Football Has a Homecoming Date with Akron

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Following a valiant showing at nationally-ranked LSU, the Eastern Michigan University football team returns to Rynearson Stadium Saturday, Oct. 10, for a homecoming date with Mid-American Conference East Division foe the University of Akron. Saturday's contest is Homecoming, with more than 60 activities planned for on and off campus in a week-long celebration with the festivities culminating with the Eagles hooking up with the Zips at 3:04 p.m. inside The Factory.
   The Eagles (1-4, 0-1 MAC) are coming off of a 44-22 loss to the No. 9/8 ranked LSU Tigers, while the Zips (2-3, 0-1 MAC) dropped their first MAC game of the season, 14-12, to Ohio.
   The contest will be televised by ESPN3 with Michael Reghi providing the play-by-play and Josh Cribbs 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.

HOMECOMING: Saturday marks the 88th Homecoming contest for the Eagles. EMU holds a 44-41-2 record all-time on homecoming.
   Eastern is 1-0 all-time versus Akron on homecoming. The victory came against the Zips on Oct. 14, 1978 when the Green and White prevailed 25-14.

ALL-TIME VS AKRON: The Zips hold an 18-12 advantage over the Eagles all-time. They last met in 2014 where UA prevailed, 31-6, Oct. 4. In that game, the Eagles scored the game's first touchdown, but the Zips rattled off 31 unanswered points to claim the victory.
   EMU's last victory over Akron came in 2011 when the Green and White triumphed, 31-23, Oct. 1.

TWO-MINUTE DRIVE MASTERS: Of Eastern Michigan's 20 touchdowns scored this season, 11 of them have been scored in less than two minutes, which is good for 55 percent of its TDs. This ranks eighth in the FBS, and ranks ahead of some of the most potent offenses in the country including Texas Tech, Bowling Green, and Oregon.

TOP BACK IN THE MAC: Senior running back Darius Jackson notched another touchdown against LSU, Oct. 3. He has now scored at least one touchdown in each of his first five games, and has totaled 54 points on the season. That is tops in the MAC and 13th in the nation. Jackson is also second in the MAC in rushing, and is just one yard behind the current leader. He ranks 32nd in the country in yards with 473 yards on the season.

LOCKDOWN SECONDARY: On the season, EMU currently ranks first in the MAC and fourth in the country in passing yards allowed, only allowing 117.6 yards per game through the air. The defense has also notched two interceptions on the season, and have also broken up 11 total passes.

EAGLES EXCEED EXPECTATIONS: Despite entering the game at LSU as 45-point underdogs, the Eagles proved that they could hang with one of the best teams in the country. Playing in front of the sixth largest crowd to ever watch an EMU football game(102,321), the Eagles only trailed by six points at the half, and by only eight at the beginning of the fourth quarter. At one point in the second quarter, the LSU lead was a mere three points.

FIRST LSU TURNOVER: Prior to playing EMU, LSU had not turned the ball over in its first three games. This would change against the Eagles, as in the second quarter on a strip fumble by Clay Dawson, the ball was popped into the air and picked up by defensive lineman Luke Maclean, and returned to the LSU three yard line. This would lead to a touchdown two plays later.

FIRST HALF SCORING: The Eagle offense also hung a first on the LSU Tigers when Shaq Vann scored a six-yard end around in the second quarter. It was the first, first half touchdown allowed by LSU this season. The 14 first half points were also the most allowed by the Tigers in three games this season, which came against Southeastern Conference foes Mississippi State and Auburn, as well as Syracuse.

BROWNING'S BIG DAY ON THE BAYOU: Junior tight end Sam Browning had his best day in an Eagle uniform on the big stage against LSU, Oct. 3. He finished the day as the leading receiver, reeling in six catches for a career high 87 yards. Prior to the game, he had only recorded one catch for EMU, a three-yard touchdown catch against Wyoming.

NIFTY TWO POINT CONVERSION: Upon scoring a touchdown on a 12-yard pass to Dustin Creel in the third quarter, the Eagles drew up a wild and creative two-point try against LSU. Beginning with a direct-snap to Darius Jackson, he began to sweep left before pitching the ball to Eddie Daugherty in the backfield, where upon the wide receiver found a wide open Brogan Roback in the end zone to complete the try on a pass. The play cut the score to 30-22 just before the fourth quarter.

JACKSON CLOSE TO A MILESTONE: With 473 rushing yards on the season, Darius Jackson has now racked up 981 yards in his career, leaving him 19 yards short of becoming one of at least 24 players to join the exclusive 1,000 yard rushing club. Jackson only had 295 yards in all of 2014.

BOMBS AWAY: Despite having one of the more efficient offenses in the FBS, Eastern Michigan still has occasionally punted the ball away. Luckily they have been one of the best in the country at that as well. EMU currently ranks 16th in the country (first in the MAC) in net punting at 40.89 yards per punt.
   Furthermore, redshirt sophomore punter Austin Barnes leads the MAC in punting, averaging a booming 44.8 yards per punt. This is good for 22nd in the nation. He has five punts of over 50 yards including a long of 55 yards, and has also landed seven of his 18 punts inside the 20 yard line.

FINDING SOME OFFENSE: For someone to say the Eagles' offense has improved would be a major understatement. Eastern Michigan has piled up 157 points and 1,997 total yards in the team's first five contests in 2015. In the first year under offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer's system the offense surpassed the 2,000-yard plateau in the eighth game of the year while collecting its 150th point in game number 11. Emu only scored 182 points in all of 2014.

RED HOT IN THE RED ZONE: Eastern Michigan has been one of the most efficient teams in the red-zone through five games this season, scoring on 15 of 17 (88%) attempts, which is good for third in the MAC and 37th in the country. 13 of those scores have been touchdowns for the Green and White.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE ZIPS: The Eastern Michigan University football team suffered a 31-6 loss to the University of Akron Saturday afternoon, Oct. 4. The Eagles (1-4, 0-1 MAC) scored the game's first touchdown, but the Zips (3-2, 1-0 MAC) rattled off 31 unanswered points in the first Mid-American Conference game of the season for both teams.
   In his second start as an Eagle, senior quarterback Rob Bolden orchestrated a 78-yard touchdown drive on EMU's first drive of the game. The Orchard Lake, Mich. native found Tyler Allen in the corner of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass that gave Eastern the early 6-0 lead. For the game, Bolden finished with 185 yards through the air on 17-of-29 passing.

FIRST MAC ROAD GAME UP NEXT: The Eagles will find themselves on the road for their third MAC game of the 2015 season against Toledo, Oct. 17. Eastern Michigan holds a 31-11 deficit in the all-time series against the Rockets, and UT has won the last eight contests.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Allen

Austin Barnes

Rob Bolden

Sam Browning

Dustin Creel

Eddie Daugherty IV

Clay Dawson

Darius Jackson

Luke Maclean

Brogan Roback

Shaq Vann

Eastern Michigan Athletics