EMU Football Opens 2025 Campaign Saturday at Texas State

Football at Texas State
Date	Saturday, Aug. 30 \| 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)
Venue	Jim Wacker Field at UFCU Stadium (27,149) \| San Marcos, Texas
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF) \| Press Conference Video
Live Stats	Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| SiriusXM \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Follow Us On X	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics

SAN MARCOS, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – Grab your gear, put on some eye black, and warm up your vocal chords because Eastern Michigan University football returns to the gridiron this week as the Eagles venture to Jim Wacker Field at UFCU Stadium in San Marcos, Texas, to open the 2025 season against the Bobcats of Texas State University, Saturday, Aug. 30. The game, which lifts the lid on the 134th season of football in Ypsilanti, is set for a 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) kick-off with Brant Freeman (play-by-play) and TBA (analyst) calling the game on ESPN+ while Tom Helmer (play-by-play), The Voice of the Eagles, Rob Rubick (analyst), and Elena Davis (sideline) have the radio call on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app.

NO. 134 IN THE 734
The game with Texas State will officially open the 134th season of football at Eastern Michigan, who first played in 1891. Tied with NC State and Iowa State for 29th on the all-time ledger in seasons played, the Eagles are third in the Mid-American Conference behind newcomer UMass (143rd season) and Miami (137th). Along with Miami, the only other team on this year's schedule that has played more seasons is Kentucky, who is entering its 135th varsity season. Texas State is starting its 111th season this year.

NIFTY 50
The 2025 season will mark the 50th for Eastern Michigan as a member of the Mid-American Conference after joining the league in 1976. Ten years removed from its last conference game as a member of the Presidents Athletic Conference and playing as an independent, Eastern joined the MAC and opened its 1976 season with a home game against Ohio. Since then, the Eagles captured the 1987 MAC Championship and shared the 2022 MAC West Division crown. While the Eagles celebrate their 50th season, the 2025 campaign also will mark the last for Northern Illinois as well as the return of UMass.

LIFTING LIDS
Eastern holds an all-time record of 64-61-8 in its season-opening contest and has won four consecutive lid lifters, including its 28-14 win at UMass, Aug. 31, 2024. Additionally, the Eagles are 18-44-7 all-time when their first game of the season is played on the road and has won two of their last three instances with the 30-23 victory at Coastal Carolina, Aug. 31, 2019, being the other victory. With a win at Texas State, the Eagles' five-game winning streak in season-openers would tie for the longest in program history after EMU won five consecutive openers three different times previously: 1985-89, 1919-23, and 1893-97.

EARLY START
The game at Texas State will mark the 13th time Eastern has played in the month of August and ties for the third-earliest game in program history behind two games played Aug. 28 (52-0 vs. Indiana State, Aug. 28, 2008, and 28-21 vs. East Tennessee State, Aug. 28, 2003). In the month of August, the Eagles hold a 7-5-0 record that includes five consecutive wins. Along with the previously mentioned wins at UMass (2024) and Coastal Carolina (2019), Eastern's August win streak also includes home wins over Monmouth (51-17, Aug. 31, 2018), Morgan State (31-28, Aug. 30, 2014), and Howard (34-24, Aug. 31, 2013). The last time EMU lost an August contest was as 37-26 setback at Ball State, Aug. 30, 2012.

THE EASTERN 500
Heading into the season, Eastern holds an all-time record of 495-630-47, leaving it five wins shy of 500. The Eagles are one of four teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) that could reach 500 wins this season with Temple (497), Rice (496), and Wake Forest (496) joining Eastern on the list.

DONNING THE DEUCE: LOCKETT, JR.
Most jersey numbers hold special meanings to the players who wear them. At EMU, there is one number that holds a special meaning: 'The Deuce'. Make no mistake, this jersey is special. It cannot be selected by a player through conventional means, such as requesting it through the equipment staff. Rather, the selection is made by a player through his actions on the field and off. He earns 'The Deuce' by demonstrating he possesses the integrity, character, and selflessness of EMU's football student-athletes and representatives strive to build within themselves. For Eastern football, 'The Deuce', must be earned in remembrance of wide receiver Demarius Reed, who passed away on Oct. 18, 2013. Put back into circulation in 2017 with the blessing of Reed's family and former teammates, his number once again graces the field at Rynearson Stadium on the back of the squad's best senior pass catcher. In a team meeting, held Aug. 21, Head Coach Chris Creighton announced Terry Lockett Jr. had earned the honor to wear the jersey emblazoned with the No. 2.

AYE, AYE CAPTAINS!
The Eagles will be led by six captains in the 2025 season. Following a vote of the current roster, the players selected Jefferson Adam, Tavierre Dunlap, Dramarian McNulty, Noah Kim, Zach Mowchan, and Mickey Rewolinski to serve as captains this season.

IN THE SERIES: TEXAS STATE
Eastern carries a 1-0-0 all-time record in its series with Texas State after handing the visiting Bobcats a 59-21 setback Sept. 25, 2021, inside Rynearson Stadium.

LAST MEETING WITH TEXAS STATE
Eastern Michigan and Texas State first played Sept. 25, 2021, with the Eagles taking a 59-21 home win. In the game, Eastern saw seven different players score a touchdown with Samson Evans scoring twice on the ground to pace an offense that scored 59 points, the most over a non-conference FBS opponent in program history. Ben Bryant threw for 228 yards to help EMU pull away from the Bobcats, who closed to within one score (28-21) early in the third quarter.

PLAYED THEM BEFORE
Three current Eagles have played against Texas State with two seeing action against the Bobcats for Eastern in the 2021 game at home. That day, Carter Evans tallied three tackles while Mickey Rewolinski saw time on the offensive line. Last year, Noah Kim, who transfered into the EMU program this offseason, saw action for Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference game with the Bobcats and finished 16-of25 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns while adding five yards rushing.

EMU AGAINST THE SUN BELT
Eastern holds an all-time record of 7-14-1 against the current membership of the Sun Belt Conference as it enters its first of two matchups with the league in 2025 (host Louisiana for Homecoming, Sept. 20). The last time EMU squared off with the SBC was in the 2023 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Ala., a 59-10 setback to host South Alabama. The Eagles' most recent regular season contest against an SBC foe came in 2022, a 49-21 loss at Louisiana (Sept. 10, 2022).

PUTTING THE LONE IN LONE STAR STATE
When the Eagles travel to San Marcos, it will mark the first regular season game played in Texas in program history, which includes 1,172 games of 133 years of play. Additionally, EMU has played just one time previously in the Lone Star State when the then-Hurons dropped a 14-3 decision to Louisiana Tech in the 1971 Pioneer Bowl, which was played Dec. 11, 1971, in Wichita Falls, Texas.

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: TEXAS STATE
Two Eagles hail from Texas, including Tavierre Dunlap and Eli Holmes-Holt. Dunlap is from Del Valle, which is 37 miles from San Marcos in the Austin area, while Holmes-Holt is from Dallas.

HEADING TO THE PAC-12
Texas State will join the Pac-12 Conference in July 2026, joining Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Washington State. EMU is no stranger to the league having played two former Pac-12 members in two of the last three seasons (2022 - at Arizona State; 2024 - at Washington).
Against the Sun Devils, Samson Evans had a career night on the ground in a 30-21, Sept. 17, 2022, at Sun Devil Stadium. Evans, who ran for 258 yards on 36 carries, recorded his first career 100-yard game while helping the Mid-American Conference's first regular season victory over a Pac-12 team.

ON THE LIST
Ten different Eagles found their names on the All-MAC Preseason lists by Athlon Sports and/or Phil Steele ahead of the 2025 season with five players appearing on both. The Eastern players appearing on both lists included Jefferson Adam (4th team Athlon/4th team Steele), Terry Lockett Jr. (1st/1st), Zach Mowchan (3rd/4th), Mickey Rewolinski (1st/3rd), and Mitchell Tomasek (2nd/3rd). Three other players were named to the Athlon list, including Bryce Llewellyn (4th), Dontae McMillan (4th), and Joshua Scott (2nd) while Mack Indestad (3rd) and Tyrell Martin (4th) made the Phil Steele list.

ADAM ON WATCH LISTS
Jefferson Adam not only was named to a pair of athletic-related preseason lists, he also landed on a pair of national watch lists based on his excellence in community service and academics to go along with his athletic success. Ahead of fall camp, Adam was named as one of 197 student-athletes nominated for the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team before also earning one of 116 nominations nationally to the 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. Both awards are highly regarded as college football's premier awards for community service. In hist time at Eastern, Adam has tallied over 31 hours of service and has been a central figure in EMU's Bright Futures Program, especially at Perry Early Learning Center, where he volunteers regularly. Additionally, he spearheaded the organization of a children's book drive as part of EMU's 2024 Spring Game that brought in 500 books for Ypsilanti Public School and Bright Futures libraries.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
Ahead of the season, the Eagles were voted to finish eighth in the 13-team MAC standings as they received 68 points to place them one position above their final showing in 2024 (ninth). Toledo (135 points/7 FPV) was narrowly selected to win the title with Miami (131/3) trailing by just four points. Ohio (123/3), Buffalo (115), and Northern Illinois (94) round out the top five.

UPPER HALF
Since 2016, Eastern has posted 54 wins, which ranks as the sixth-most victories of any team in the MAC.
72 • Toledo
69 • Ohio
60 • Western Michigan, Miami
55 • Buffalo
54 • Eastern Michigan
51 • Northern Illinois
48 • Central Michigan
40 • Ball State
36 • Bowling Green
30 • Kent State
26 • Akron

BACK ON THE LANES?
After missing out on a bowl game in 2024 by one victory, the Eagles will look to return to the postseason in 2025 and claim their seventh appearance under Chris Creighton. For the 2025 season, the MAC has affiliation with four games: Bahamas Bowl (vs. Conference USA), Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (vs. Mountain West), Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (vs. MWC), and GameAbove Sports Bowl (vs. Big Ten). Additionally, the MAC could send teams to two of the following: 68 Ventures Bowl (vs. Sun Belt), Boca Raton Bowl (vs. Group of Five), Camellia Bowl (vs. ACC/Sun Belt), Cure Bowl (vs. Group of Five), Frisco Bowl (vs. Group of Five), Myrtle Beach Bowl (vs. ACC/SBC), and New Mexico Bowl (vs. CUSA).

BOWL APPEARANCES
Since 2016, 12-of-13 current MAC teams have played in at least one bowl, with the Eagles appearing in six, which ranks tied for third-most with Miami while Ohio and Toledo lead the way with seven.
7 • Ohio, Toledo
6 • Eastern Michigan, Miami
5 • Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan
4 • Central Michigan
3 • Bowling Green
2 • Ball State, Kent State
1 • Akron
0 • UMass (only bowl was 1964)

FLYING THE FLAG
When a MAC team defeats a member of a "Power Four" conference, they celebrate by hoisting a black flag with the MAC logo placed above cross bones, something the Eagles have done four times since 2017 with victories over Rutgers, Purdue, Illinois, and Arizona State. Dating back to the start of the 2006 season, at least one member of the MAC has flown the flag with the conference accumulating 47 wins in that stretch of 18 consecutive seasons, including 32 against the Big Ten. All told, the MAC has posted wins against foes from the Big Ten (32), SEC (2), Big 12 (5), the former Pac-12 (2), the ACC (4), and one over Notre Dame.
Overall, in the Eagles' four wins ties for the fifth-highest total in the MAC with Ohio, Ball State, and Western Michigan while Northern Illinois leads the way with nine, both Bowling Green and Central Michigan have six, and Toledo has five.
In 2025, the MAC will 24 chances to add to the total and bring the streak to 19 consecutive years with half of those games (12) set to come against the Big Ten. Week 1 games against the "Power Four" for the MAC includes Ohio at Rutgers, Buffalo at Minnesota, Miami at Wisconsin, Western Michigan at Michigan State, Ball State at Purdue, and Toledo at Kentucky.

GRIDIRON GRADUATES
The 2025 roster features 23 players that have earned their undergraduate degrees, including 16 that have graduated from Eastern Michigan and seven from other NCAA Division I institutions. The list of EMU graduates include Jefferson Adam, Solomon Bell, Tyrell Deener, Carter Evans, Terry Lockett Jr., Chris Mayo, Dontae McMillan, Dramarian McNulty, Sterling Miles, Zach Mowchan, Mickey Rewolinski, Joshua Scott, Isaac Smith, Owen Snively, Jesse Vasquez, and Jamarien Wheeler with Caleb Coley (Michigan State), Tavierre Dunlap (Michigan), Donovan Green (Northwestern State), Zyell Griffin (UNLV), Nick Harris (UConn), Noah Kim (Michigan State), and Porter Rooks (NC State) having earned their degrees before transferring to EMU.

CREIGHTON CLIMBING
Head Coach Chris Creighton is entering his 12th year at the helm of the Eastern program and has accumulated 57 wins with the Eagles, the second-most in program history behind the 114 secured under Elton J. Rynearson, for whom the Eagles' home venue is named, while sported 196 career wins, leaving him four away from 200. The third-longest tenured coach in program history behind Rynearson (26 years) and Fred Trosko (13) and one of just four men to lead the program for 10+ seasons, Creighton currently ranks fifth among active FBS coaches in career victories, trailing only Brian Kelly at LSU (292), K.C. Keeler at Sam Houston (271), Kirk Ferentz at Iowa (216), and Willie Fritz at Houston (212).

STABILITY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME
In his 12th season in Ypsilanti, Chris Creighton is the ninth-longest-tenured Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coach. While they are both in their 12th season, respectively, Creighton is technically the second-longest tenured head coach in the conference by hiring date, falling just three days short of Miami's Chuck Martin. While Creighton and Martin will meet in Oxford, Oct. 18, another meeting of top-10 tenured coaches will take place before that as Creighton and the Eagles will travel to face Mark Stoops, who is sixth on the list, at Kentucky, Sept. 13, in Lexington.

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).

WINNING IN THE MAC
There have been 20 coaches that have captured 50+ wins while guiding a MAC program with three names on the list still active at those respective institutions, including Chris Creighton, whose 57 wins rank 18th on the ledger. The other two MAC coaches include Jason Candle at Toledo (73) and Chukc Martin at Miami (65).

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CHRIS CREIGHTON?
In his head coaching career, Chris Creighton has racked up the frequent flyer miles, coaching games in seven different countries. Creighton added the Bahamas to that list in 2016 when he led the Eagles to the Bahamas Bowl after it already consisted of the United States, Sweden, Austria, Panama, Tanzania, and Germany.

NEW TO THE CREW
Ahead of the 2025 season, Chris Creighton added three new coaches to his staff, including Cornell Brown (defensive tackle), Sean Dugan (Alphas), and Chris Wiesehan (offensive line).
• Brown, a 2000 and 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech, brings 20 years of experience to Ypsilanti. A member of the Super Bowl XXXV Champion Baltimore Ravens, Brown has held coaching positions in the college ranks with Bowling Green, Tarleton State, Marshall, Norfolk State, and Virginia Tech while also having coached players with the New Orleans Breakers (USFL), Calgary Stampeders (CFL), Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe) and Cologne Centurions (NFL Europe).
• Although he is entering his first season as an assistant coach working with the Alphas, Dugan is no stranger to the program after working as a defensive analyst with the Eagles the past two seasons. Prior to his arrival, Dugan coached at Austin Peay, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Alvernia after his playing days at Millersville came to a close.
• Wiesehan, like Brown, brings a wealth of experience that has seen him work with players a 11 colleges and three professional teams. Most recently at Temple, he has also coached at Georgia Tech, Hawaii, UCLA, Syracuse, James Madison, Northern Arizona, Buffalo, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Fort Hayes State, while the professional teams included the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL).

IMPACTS TO THE MAXX
In April 2025, Maxx Crosby continued his impact on the Eastern program as he was named EMU Football Assistant General Manager as well as Special Assistant to the Athletic Director on fundraising, alumni relations, and student-athlete support. As an assistant GM, Crosby will assist with elvauating high school and transfer portal prospects and help manage the team's NIL/revenue share budget. He also spearheaded the Maxx Match in May 2025, in which he matched the $100,000 in donations the department received that month.
"There is no place more important to my personal and athletic development than Eastern Michigan University," Crosby said. "It truly is an honor for me to not only be named the Assistant GM of the EMU program, but together, with my wife Rachel, make another donation aimed at creating opportunities for other athletes to be impacted by the EMU program, community, students, and alumni."

CROSBY ON NFL 100 LIST AGAIN
For the fourth consecutive year, Maxx Crosby found a place on the annual NFL 100 list, this year coming in at No. 22. Despite being limited to 12 games in 2024 because of an injury, Crosby continued to torment opposing offensives as he tallied 45 tackles, 17.0 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, and 20 quarterback hits. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Crosby recently signed a three-year extension to remain in Las Vegas with the Raiders.

WELCOME TO YPSILANTI
The 2025 roster features 50 newcomers to the program, including 31 transfers and 19 freshmen. The rookie class features players from 11 different states, including Colorado, Florida (3), Georgia, Indiana (3), Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio (3), and Pennsylvania, and one each from Canada and Mexico. Of the 31 transfers, 15 come to town from FBS programs, including eight from 'Power 4' institutions (Kentukcy, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse). The transfers also include six different FCS programs, one NCAA Division II school, and six junior colleges.

START IT UP?
Of the 136 FBS programs nationally, 16 teams have a quarterback on its roster that has previously recorded at least one start in three or more seasons. EMU newcomer Noah Kim could join that list as he has previously recorded starts at both Michigan State and Coastal Carolina before coming to Ypsilanti.

LOCKETT IN
Terry Lockett Jr., who was selected to wear 'The Deuce', Aug. 21, entered the 2024 season with no 100+ yard receiving games in his career and exited with two after having pulled down three grabs for 100 yards and two touchdowns at home against Central Michigan (Oct. 19) before reeling in 122 yards and two scores on eight catches against Buffalo (Nov. 20). The team's leader in yardage with 660 yards on 46 grabs and team-best five touchdowns, Lockett Jr. also became just the seventh Eastern player to record 100 yards receivigin on three or fewer catches. The last time it happened was Sept. 24, 2022, when Tanner Knue caught three passes for 106 yards and one score at home against Buffalo. Additionally, four of the seven instances have come since Chris Creighton began his tenure at EMU in 2014.

BETTER THAN AVERAGE
Punter Mitchell Tomasek enters his senior season with a pair of career marks in his sights, including the record for punting average, which he currently holds the top spot with 44.2 yards per boot, placing him just ahead of Jake Julien (2017-21), who averaged 44.0 per punt. Additionally, Tomasek's 44.2 career average currently ranks sixth among all players nationally entering the 2025 season.

ADDING UP
During his time with the Eagles, Mitchell Tomasek has launched 164 punts, totalling 7,210 yards, which ranks as the ninth-most in program history, leaving him 790 yards from becoming only the sixth punter in program history to surpass 8,000 yards in a career. Entering the season, he is 1,790 yards from becoming the fifth to reach 9,000 yards, 2,790 yards from becoming the third to crack the 10,000-yard mark, and 3,408 yards from tying Nick Avondet (1997-00) for the program record at 10,618 yards. Additionally, Tomasek's career yardage ranks sixth among active punters nationally in 2025.

PULLING OUT THE DRIVER
Mitchell Tomasek has hit 46 of his 164 career punts for 50+ yards, including 14 over 60 yards, while recording just 13 touchbacks. For his career, Tomasek has recorded a best of 72 yards at Jacksonville State (Sept. 23, 2023) while hitting a 70-yarder at home against Ball State (Oct. 7, 2023). He has recorded at least three punts of 62 yards or better in all three seasons he has played for the Eagles.

LOOKING FOR POINTS
Heading into 2025, the EMU offense will look to new faces to score points as only 44-of-311 points from 2024 are returning (14.1 percent), including zero kicking points. The Eagles scored 36 touchdowns in 2024 and return just seven (19.4 percent), including one rushing from Joey Mattord, five receiving scores from Terry Lockett Jr., and one receiving score from Zyell Griffin. Mattord also returns the lone converted two-point conversion.

NO KICKING ZONE
Since taking over the program in 2014, Chris Creighton's teams have blocked 26 kicks, including at least one in each of the past nine consecutive years. In 2024, the Eagles blocked four kicks, the second-highest total for the team under Creighton behind only the six blockes tallied in 2014. Last year, Eastern blocked one punt and one point-after try at Washington (Sept. 7), blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown at home against St. Francis (Sept. 21), and blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt at Ohio (Nov. 13). The four blocks tied for the MAC lead with Northern Illinois while ranking sixth among all NCAA FBS teams.
Overall, in the 11 seasons under Creighton, EMU has blocked 10 field goal attempts, 10 punts with five being returned for touchdowns, and six extra-point attempts with one returned for a two-point defensive score.

THEY HAVE THE TOUCH
Over the past 11 seasons (2014-24), the Eagles' 26 blocked kicks have them tied for third-most among all teams in the MAC as Eastern, Miami, and Toledo are one off the pace set by both Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, who each have 27. Over that span, Eastern has tallied at least one block in nine consecutive years (20 blocks) with Akron next with six consecutive years (8). Additionally, EMU is one of three schools (CMU and Toledo) that has recorded at least one block in 10-of-11 seasons during the current span.

SAFE TO ASSUME IT WILL BE CLOSE
Since 2016, Eastern Michigan has played 108 contests recording a 54-54 record in those games. The margin has been razor thin with the contests decided by a combined 40 points. EMU has scored 2,941 points (27.2 ppg), while giving up 3,011 points (27.9). EMU's point differential is the fifth-fewest in the FBS over than span.

1. UCLA - 10 (3097 Pts / 3087 PtsO)
2. South Carolina - 22 (2900 Pts / 2878 PtsO)
3. Louisiana Tech - 26 (3293 Pts / 3267 PtsO)
4. Navy - 31 (3024 Pts / 2993 PtsO)
5. Eastern Michigan - 40 (2971 Pts / 3011 PtsO)
6. Indiana - 43 (2907 Pts / 2864 PtsO)
7. Northern Illinois - 48 (2868 Pts / 2916 PtsO)
8. Georgia Southern- 54 (3109 Pts / 3163 PtsO)

SINGLE SCORES
Since the start of the 2016 season, Eastern ranks second nationally with 57 one-score games played, sitting behind only Northern Illinois (62).

1. Northern Illinois - 62 (30-32)
2. Eastern Michigan - 57 (28-29)
3. Texas - 57 (26-31)
4. Iowa State - 55 (24-31)
5. Nebraska - 54 (15-39)
6. North Carolina - 52 (22-30)
7. Kansas State - 52 (25-27)
8. Oklahoma State - 50 (31-19)
9. Tulsa - 49 (22-27)

PLAYING 18 (DOWN)
During the 2024 season, the Eagles played in five, one-score games with two seeing Eastern come back from an 18-point deficit to post a 1-1 record in those contests. The first came Oct. 19 at home against Central Michigan where the Eagles found themselves trailing by 18 points, 34-16, with 13:26 to play in the fourth quarter. A gritty performance on both sides of the ball, fueled by a boisterous crowd, saw Eastern score three touchdowns and hold the Chippewas scoreless to claim a 38-34 win.
The last time Eastern came back to win after such a deficit was Nov. 11, 2000, at home against Northern Illinois. Similar to the CMU game, the Eagles trailed NIU, 32-12, with 12:14 remaining before scoring three touchdowns to tie the game at 32 with 2:58 remaining. EMU won the game by forcing a Husky punt before marching 59 yards in 56 seconds for a Walter Church to Kevin Walter 25-yard touchdown pass for the win. Eastern nearly made it back-to-back games with wins after trailing by 18, but fell short at Akron, Oct. 26.
One week after the dramatic turnaround against CMU, the 2024 Eagles found themselves down 18-0 at Akron (Oct. 26) before mounting a comeback. EMU couldn't make it two in a row with complete comebacks as the host Zips held off the Eagles for a 25-21 win.

Deficit Final Opponent Date
24 (24-0) W, 30-27 Central Michigan 11-6-76
21 (28-7) W, 48-38 OT at Ball State 10-16-10
21 (21-0) W, 48-41 at Ball State 11-8-16
21 (31-10) L, 34-37 OT at Toledo 10-26-19
20 (32-12) W, 39-32 Northern Illinois 11-11-00
18 (34-16) W, 38-34 Central Michigan 10-19-24
18 (18-0) L, 21-25 at Akron 10-26-24

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern Michigan will open its 2025 home schedule the next time out as the Eagles are set to play host to the Sharks of Long Island University inside Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti. The game, dubbed the EMU Block Party and sponsored by Michigan Rose Construction, will kick off at 7 p.m. and aired live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, Rob Rubick, and Elena Davis calling the action live from inside The Factory.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jefferson Adam

Solomon Bell

Caleb Coley

Tavierre Dunlap

Carter Evans

Donovan Green

Zyell Griffin

Nick Harris

Mack Indestad

Noah Kim

Bryce Llewellyn

Terry Lockett Jr.

Tyrell Martin

Joey Mattord

Chris Mayo

Dontae McMillan

Dramarian McNulty

Sterling Miles

Zach Mowchan

Mickey Rewolinski

Porter Rooks

Joshua Scott

Isaac Smith

Owen Snively

Mitchell Tomasek

Jesse Vasquez

Jamarien Wheeler

Eastern Michigan Athletics