant Director Alex Ryan spent nine years at ASU in a similar capacity. Academic Counselor Corey Whitney was also a Sun Devil at one point, earning his bachelor's degree from the university in 2005.
A member of Eastern's strength and conditioning staff, Graduate Assistant Gary Chambers played wide receiver for the Sun Devils, earning his bachelor's degree in 2015. Meanwhile, Arizona State women's basketball's all-time leader in three-pointers (185), EMU women's basketball Assistant Coach Katie Hempen, earned her bachelor's from ASU in 2014.
DESERT FOXES: Junior wide out Darius Lassiter and senior long snapper Steve Bird are the only two members of the Eastern 2022 roster who hail from the Grand Canyon State.
Lassiter, a Chandler-native, has tallied 13 receptions for 97 yards in his first two games as an Eagle. His 44-yard grab last week against Louisiana was an EMU-career-best for the wide receiver and the longest reception for any EMU player so far this season.
Bird, a 2018 graduate of Sandra Day O'Connor High School in his hometown of Phoenix, has started in 20 games across three seasons for the Eagles. Named a first team All-Region long snapper in 2018, Bird had a perfect 85-for-85 senior season on punt, PAT, and field goal snaps.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!: Even though he has never been the head coach against Eastern Michigan, Arizona State's Herm Edwards does have a brief history with the Ypsilanti, Mich.-based program. Edwards was the defensive backs coach at San Jose State in 1987 when EMU upset the Spartans, 30-27, in the California Bowl. Furthermore, Edwards was the television analyst on ESPNU when the Eagles took on Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. (EMU lost 52-6 - Oct. 9, 2010)
ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will return to Ypsilanti to open Mid-American Conference play with a bout against the University at Buffalo, Sept. 24, at 12 p.m.. The game will take place as part of Eastern's campus-wide Family Weekend. Fans can expect numerous kid-friendly activities, as well as the return of EMU's annual "Beer Fest." Furthermore, a classic car show will also take place near the front of Rynearson Stadium, and inside the stadium.
EMU looks to bounce back from its week two setback at the University of Louisiana, Sept. 10. The Eagles (1-1, 0-0 MAC) jumped out to a 14-0 lead against the Ragin' Cajuns in a contest that included a 66-minute lightning delay. Despite the early success, EMU was outscored, 49-7, in the second half en route to a 49-21 setback. Meanwhile, ASU (1-1, 0-0 PAC 12) is coming off a 34-17 setback at the hands of No. 11/10 Oklahoma State University on the same day.
The game will be broadcast nationally on the PAC-12 Network where J.B. Long (play-by-play) and Bob Davie (analyst) will have the call. WEMU 89.1 FM and The Varsity Network app will also carry the action as Tom Helmer and Greg Steiner will have the call.
THROUGH TWO: The Eagles have held their opponents scoreless in consecutive first quarters to begin the 2022 campaign (EKU, Sept. 2; Louisiana, Sept. 10). The Eastern Michigan defense has not held its opposition off the board in the first quarter in consecutive games since the 2019 campaign, when it did so against Akron, Nov. 12, and Northern Illinois University, Nov. 19.
THE NOT-SO UNDERDOGS: Head Coach Chris Creighton has directed his EMU teams to three "Power Five" wins during his tenure in Ypsilanti (Rutgers – 2017, Purdue – 2018, Illinois – 2019). Creighton is the only active MAC coach to have multiple "Power 5" wins.
FLY THE FLAG: Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher debuted a pirate flag in 2018 for when a conference member posts a non-conference victory. EMU has previously posted road non-conference wins in 2015 (Wyoming), 2016 (Charlotte), 2017 (Rutgers), 2018 (Purdue), 2019 (Illinois), and 2021 (UMass). The streak is the longest by EMU since the then-Hurons rolled off non-league road triumphs in 10 consecutive years between 1966 and 1975.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: 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 17 of the 48 total non-conference triumphs for the program since 1976, good for 35 percent of that total accumulation.
WHAT'S AT STAKE AT ASU: Eastern Michigan has recorded a non-conference road victory in every eligible campaign since the 2015 season. That is the best stretch for the program since the statistic has been tracked (1976). A win against the Sun Devils would keep that streak alive. The program has won 12 non-conference road games since 1976. Head Coach Chris Creighton is responsible for 58 percent (7) of those victories, the most by any EMU bench boss during that span.
RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY!: A lightning delay saw the action between EMU and UL paused for 1:06 before resuming at 9:26 p.m. ET. A victim of unfortunate weather in recent seasons, the delay was the second of more than one hour for Eastern Michigan in the last calendar year. The Eagles were last paused due to lightning Oct. 2, 2021, when EMU and Northern Illinois University stopped play for nearly three hours (2:45).
EMU has experienced three road lightning delays since the start of the 2016 campaign, and is 1-2 in those contests. The Eagles bested Bowling Green State University, 28-25, after a stoppage of play, Oct. 1, 2016, but has since dropped contests to NIU, 27-20, and Louisiana, 49-21, after weather delays.
SO FAR, SO GOOD: EMU was a perfect 5-for-5 on scoring opportunities in the red zone against Eastern Kentucky, Sept. 2, and followed that up with a 3-for-3 clip at Louisiana, Sept. 10. EMU is one of just 35 teams nationally that are perfect in red zone scoring opportunities through two weeks of the regular season. A nod in favor of the Mid-American Conference, there are currently five MAC institutions on that list. The Eagles are 8-for-8 with eight touchdowns in the red zone 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 University) 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.
YET TO ATTEMPT: EMU's red zone success has kept the field goal unit off the field for EMU through two games this season. The 2022 season marks consecutive campaigns in which the EMU special teams unit did not attempt a field goal through the first pair of contests in the season. Prior to 2021, EMU had not failed to attempt a field goal through two games since 2010, when the team went without a three-point try until week five of the season.
EMU's place kicker, Jesus Gomez, is a perfect 9-of-9 on extra point tries this season.
BIG TIME DRIVE: Eastern Michigan opened its contest against Louisiana, Sept. 10, with its best opening drive of the 2022 season. The Green and White used 13 plays to drive the Ragin' Cajuns 75 yards down field, taking 6:31 off the clock and scoring the team's first game-opening touchdown since Nov. 9, 2021 against Ohio University.
The drive was also the longest for Eastern Michigan this season. The Eagles' previous long drive, in terms of number of plays, was 10, which came in week one against EKU, Sept. 2. Prior to its game-opening scoring drive against Louisiana, Eastern had gone four games without an opening-drive touchdown.
DEFENSE STARTS STRONG: The EMU defense pitched a first-half shutout against Louisiana, Sept. 10. The week two contest marked the first time since the 2021 season, in a match-up against Georgia State University, Nov. 4., that Louisiana was kept off the board during the first half of a contest.
Additionally, it marked the first time the Eagles have blanked an opponent in a half since the 2019 campaign, when they kept the University of Akron from scoring in the first 30 minutes, Nov. 12. EMU won that contest, 42-14.
LASSITER GOES LONG: Junior wide out Darius Lassiter recorded a 44-yard grab with 9:08 left in the third quarter against Louisiana, Sept. 10, an EMU-career-best for Lassiter and the longest reception for any EMU player this season. The previous long grab was a 40-yard haul by Dylan Drummond, against EKU, Sept. 2.
KNUE(FOUND) SUCCESS: After hauling in a 25-yard touchdown grab against Louisiana, Sept. 10, senior wide receiver Tanner Knue has now scored in consecutive games for the second time in his career, the first since the 2020 season, when he did so against Western Michigan University, Dec. 5, and NIU, Dec. 12. Knue's second quarter TD was the Ohio-native's MAC-leading third touchdown reception of the season. Knue's eight receptions tie for his second-most, better only by his 11 against Ohio, Nov. 9, 2021.
HIGH-VOLUME PASSING: Eastern Michigan attempted 51 passes against Louisiana, Sept. 10. That number is tied for the 13th-most single-game pass attempts in program history, and the most in a game for EMU since it attempted 57 tosses against Ohio University, Nov. 9, 2021. The 32 offensive completions for EMU is tied for 11th all-time in a single game at EMU.
Individually, quarterback Taylor Powell amassed 31 completions against the Ragin' Cajuns. That is good for 15th all-time in EMU single-game laurels. It is the most for an EMU passer since Ben Bryant completed 41 passes against the Bobcats in the previously mentioned Ohio game. Powell's 52 attempts are the 14th most in program history.
SENIOR STRIKER: Senior quarterback Taylor Powell's 44-yard pass to junior Darius Lassiter in the third quarter against Louisiana is tied for his second-longest collegiate completion. His career-best single-pass mark is 49 yards, which came against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Sept. 25, 2021, while Powell attended Troy University. The transfer threw a 44-yard pass one time previously against University of Tennessee-Martin, Sept. 1, 2018.
CAREER YARDAGE FOR POWELL: Senior signal caller Taylor Powell set a personal standard, throwing for a career-best 317 yards against Louisiana, Sept. 10. The Fayetteville, Ark. native completed 31-of-50 pass attempts for the Green and White en route to his passing totals. Powell's previous personal-best throwing yardage came a season ago, when he tossed for 311 yards in a game against the University of Louisiana-Monroe while a member of the Troy University program.
BETTER THAN MOST: Senior signal caller Taylor Powell is off to an efficient start in 2022. He has completed 65 percent (52-of-80) of his passes through two games this season. That number currently ranks first in the MAC and 47th in the nation.
BAD TO THE BOONE: Junior running back Darius Boone Jr. recorded his first touchdown of the season last weekend against Louisiana, rushing for a one-yard score midway through the third quarter. The ninth TD of his collegiate career, the score was Boone's first since Oct. 23, 2021, when he punched one in at Bowling Green State University.
JOLT FROM JACKSON: Senior tight end Aaron Jackson added another "first" in his EMU career with 8:29 left on the clock in the first quarter of Eastern's game at Louisiana, Sept. 10. The Detroit, Mich., native hauled in a three-yard touchdown reception, finding the pay dirt for the first time in his career. Jackson had just three career receptions entering the contest, with his most recent coming in a game against Toledo, Nov. 18, 2020.
SAMSON SHOWING OFF: Senior running back Samson Evans showed off his arm in the first quarter as he delivered a three-yard touchdown pass to Jackson to cap EMU's opening drive. The TD pass was the fourth of Evans' career at EMU. He tossed for a trio of touchdowns during the 2021 campaign.
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. EMU is 12-for-25 (48%) in 2022, good for third in the MAC.
WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE: A common goal in Head Coach Chris Creighton's program, Eastern has won or tied (28 wins, 5 ties) the turnover battle in 33 of its last 35 victories under Creighton. The Eagles tied the turnover battle (2-2) against EKU. EMU was unable to win the turnover battle against Louisiana. The Eagles gave the ball away five times, their most in a single game since it recorded the same number in a game against Central Michigan, Nov. 27, 2020.
TOMASEK CONTINUES TO SHINE: Sophomore punter Mitchell Tomasek, the reigning MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week, was outstanding yet again at Louisiana, Sept. 10. Tomasek booted five balls for an average of 44.8 yards per kick. Additionally, he registered a new career-best punt of 58 yards, and pinned the Ragin' Cajuns inside the 20-yard line once. Through two games, Tomasek is second in the conference with a 43.8 yards per boot average. He has three kicks of 50+ yards, which is also second in the MAC, and he is one of just two players with a punt of more than 55 yards 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 15th among all active FBS players (teammate Hassan Beydoun ranks seventh with 175). 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.
TURNOVERS ARE PROBLEMATIC: EMU turned the ball over five times in the second half against Louisiana, Sept. 10, accounting for 28 of the Ragin' Cajuns points. The five miscues were the most since EMU gave the ball back five times in a 31-23 setback to Central Michigan, Nov. 27, 2020.
EMU has turned the ball over five-or-more times on four occasions during the Chris Creighton era, resulting in an 0-4 record in those games (6 at Michigan State - 2014; 5 at CMU in 2017; 5 vs. CMU in 2020; 5 at Louisiana - 2022).
ALL-TIME VS ARIZONA STATE: Saturday, Sept. 17, will mark the first time that Eastern Michigan and Arizona State have met on the gridiron. It will be just the second time the men from Ypsilanti have traveled to the Valley of the Sun, after previously hooking up with the University of Arizona during the 1988 campaign.
ALL-TIME VS PAC-12: Arizona State is not the only Pacific-12 program that EMU has experience against. In fact, Eastern has only played one game against a current member of the San Francisco, Calif.-based conference. The Green and White's lone game against the league came in the form of its 1988 matchup with the Arizona Wildcats, a game which saw the Green and White fall, 55-0, Sept. 24 in Tuscon.
EMU will again venture into the league during the 2024 campaign, when it travels to Seattle, Wash. Sept. 7 to take on former assistant coach Kalen DeBoer, who is now in-charge of the University of Washington.
SUN DEVILS TURNED EAGLES: Despite the lack of history on the gridiron, EMU has plenty of ties to its upcoming opponent. There are various former Sun Devils that now call Ypsilanti home. EMU's Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs, Andy Rowdon spent time as the Director of Marketing and Revenue Generation at Arizona State before his time in Ypsilanti. A member of the athletic media relations staff, Assistant Director Alex Ryan spent nine years at ASU in a similar capacity. Academic Counselor Corey Whitney was also a Sun Devil at one point, earning his bachelor's degree from the university in 2005.
A member of Eastern's strength and conditioning staff, Graduate Assistant Gary Chambers played wide receiver for the Sun Devils, earning his bachelor's degree in 2015. Meanwhile, Arizona State women's basketball's all-time leader in three-pointers (185), EMU women's basketball Assistant Coach Katie Hempen, earned her bachelor's from ASU in 2014.
DESERT FOXES: Junior wide out Darius Lassiter and senior long snapper Steve Bird are the only two members of the Eastern 2022 roster who hail from the Grand Canyon State.
Lassiter, a Chandler-native, has tallied 13 receptions for 97 yards in his first two games as an Eagle. His 44-yard grab last week against Louisiana was an EMU-career-best for the wide receiver and the longest reception for any EMU player so far this season.
Bird, a 2018 graduate of Sandra Day O'Connor High School in his hometown of Phoenix, has started in 20 games across three seasons for the Eagles. Named a first team All-Region long snapper in 2018, Bird had a perfect 85-for-85 senior season on punt, PAT, and field goal snaps.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!: Even though he has never been the head coach against Eastern Michigan, Arizona State's Herm Edwards does have a brief history with the Ypsilanti, Mich.-based program. Edwards was the defensive backs coach at San Jose State in 1987 when EMU upset the Spartans, 30-27, in the California Bowl. Furthermore, Edwards was the television analyst on ESPNU when the Eagles took on Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. (EMU lost 52-6 - Oct. 9, 2010)
ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will return to Ypsilanti to open Mid-American Conference play with a bout against the University at Buffalo, Sept. 24, at 12 p.m.. The game will take place as part of Eastern's campus-wide Family Weekend. Fans can expect numerous kid-friendly activities, as well as the return of EMU's annual "Beer Fest." Furthermore, a classic car show will also take place near the front of Rynearson Stadium, and inside the stadium.
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/ FootballEMU Football Pregame Press Conference: Week 9 vs. Ohio
Monday, October 20
2025 Football Week 8 Hype vs. Miami
Friday, October 17
EMU Football Pregame Press Conference: Week 8 at Miami
Monday, October 13
Northern Illinois: Cinematic Recap
Sunday, October 12