Football Looks to Sustain the Momentum Saturday in Massachusetts

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (EMUGameDay.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University football team will take flight for another road game, as the Eagles battle the University of Massachusetts Saturday afternoon, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m. The Mid-American Conference contest will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Home to the NFL's New England Patriots, the stadium is approximately 90 miles from the school's Amherst campus.
   The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Bob Picozzi providing the play-by-play and Matt Chatham serving as the analyst. WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game with Matt Shepard and Rob Rubick calling the action on the field.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Eastern Michigan has never faced UMass previously on the football field. The Eagles enter the contest with a 2-4 (1-1 MAC) record following a 37-27 Homecoming triumph over Buffalo, Oct. 11. Meanwhile, the Minutemen are 1-6 (1-2 MAC) after coasting past Kent State, 40-17, for their first victory of year.
   This is the Eagles' first trip to The Bay State in the team's 123 year history and it also marks the first time they have played a team from Massachusetts.

AWARDS ROLLING IN FOR BELL: Following a breakout performance in the homecoming victory over Buffalo, Oct. 11, EMU redshirt-freshman quarterback Reginald Bell Jr. continues to rack up the accolades. The Los Angeles, Calif. native was selected the Mid-American Conference's Co-Offensive Player of the Week as well as the National Performer of the Week and the Quarterback Performer of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA). He was also honored as one of the Mannning Award Stars of the Week by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

EAGLES IN THE NFL: For just the seventh time in program history, the Eagles will play a game in a National Football League venue when the team battles the Minutemen of UMass, Oct. 18. EMU is 1-5 all-time in those games with the lone victory occurring against Central Michigan University when EMU hosted the inaugural Collegiate Clash at Ford Field, Nov. 6, 2004. One of the most memorable games in school history, the contest featured four overtime periods before the Eagles were able to escape with a 61-58 victory.

ZAPPONE NAMED MAC WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt-sophomore linebacker Anthony Zappone was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 11. The honor is the first weekly conference honor of Zappone's career.
   Buffalo's defense ran into some trouble when faced with the Westlake, Ohio native as he recorded a career-best 13 tackles in the 37-27 Homecoming victory over the Bulls. Zappone also added a career high three tackles for loss.   In conference-only games, the redshirt-sophomore currently sits in a tie for first in the MAC in tackles for loss as he is averaging 2.50 a game. His 9.5 tackles per contest is ranked seventh in the league among linebackers, while that total is also tied for 11th overall in the conference.

POC-MAN: Much like Pac-Man in the 1980s arcade game that became a pop culture phenomenon, Pat O'Connor has been gobbling up the opposition behind the line of scrimmage this season. The team co-captain currently leads the Mid-American Conference in both sacks as well as tackles-for-loss. Pushing opponents back a combined 66 yards on 9.5 tackles-for-loss, O'Connor's total ranks 10th nationally. The Windy City native is among the top-25 sack leaders throughout the country, as well as sitting at seventh with 6.5 sacks. In the Eagles' victory over Buffalo, UB quarterback Joe Licata found O'Connor to be a thorn in his side. O'Connor was relentless in his coverage of the Buffalo playmaker, recording a career-best 2.5 sacks and six hurries.

REPACK YOUR BAGS: EMU will wrap up a stretch of five of its last six games on the road with the 806-mile trip to UMass. The total amount of travel over that span will be 2,812 miles.

REGGIE TO THE RESCUE: Redshirt-freshman Reginald Bell Jr. had a performance that would be difficult to top in the victory over MAC foe Buffalo, Oct. 11. Bell entered the contest with 4:15 remaining in the second quarter when the team was down, 10-0, and propelled the squad to a 37-27 victory, bolstering the team's total yardage from 73 yards to 484 in just over a half of play. The EMU offense scored on six of its 10 drives with Bell in the shotgun.

SECOND HALF SURGE: Eastern Michigan scored more points in the second half against Buffalo than it had amassed in the previous five second-half scoring efforts combined. Up until Oct. 11, when the Eagles downed the Bulls, 37-27, the team had scored a total of just 27 second half points between its first five matchups of 2014.
   In the Homecoming victory over Buffalo, the Green and White posted 34 points fueled by four touchdowns from Reginald Bell Jr. The last time an Eagle scored four touchdowns in a half was when Bronson Hill accomplished the feat against Toledo on Oct. 13, 2012, at Rynearson Stadium. Hill had touchdown runs of seven, 47, 58, and 70 yards in the 52-47 loss to the Rockets. Adding to the second half surge, EMU out-gained Buffalo 204 yards to 42 in the third quarter alone.

BELL'S BIG DAY: Reginald Bell Jr. not only scored his first career touchdown against Buffalo, Oct. 11, but he racked up an EMU record-tying four TDs. In an impressive rushing performance befitting any player, let alone a quarterback, Bell ran in three touchdowns and for a total of 202 yards and became the first Eagle in EMU history to run for two 70+ yard touchdowns in one game with dashes of 71 and 72 yards. In terms of quarterback records, Bell claimed the top spot in rushing yards for a single game, knocking Alex Gillett's 189-yard performance in a win over Ball State, Oct. 16, 2010, out of the top spot. The Los Angeles, Calif. native also threw an additional touchdown pass to David Gibson, the first touchdown pass of Bell's career and the first scoring reception for Gibson.

RUN REGGIE, RUN!: The 202 rushing yards by Reginald Bell Jr. in the Eagles' win over the Bulls marked the first time that an Eagle has run for more than 200 yards since Oct. 19, 2013, when Bronson Hill put up 257 yards against Ohio University. Bell surpassed the 200-yard mark on 17 carries, registering an eye-popping 11.9 yards per rush.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: EMU has struggled in winning the turnover battle against its opponents, giving up the ball 17 times in its first five contests compared to just four by opponents. However, in the 37-27 victory over the University at Buffalo, Oct. 11, the Eagles had the upper hand in the turnover ratio for the first time in the 2014 season. The Green and White forced three turnovers while surrendering just one, with Jason Beck and Kevin Johnson picking off one pass apiece on defense as well as a Hunter Matt fumble recovery on special teams. The interception by Beck was the first of his career, while Johnson recorded his second career grab after an interception at Old Dominion, Sept. 13.

SEARCHING FOR STABILITY: One factor in the EMU offense's success is having a stable offensive line. However, injuries at multiple positions down the line have hurt the Green and White. Through the first half of the season, Eastern has used five different starting lineups with the men up front. Both veterans and underclassmen have filled those roles as the Eagles try to get healthy. The Eagles used the same starting offensive line in back-to-back games against Akron, Oct. 4, and Buffalo, Oct. 11. Having the identical front five for the second consecutive contest, helped give the Eagles a 37-27 homecoming victory over the Bulls.

FEELIN' FINE AT THE FACTORY: With the 37-27 victory over the University at Buffalo, Oct. 11, the Eagles remain undefeated at "The Factory." Since installing the new "EMU Gray" turf inside Rynearson Stadium prior to the 2014 campaign, the Green and White holds an unblemished 2-0 record at home. Between the wins over Morgan State, Aug. 30, and the Bulls, Eastern is averaging 34 points and 437.5 total yards of offense at home.

MILESTONES WITH CREIGHTON: With a 37-27 victory over Buffalo during the Eagles' first conference home opener of the 2014 campaign, Eastern Michigan's football squad logged its first Mid-American Conference win and first victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision institution with first-year Head Coach Chris Creighton managing the sidelines.

GREAT TACKLING GREAT IBE: Right in the middle of the Eastern defense, redshirt-junior Great Ibe has shown his versatility between rushing the quarterback and dropping back into coverage. Finding the ball carrier from all over the field, Ibe's 63 tackles lead EMU by a substantial margin as the next closest Eagle has recorded 47 tackles this season. The 63 tackles by the Eastern linebacker is the third-highest by an individual MAC defender as well as 19th in the nation.

MR. COFFIN CORNER: When it comes to punting, Eastern Michigan has used two punters for different scenarios. When the Eagles need to pin their opponent deep its own territory, senior Owen Dubiel is called upon to do the job. On a regular basis, the East Jackson, Mich. native has been able to do just that. Out of 24 Dubiel punts, 11 have been downed inside the 20-yard line, and only two have gone into the end zone for a touchback. Moreover, 10 punts inside the 20 have actually been placed inside the 12, including four inside the five-yard line. Against Buffalo, the Eagles' special teams coverage downed the ball at the two-yard line on a 62-yard punt by Dubiel.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Tyler Allen continues to climb up the EMU record book in terms of kickoff returns. Already the school's record holder with the most kickoff returns in one season, Allen is closing in on the career returns record of 130 held by Trumaine Riley. This season, Allen is in pursuit of the record with 19 returns for 387 yards. The Lansing Mich. native now has 116 for his career following the game versus Buffalo, Oct. 11, and passed current Pittsburgh Steeler and former Central Michigan receiver Antonio Brown for third on the MAC's all-time list against Akron, Oct. 4. Allen is also chasing Riley for the record of career return yards. The speedy EMU receiver has 2,437 return yards for his career, second in EMU laurels behind Riley's 2,541 mark and fourth in the MAC record book.

ALL GRAY ON THE GRAY TURF: When the Eagles took the field at The Factory to battle Buffalo, Oct 11, they sported all gray uniforms for the first time on the recently installed "EMU Gray" Field Turf. Donning gray helmets with the green Block E, the team also wore gray jerseys to go along with gray pants. The ensemble, along with "The Factory," is just another symbol of the E Tough mentality developed by Head Coach Chris Creighton and the entire EMU football team.

RUSSELL ON MACKEY AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST: Senior tight end Tyreese Russell is one of 33 tight ends nationwide who has been named to the 2014 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List. The Chicago, Ill. native is one of only four players from the Mid-American Conference on the midseason list.
   At 6-3, 238 pounds, Russell leads the Eagles in receptions with 15 catches for 150 yards (10.0 avg.) and a touchdown through EMU's first six games. He has highlighted his final season so far by snagging six balls for a 48 yards in the win over Morgan State University, Aug. 30.

THE FACTORY NAMED ONE OF THE BEST FIELDS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL: After unveiling "The Factory" at the beginning of August, Eastern Michigan University football's new gray FieldTurf surface has caught the attention of media across the nation. "The Factory" has been nominated as one of the 10 best fields in college football by USA Today's College Football Fan Index presented by Degree. Other university whose fields have been nominated include: Boise State, Clemson, East Carolina, LSU, Missouri, Notre Dame, Tennessee, UCLA, and Wyoming.

ON THE HORIZON: Following the game at UMass, Eastern Michigan will return to "The Factory" turf for back-to-back home contests. First, the Green and White will host defending MAC West Division winner Northern Illinois University, Oct. 25. The divisional game will kick off at 1 p.m. and be televised on ESPN3. Also, the matchup between the Eagles and the Huskies will be a part of EMU Hall of Fame Weekend as seven new members will make up the Class of 2014 and be inducted into the prestigious group.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Football Looks to Sustain the Momentum Saturday in Massachusetts

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Allen

Jason Beck

Reginald Bell

Owen Dubiel

David Gibson

Bronson Hill

Great Ibe

Kevin Johnson

Hunter Matt

Pat O'Connor

Tyreese Russell

Anthony Zappone

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