EMU to Participate in MAC Kickoff Event at Pro Football Hall of Fame

2024 MAC Football Kickoff Event
Date	Friday, July 19 \| 11:30 a.m.
Venue	Pro Football Hall of Fame \| Canton, Ohio
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Watch	ESPN+
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics

CANTON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The 2024 football season for the Mid-American Conference kicks off this week, July 18-19, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Entering his 11th season in charge of EMU is Head Coach Chris Creighton, who will be accompanied by tight end Jere Getzinger and defensive lineman Justin Jefferson.
    The media-centric event will take place Friday, July 19, beginning at 8:30 a.m. to approximately 1:30 p.m. The entire day's festivities will be broadcast live on ESPN+ at 11:30 a.m. The show will feature segments on each of the 12 MAC programs.
    Fans will be able to follow along through EMU's social media channels. The EMU trio will tape and produce several segments including with Cleveland.com/MLive.com, tape several videos for the MAC, and conduct one-on-one interviews with the assembled media. The event will also feature an 11 a.m. press conference with MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher.
    Getzinger and Jefferson will take a tour of the Hall of Fame on Thursday and attend the MAC Student-Athlete Event at the Brew Kettle & TopGolf Swing Suites in the Hall of Fame Village on Thursday evening.
    The MAC Football Kickoff launches the 2024 season, which begins on Thursday, Aug. 29, and concludes with the 2024 MAC Football Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 7.

133 YEARS OF FOOTBALL IN YPSILANTI
This year marks the 133rd year for the EMU football team. The first year of intercollegiate football in Ypsilanti was 1891, when the team, then known as the Michigan Normal College Normalites, posted a 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.

49TH GO AROUND FOR THE MAC
Eastern Michigan begins ins 49th season in the Mid-American Conference in 2024. The school joined the league in 1973, but did not start playing football in the league until 1976.

KINGS OF THE LANES
Since 2016, all 12 MAC teams have played in at least one bowl game, with the Eagles appearing in a league-best six, joining Ohio and Toledo for the top spot.

6 • Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Toledo
5 • Miami
4 • Buffalo, Central Michigan, NIU, Western Michigan
2 • Ball State, Bowling Green, Kent State
1 • Akron

ONE OF THE BEST
Since 2016, Eastern Michigan has posted the fifth most victories of any team in the Mid-American Conference.

64 • Toledo
58 • Ohio
54 • Western Michigan
51 • Miami
49 • Eastern Michigan
46 • Buffalo
45 • Northern Illinois
44 • Central Michigan
37 • Ball State
30 • Kent State
29 • Bowling Green
23 • Akron

AND YOU ARE?
The 2024 roster looks quite different than the one that finished the 2023 campaign at the 68 Ventures Bowl. In total, the EMU coaching staff has brought in 53 new student-athletes, 28 of them via the transfer portal.

Total Newcomers (Minimum 50 as of July 7)
74 • North Texas
72 • Navy
58 • Houston
57 • Old Dominion
56 • New Mexico
55 • Troy
53 • Eastern Michigan
50 • Auburn
50 • South Carolina

Total Transfers (Minimum 25 as of July 7)
36 • New Mexico State
35 • New Mexico
31 • North Texas
31 • Troy
28 • Eastern Michigan
28 • Old Dominion

BACK TO THE HALL
The Pro Football Hall of Fame previously hosted the MAC's 2017 Football Media Day. The student-athletes who represented EMU that day were quarterback Brogan Roback and defensive back Jason Beck. Chris Creighton is one of just four current MAC head coaches to attend the event (Chuck Martin, Mike Neu, and Jason Candle).

GOOD HANDS TEAM
Senior defensive back David Carter Jr. is one of 178 players that have been nominated for the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an organization that recognizes college football student-athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and their "good works" off the field. Carter is deeply committed to community service, recording 20.5 hours this year alone. He has actively participated in EMU's Annual Victory Day, engaging with cognitively and physically impaired community members, and has been involved in several initiatives, such as visiting local elementary schools to read to students and assisting at the VA Hospital. His volunteer efforts extend to numerous organizations and events, including the Foundation Preschool, Huron Valley PACE, and the Christian Love Fellowship Church Day of Reading. During bowl week in Mobile, he contributed to assembling food boxes at Prodisee Pantry. The final roster of 23 award recipients for the AFCA Good Works Team will be announced later in September with 11 players representing the FBS level, 11 student-athletes from the combined division of FCS, Divisions II and III and NAIA as well as one honorary head coach.

PHIL STEELE PRESEASON ALL-MAC
A total of six Eagles were tabbed Preseason All-MAC by Phil Steele. Defensive lineman Peyton Price and punter Mitchell Tomasek garnered second team selections while kicker Jesús Gómez, Coastal Carolina transfer linebacker JT Killen, offensive lineman Mickey Rewolinski, and defensive back Daiquan White added third team accolades.

MORE HONORS FROM ATHLON SPORTS
A total of 15 EMU football student-athletes were named Preseason All-MAC by Athlon Sports. The total is tied for third-most in the MAC, and it is the most honorees for EMU since the magazine began releasing the list in 2014.
    Defensive lineman Peyton Price, punter Mitchell Tomasek, and defensive back Quentavius Scandrett garnered the Eagles' first team selections, while defensive lineman Justin Jefferson, linebacker JT Killen, and wide receiver/return specialist Oran Singleton added second team accolades. Kicker Jesús Gómez, wide receiver JB Mitchell III, offensive lineman Mickey Rewolinski, and defensive back Daiquan White added third team accolades, as running back Delbert Mimms III, offensive lineman Broderick Roman, defensive back Joshua Scott, quarterback Cole Snyder, and defensive lineman Joey Zelinsky picked up fourth team honors.

WINNERS IN SEPTEMBER
Since the 2016 season, Head Coach Chris Creighton has led Eastern to a 15-13 record in the month of September. From 2013-15, EMU posted a cumulative September record of 0-9.

WHO IS JUSTIN JEFFERSON?
Demonstrating his disruptive presence on the field, Justin Jefferson tied for the team lead with 7.5 TFLs and secured third place with 3.5 sacks last year. Notable highlights include a standout performance against Akron, where he notched a career-high 2.0 TFLs. Throughout the season, he consistently made an impact, tallying at least 0.5 TFLs in eight games and 0.5 sacks in four contests, showcasing his versatility and reliability. Jefferson's defensive prowess was further evidenced by his 32 total tackles, including 14 solo, along with two pass breakups and 11 quarterback hurries. His ability to force turnovers was also notable, with two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and an impressive ranking of 19th in the NCAA FBS for fumble recoveries. Jefferson's contributions earned him recognition, culminating in the honor of wearing the prestigious 0 jersey for the 68 Ventures Bowl.

WHO IS JERE GETZINGER?
Senior tight end Jere Getzinger earned his degree from Eastern Michigan University in April 2024. His collegiate career is marked by consistent performance and academic excellence. In the 2023 season, Getzinger appeared in all 13 games, starting 10, and made significant contributions with 16 receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown. His first collegiate touchdown was a memorable game-winner in double overtime against Akron, Nov. 14. He opened the season with a career-high four receptions for 27 yards against Howard and maintained a streak of at least one reception in 10 of the 13 games. Notably, he also recorded a tackle and his first career forced fumble in the game against Buffalo on November 21. His efforts earned him College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and Academic All-MAC honors.

CROSBY FIELD
After a generous $1 million donation from former Eagle standout and current Las Vegas Raider/NFL All-Pro, Maxx Crosby and his wife Rachel Crosby to the EMU Athletics Department, Eastern's new gray turf was dubbed "Crosby Field" and was unveiled to the public with Maxx and Rachel back in Ypsilanti, June 21.
    In four years at Eastern (2015-18), Crosby was named All-MAC First Team twice. He still holds the program's career record in QB hurries (33) and fumbles forced (eight). Crosby also possesses the third-highest sack total in program history with 20 in his career, as well as the third-best TFL count, dropping the ball carrier for a loss 41 times as an Eagle. It is believed to be the first FBS field named after an active player.

NEAR AND FAR
If you were able to fly from the 50 yard line of Rynearson Stadium to the 50 yard line of Michigan Stadium, you would log just 5.2 miles. If you do the same, but change the destination to Husky Stadium in Seattle, you would log 1,905.8 miles, which would be the fourth-farthest flight for Eastern when facing a Big Ten school. The three further flights would are Autzen Stadium (Oregon) at 1,972.3 miles, LA Memorial Collisuem (USC) at 1,948.4 miles, and the Rose Bowl (UCLA) at 1,940.9 miles.

TAKE A LAP
Sticking with the flight pattern between the 50-yard lines in Ypsilanti and Seattle, a round trip stands at 3,811.6 miles and, If you drove, it would be 4,644.0 miles. Combined, hopping in a car and taking a lap around the MAC to hit all 12 stadiums totals 1,784.9 miles, 120.9 miles less than the one-way flight to Seattle. Additionally, you could make two laps (2.1) around the MAC in a shorter distance than a round trip flight to Husky Stadium.

SMALL SAMPLE SIZE
The four non-conference games the Eagles will play this year feature three teams with very short series histories. While Eastern and UMass will meet for the sixth time, including the fourth consecutive year, the combined record against the remaining three opponents has EMU at 1-1. The game with Washington will be the first in series history while Eastern will play its second game against both Jacksonville State and St. Francis (Pa.). The Eagles and Gamecocks played last year in Jacksonville, Ala. (JSU won, 21-0) while Eastern last met the Red Flashes in 2021 for a 35-15 home win.

STARTING ON THE ROAD UNDER CREIGHTON
The game against UMass, Aug. 31, marks the third time in EMU Head Coach Chris Creighton's 11-year tenure that the team has opened the season away from Ypsilanti. EMU started each of Creighton's first five seasons at Rynearson Stadium, posting a 4-1 record in that span. The Eagles hold a 1-1 record when opening the season on the road under Creighton. In 2019, the team trekked to Conway, S.C. for the first opening-game road trip for the squad since the 2012 season, to play Coastal Carolina, coming away with an impressive 30-23 victory. They played away from Ypsilanti to open the shortened 2020 season as well, falling to Kent State in a back-and-fourth affair, 27-23.

ALL-TIME RECORD IN SEASON-OPENERS
The Aug. 31 will mark the beginning of the 133rd season of EMU football. In its previous 132 opening games, Eastern has mustered a record of 63-61-8. The team has gone on season-opening win streaks of five games or better on four different occasions, most recently between the years of 1985-89 when it hit the mark under Jim Harkema. Chris Creighton's teams won four straight between 2016-19.
    Perhaps the most interesting portion of the record is the eight ties, the last of which came via a 14-all stalemate with North Dakota State to open the 1970 season. EMU opened three consecutive seasons with a tie between the years of 1939-41. A win against UMass would mark four consecutive season-opening wins for the first time since 2016-19. Most recently, Eastern topped Howard in the 2023 opener, 33-23, behind a pair of special teams' touchdowns from former Eagles Jaylon Jackson and Hamze El-Zayat.

NON-CONFERENCE ODDITY
For the fourth year in a row, Eastern and UMass, who is set to join the MAC next year, will meet in a non-conference game. The Eagles have not played the same out-of-league opponent in four consecutive games since playing Youngstown State in six consecutive games between 1985 and 1990 (5-1). A win for Eastern this year would make it four in a row over UMass, which would be the second-longest winning streak in consecutive years since EMU took the first five meetings in a row agains the Penguins in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989 before falling in 1990.

GETTING B1G
The second week of the season will see the Eagles take flight to Seattle, Wash., to face one of the newest members of the Big Ten Conference, the Washington Huskies (Sept. 7, 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT) on the Big Ten Network. Playing members of the Big Ten is nothing new for Eastern under Chris Creighton as the game will mark the seventh against a Big Ten foe and the second in as many years after playing at Minnesota last year. With Creighton at the helm, the Eagles are 3-3 with wins at Rutgers (16-13) in 2017, at Purdue in 2018 (20-19), and at Illinois in 2019 (34-31).

Eastern Michigan Athletics

EMU to Participate in MAC Kickoff Event at Pro Football Hall of Fame

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Players Mentioned

David Carter Jr.

Hamze El-Zayat

Jere Getzinger

Jaylon Jackson

Justin Jefferson

JT Killen

Delbert Mimms III

JB Mitchell III

Peyton Price

Mickey Rewolinski

Broderick Roman

Quentavius Scandrett

Joshua Scott

Oran Singleton

Cole Snyder

Mitchell Tomasek

Daiquan White

Joey Zelinsky

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