EMU Set to Open the MAC Slate at Kent State Saturday, Sept. 28

Football at Kent State
Date	Saturday, Sept. 28 \| 3:30 p.m. ET
Venue	Dix Stadium (25,319) \| Kent, Ohio
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF) \| Press Conference Video
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics

KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team is set to open Mid-American Conference play this week as the Eagles will travel to Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio, to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University, Saturday, Sept. 28, at 3:30 p.m. The Eagles (3-1) are coming off a 36-0 home blanking of St. Francis University while the Golden Flashes (0-4) recently fell at No. 10 Penn State, 56-0.

ON AIR
The game between the Eagles and Golden Flashes will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Shawn Kenney and Ryan Cavanaugh on the call. Additionally, fans can listen to the game locally on WEMU (89.1 FM) and on The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, Rob Rubick, and Greg Steiner calling all the action from Dix Stadium.

OPENING THE MAC AWAY FROM HOME
When EMU and KSU meet, it will mark the fourth time the Eagles have opened their MAC slate against the Golden Flashes. Eastern is 1-2 in those games, including a 27-23 loss, Nov. 4, 2020, in the last such instance. The lone win came at home, Sept. 2, 1989, in a 30-7 decision.

TRYING TO STOP A STREAK
The Eagles have dropped their last seven conference openers and are 13-35 all-time in MAC openers. EMU fell last year at Central Michigan, 26-23, Sept. 30, 2023. Overall, EMU is 7-19 when its first MAC game of the season is played on the road. A win at Kent State would be the first in a MAC opener since the 28-25 victory at Bowling Green, Oct. 1, 2016, and would snap a seven-game slide. Eastern has been close to halting the skid with one-score losses at Central Michigan, 26-23, Sept. 30, 2023, at Northern Illinois, 27-20, Oct. 2, 2021, and at Kent State, 27-23, Nov. 2, 2020.

QUICK RECAP: MULTIPLE WAYS TO SCORE
Eastern downed visiting St. Francis, 36-0, Sept. 21, with the Eagles scoring four touchdowns in four different ways. David Carter Jr. got things started when he scooped up a fumble and ran it back 99 yards for the score in the first. Late in the third, Joey Mattord blocked a punt and Kendrick Nowling fell on the ball in the end zone for a score on special teams. Delbert Mimms III punched one in from 1-yard out for a rushing score before Jeremiah Salem connected with Zyell Griffin for a school-record 89-yard touchdown pass. Additionally, Jesús Gómez added a trio of field goals for the third consecutive game to help EMU to the win.

IN THE SERIES: KENT STATE
Eastern trails KSU, 16-19, in the all-time series despite posting a 28-14 triumph last season in Ypsilanti, Oct. 14. Eastern also won the last meeting in Kent, 31-24, Nov. 16, 2022. EMU has not won three consecutive contests in the series since 1993-96 when it notched four straight victories. Overall, EMU is 4-6 in the last 10 meetings with Kent State after going 6-4 in the previous 10.

LAST TIME AT KENT STATE
The Eagles used a dominant second half to lift itself to a 31-24 victory over Kent State, Nov. 16, 2022, inside Dix Stadium. Down 17-7 at half, Eastern used a 24-0 second-half spurt to take control of the game and seal the victory. The Eagles were led by an incredible passing effort from senior quarterback Taylor Powell, who tossed for a career-high 315 yards on 30-of-39 passing and three touchdowns. He was aided by a 94-yard rushing effort from Samson Evans. Defensively, Jose Ramirez finished with a team-high seven tackles, including 3.5 tackles-for-loss.

CLOSE CONNECTIONS
Defensive Coordinator Ben Needham and linebacker Luke Murphy both have ties to the Golden Flashes. Before arriving to Ypsilanti, Needham spent five years (2013-17) on KSU's coaching staff, serving as the team's associate head coach and special teams coordinator in 2017. Meanwhile, Murphy spent three seasons with Kent State as a linebacker. A member of the Golden Flashes' 2021 MAC East Championship team, he played in 10 games in 2022 where he recorded 14 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in his three seasons. An Academic All-MAC section, Murphy graduated from KSU with a Business Administration degree in 2023.

BRICK WALL
The Eastern defense played one of its best games of the year as the Eagles not only shut out the Red Flash, it also limited the SFU attack to just 154 total yards of offense that included 43 yards rushing and 111 yards passing. The 154 total yards are the fewest allowed since the Eagles held Akron to 90 (69 rushing, 21 passing) at home, Nov. 10, 2018, while the 43 yards rushing are the fewest since Sept. 2, 2016, when Mississippi Valley State was limited to just 23 yards on the ground.

BRINGING THE BAGELS
With its 36-0 victory over St. Francis, Sept. 21, Eastern recorded the 153rd shutout in program history and the first since it downed visiting Indiana State, 52-0, Aug. 28, 2008. The blanking of the Red Flash - the first shutout for EMU under Chris Creighton - stands as the 10th shutout recorded inside Rynearson Stadium for EMU.

BRING YOUR HARD HAT
Eastern Michigan has allowed just seven first-quarter points this season, which is tied for the 22nd-fewest points relinquished in the FBS. Texas, Indiana, Army, Clemson, East Carolina, Toledo, Iowa, and Rutgers have yet to allow its opposition to score in the first 15 minutes. Furthermore, EMU has given up an average of 10.3 points (t-73rd in the FBS) in the first half and 8.5 points (t-54th in the FBS) following the intermission.

SACK RACE
The defense posted 6.0 sacks against St. Francis, Sept. 21, tying its single-game season high after recording 6.0 in the season-opening win at UMass, Aug. 31. Against the Red Flash, Jefferson Adam led the charge with a career-high 2.0 sacks on three total tackles while Peyton Price tallied 1.5. Trey Laing and Joey Zelinsky each added 1.0 sacks with Dylan Shelton earning 0.5 sacks. Adam, Zelinsky, and Shelton each posted their first sacks of the season for a defense that has tallied 13.0 total through four games. Overall, those 13 sacks rank tied for seventh nationally while the team's 3.25 sacks per game average is tied for the 10th-most in the FBS.

TURNING THEM AWAY
EMU's red zone defense leads the MAC and ranks 14th nationally with opponents finding pay dirt just five times in 12 opportunities this season. The opposition has had to settle for field goals on three occasions with EMU forcing three missed field goals and a fumble. Overall, EMU's 84 points allowed is the 10th-fewest amount given-up through the first four weeks since joining the Division I ranks in 1976. It is also two points better than the pace set by the 2023 squad that finished the regular season with the fourth-lowest total in program history.

NEW BEAMER BALL?
During the 1990s, Virginia Tech blocked 66 kicks, more than any school in the country. Beamer Ball became a frightening proposition for opponents. Since 2014, special teams under Chris Creighton have been using that blueprint with 25 during that span.
    EMU added to that tally when Joey Mattord blocked a punt attempt against Saint Francis, Sept. 14, in the third quarter with Kendrick Nowling falling on the ball in the end zone for EMU's second non-offensive score of the day. All told, it marked EMU's 14th blocked punt in the last 11 years and the sixth blocked punt that has resulted in a TD. Additionally, the block was the third blocked kick of the season for EMU after the Eagles blocked a punt and an extra point at Washington, Sept. 7.

MORE ON REJECTIONS
Since 2016, no Mid-American Conference school has recorded more kick/punt blocks than Eastern Michigan. The Eagles have tallied 19, while Miami (18), Northern Illinois (17), and Buffalo (12) follows closely. EMU's total ranks tied for sixth nationally during that span, trailing just Army (29), Notre Dame (22), Old Dominion (21), Oklahoma State (21), and South Carolina (21).

BLOCK PARTY!
On a national level, the Eagles are one of four teams in 2024 that have registered three blocked kicks with Georgia Tech, Louisville and TCU holding the top spot with Eastern. While Eastern is one of 88 teams to have not allowed a blocked kick this year, the Eagles and Horned Frogs are the only two teams in FBS that blocked 3+ kicks while also having no surrendered a blocked attempt.

PROTECTING THE BALL
As with every team, ball security is a big emphasis. Through four games, Eastern is one of 14 teams nationally (of 133 programs) that has not thrown an interception. Additionally, EMU has lost just one turnover, which ties for the fourth-fewest nationally and is first in the MAC.

A GIVE AND TAKE(AWAY)
During his time guiding the Eagles, Chris Creighton's teams have won the turnover battle 54 times, lost it 44 times, and saw the game end with takeaways tied 26 times. Under Creighton (since the start of the 2014 season), Eastern is 40-14 when winning the turnover battle, including last week's 36-0 win over St. Francis (Sept. 21), 6-38 when losing the battle, and 11-15 when the battle is tied.

LONG DISTANCE RETURN
Late in the first quarter and with St. Francis driving, the Red Flash reached the EMU one yard line and were looking to run the ball in for a score. But, on the play, the snap was fumbled and the ball rolled through the line where David Carter Jr. scooped up the ball, ran to the outside of the scrum, and took it 99 yards down the field for a touchdown, the third score of his career. Not only did that stake the Eagles to a 7-0 lead, it marked the longest fumble return in program history and the fourth-longest return in EMU history behind a trio of interception returns for scores.

IT'S ALL ABOUT LOCATION
The one-yard line at the northern end of Rynearson Stadium has been the location of, well, interesting happenings in 2024. The latest instance came on David Carter Jr.'s return, but it didn't start there. In the game with Jacksonville State, Sept. 14, the Gamecocks were driving deep in overtime with the ball on the one and EMU leading by three. On that play, the ball was snapped over the quarterback's head with JSU eventually missing an attempted field goal before EMU would kick the winning score.

LET IT FLY
A second distance record was set in the early moments of the fourth quarter against St. Francis, Sept. 21, with the Eagles posting the longest passing touchdown in program history. On the play, Jeremiah Salem, who was making his collegiate debut, dropped back and hit Zyell Griffin across the middle with the wideout turning up filed and scoring on an 89-yard touchdown pass. The first touchdown in Salem's career and the first for Griffin as an Eagle, the passing play stands as the longest receiving touchdown in EMU history, surpassing the 80-yard score Herman Carroll threw to Kerry Keating against Central Michigan, Nov. 5, 1955. Additionally, the Salem-to-Griffin connection tied for the longest passing play ever at EMU with Walter Church's pass to Eric Powell also going 89 yards at Western Michigan, Oct. 17, 1998, but it did not result in a touchdown.     As it stands, the 89-yard play by Salem and Griffin ranks fourth nationally by yardage so far in 2024.

GROUND DELIVERIES
Through four games, Delbert Mimms III has found the end zone three times, including his one-yard plunge against St. Francis, Sept. 21. Heading into conference play, Mimms III is currently second in the MAC in rushing touchdowns and is just one off the lead, which is held by Anthony Tyus III of Ohio.

GOMEZ CONTINUES HIS HOT START
In the game with St. Francis, Sept. 21, Jesús Gómez continued his hot start as he was 3-of-3 on field goal attempts and added three extra points for 12 points. Through four games, he has connected on at least two field goals in each game and converted three kicks in three consecutive contests. The MAC leader in both points (42) and points per game (10.5), Gomez also ranks 18th and 14th nationally, respectively.

KICKING IT IN
Jesús Gómez has made 11 field goals in 2024 after making 12 throughout the entire 2023 season. Those 11 makes rank tied for the national lead with Blake Craig of Missouri and Collin Rogers of SMU having both scored 11 field goals as well. Additionally, the trio are each averaging 2.75 made field goals per game, which ranks first among all kickers in the FBS.

MOVING ON UP
For his career, Jesús Gómez has connected on 77 extra points and 37 field goals for 188 points, which rank him sixth, fifth, and seventh, respectively, on the Eastern all-time scoring ledger. Tim Henneghan (1986-89) is the next player in line on all three of those lists as his career has him fifth with 92 PATs, fourth with 38 field goals, and sixth with 206 total points.

GOMEZ HAT TRICK
The MAC announced its weekly football award winners, Sept. 23, with Jesús Gómez earning the MAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor for the third consecutive week. Gómez, who is averaging 10.5 points per game, scored 12 points on three field goals and three extra points in the 36-0 win over St. Francis, Sept. 21.

RYLAND AND SOW ENTER THE RING OF HONOR
EMU Athletics has proudly added six new names to the football Ring of Honor inside Rynearson Stadium. The newest honorees to be immortalized include Chad Ryland and Sidy Sow. To be included in the Ring of Honor, the individual must have been awarded All-American status by a major publication and/or played in an official National Football League game. The two honorees join 52 EMU greats who previously had their name installed at the top of the stadium.

SINGLE SCORES
Since the start of the 2016 season, Eastern ranks third nationally with 53, one-score games played, sitting behind only Northern Illinois (57) and Texas (54).
    Additionally, only three teams in the top 10 of the national list are at .500 or better in such games, including EMU (27-26), and Navy (23-23) at .500 and Oklahoma State at .660 (31-16)

1. Northern Illinois - 57 (28-29)
2. Texas - 54 (24-30)
3. Eastern Michigan - 53 (27-26)
4. Iowa State - 49 (19-30)
T6. North Carolina - 48 (21-27)
T6. Nebraska - 48 (13-35)
T6. Oklahoma State - 48 (31-17)
T6. Tulsa - 47 (21-26)
T8. Kansas State - 46 (22-24)
T8. Navy - 46 (23-23)

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS UNDER CREIGHTON
Since the start of the 1976 season, Eastern Michigan has won 55 games in non-conference play with 43.6 percent of those victories (24 wins) coming in the past 11 seasons under Chris Creighton, an average of two non-conference wins per season.
    In that same span, 14 of those wins have come on the road with a Creighton-led squad capturing nine wins (64.3 percent), including wins at Big Ten Conference opponents Rutgers (16-13, Sept. 9, 2017), Purdue (20-19, Sept. 8, 2018), and Illinois (34-31, Sept. 14, 2019), while adding a 30-21 win at Arizona State (Sept. 17, 2022), a then-member of the Pac-12 (currently Big 12).

FIRST STARTS
Two rookies earned their first collegiate starts with both coming in the defensive secondary. The newcomers included Jordan Toney, who recorded four tackles, 0.5 TFLs, and one fumble recovery, and Jaivian Norman, who made one stop in the game. The duo joins nine of their teammates in starting a game for the first time at Eastern after they did so at UMass, Aug. 31, including five on offense and four on defense. Those newcomers on offense included Markus Allen (WR), Blake Bustard (OL), Donate McMillan (RB), Oran Singleton (WR), and Cole Snyder (QB) while the defensive list featured James Djonkam (LB), JT Killen (LB), Dramarian McNulty (DB), and Dylan Shelton (DL). All told, 19 newcomers saw their first action in the game as well.

ON THE HORIZON
Following the game at Kent State, the Eagles will have a bye week before returning to action at home Saturday, Oct. 12, against Miami University. The game time and television designation will be announced closer to the game. The game will be EMU's City Connect & Community Day that will feature Beerfest, Kids Club Day, and a halftime show by world-renown The Temptations, who will perform alongside the EMU Marching Band, the Pride of the Peninsula.

EMU Set to Open the MAC Slate at Kent State Saturday, Sept. 28

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Players Mentioned

Jefferson Adam

Markus Allen

Blake Bustard

David Carter Jr.

James Djonkam

Samson Evans

Zyell Griffin

JT Killen

Trey Laing

Joey Mattord

Dramarian McNulty

Delbert Mimms III

Luke Murphy

Jaivian Norman

Peyton Price

Jeremiah Salem

Dylan Shelton

Oran Singleton

Cole Snyder

Jordan Toney

Joey Zelinsky

Eastern Michigan Athletics