Eastern Michigan Athletics
Football Sweeps MAC Player of the Week Honors
9/19/2022 11:00:00 AM | Football
Samson Evans, Kempton Shine, and Jesus Gomez were all the best-of-the-best in the West Division
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - Just days after securing an upset victory over Arizona State University, three Eastern Michigan University football players have been honored as Mid-American Conference West Division Players of the Week, the league office announced today, Sept. 19. Senior running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa), junior defensive back Kempton Shine (Chicago, Ill.-St. Rita), and sophomore place kicker Jesús Gómez (Puebla, Mexico-Prepa Tec Puebla) earned the distinction of offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the week, respectively.
Evans put together a career night in EMU's win over ASU. The Crystal Lake, Ill. native carried the ball 36 times for 258 yards on the ground with one touchdown, an average of 7.2 yards per carry on the night. Evans also pulled in one pass for seven yards and returned one kickoff for 21 yards to finish the game with 286 all-purpose yards.
The ground game, which finished with 305 yards against the Sun Devils, saw Evans record the third-highest rush total in program history and just the sixth 250-yard-plus game in program history, the first since the 2013 season (Bronson Hill, 257 vs. Ohio University, Oct. 19, 2013). Evans, who entered the game with a career-best 89 yards rushing against Eastern Kentucky University, Sept. 2, recorded 107 yards rushing in the fourth quarter alone as he averages 8.9 yards per carry. Additionally, when adding in his 55 yards from the third quarter, Evans' 162 yards in the second half ranks second among full game totals for the year in the MAC behind Lew Nichols' 166 total for Central Michigan against Bucknell, Sept. 17.
Evans' 258-yard effort is the best single-game total by any player in the NCAA this season. 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 11th in the nation with 366 rushing yards. He is sixth in the country with a 122.0 rushing yards per game average. Additionally, Evans ranks first in the MAC and 18th nationally in all purpose yards, where he has averaged 142.33 per game in 2022.
Shine was instrumental in the Eagles' 30-21 victory over the Sun Devils. Perhaps the most important play of the game, Shine forced and collected an ASU fumble with just minutes remaining in the game and with the Sun Devils driving into EMU territory down just nine point. The forced fumble was the second of Shine's career, his first since punching one out against Northern Illinois, Dec. 12, 2020. It was his first fumble recovery since Nov. 27 of the same year, against Central Michigan. Shine finished the night with six total tackles, which ranked second on the team, with four solo tackles, the most among Eagle defenders.
Gomez split the uprights on a 27-yard field goal attempt with 11:04 in the first quarter. It was the first field goal make of his career. Moreover, it was the first three-point attempt for Eastern Michigan this season. Prior to Saturday's game, EMU had not made a field goal since Dec. 18, 2021, against Liberty University. Gomez finished the contest a perfect 3-of-3 on field goal attempts, while also hitting each of his three extra-point attempts.
There is no better time to secure your tickets for EMU's upcoming home game against the University at Buffalo, which is set to kick off Saturday, Sept. 24 at noon inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium.
Part of EMU's campus-wide "Family Weekend," the game will feature numerous child-friendly activities (free kids zone, photo opportunities, etc.). The festivities will also include the return of Eastern's annual Beer Fest, where fans can purchase an upgraded ticket package and take home a souvenir beer mug.
New this year, Rynearson Stadium will also host a classic car show during the Buffalo game. Fans can enjoy the hot rods, which will be placed throughout the stadium.
EMU will open its 47th MAC season when the Bulls come to town. It marks just the third-time the Eagles and Bulls have lifted the lid on the conference slate as the pair split the previous two occurrences in 2004 (EMU, 37-34) and 2018 (UB, 35-28). This is the first conference-opening meeting between the pair at Rynearson Stadium since 2004.
For tickets, call the EMU ticket office at 734.487.3669 or visit EMUEagles.com/tickets.
Evans put together a career night in EMU's win over ASU. The Crystal Lake, Ill. native carried the ball 36 times for 258 yards on the ground with one touchdown, an average of 7.2 yards per carry on the night. Evans also pulled in one pass for seven yards and returned one kickoff for 21 yards to finish the game with 286 all-purpose yards.
The ground game, which finished with 305 yards against the Sun Devils, saw Evans record the third-highest rush total in program history and just the sixth 250-yard-plus game in program history, the first since the 2013 season (Bronson Hill, 257 vs. Ohio University, Oct. 19, 2013). Evans, who entered the game with a career-best 89 yards rushing against Eastern Kentucky University, Sept. 2, recorded 107 yards rushing in the fourth quarter alone as he averages 8.9 yards per carry. Additionally, when adding in his 55 yards from the third quarter, Evans' 162 yards in the second half ranks second among full game totals for the year in the MAC behind Lew Nichols' 166 total for Central Michigan against Bucknell, Sept. 17.
Evans' 258-yard effort is the best single-game total by any player in the NCAA this season. 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 11th in the nation with 366 rushing yards. He is sixth in the country with a 122.0 rushing yards per game average. Additionally, Evans ranks first in the MAC and 18th nationally in all purpose yards, where he has averaged 142.33 per game in 2022.
Shine was instrumental in the Eagles' 30-21 victory over the Sun Devils. Perhaps the most important play of the game, Shine forced and collected an ASU fumble with just minutes remaining in the game and with the Sun Devils driving into EMU territory down just nine point. The forced fumble was the second of Shine's career, his first since punching one out against Northern Illinois, Dec. 12, 2020. It was his first fumble recovery since Nov. 27 of the same year, against Central Michigan. Shine finished the night with six total tackles, which ranked second on the team, with four solo tackles, the most among Eagle defenders.
Gomez split the uprights on a 27-yard field goal attempt with 11:04 in the first quarter. It was the first field goal make of his career. Moreover, it was the first three-point attempt for Eastern Michigan this season. Prior to Saturday's game, EMU had not made a field goal since Dec. 18, 2021, against Liberty University. Gomez finished the contest a perfect 3-of-3 on field goal attempts, while also hitting each of his three extra-point attempts.
There is no better time to secure your tickets for EMU's upcoming home game against the University at Buffalo, which is set to kick off Saturday, Sept. 24 at noon inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium.
Part of EMU's campus-wide "Family Weekend," the game will feature numerous child-friendly activities (free kids zone, photo opportunities, etc.). The festivities will also include the return of Eastern's annual Beer Fest, where fans can purchase an upgraded ticket package and take home a souvenir beer mug.
New this year, Rynearson Stadium will also host a classic car show during the Buffalo game. Fans can enjoy the hot rods, which will be placed throughout the stadium.
EMU will open its 47th MAC season when the Bulls come to town. It marks just the third-time the Eagles and Bulls have lifted the lid on the conference slate as the pair split the previous two occurrences in 2004 (EMU, 37-34) and 2018 (UB, 35-28). This is the first conference-opening meeting between the pair at Rynearson Stadium since 2004.
For tickets, call the EMU ticket office at 734.487.3669 or visit EMUEagles.com/tickets.
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