Football Closes Out 2015 at Central Michigan

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team concludes its 2015 season on Friday, Nov. 27 when it heads up the road to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for a matchup with in-state rival Central Michigan University. The post-Thanksgiving tilt is set to kickoff at 1 p.m. from Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
   The Eagles (1-10, 0-7 MAC) enter the contest fresh off a bye week, their first break in action since the beginning of the season. They were one of just 12 teams in the country who played 11 games in a row before enjoying a bye in 2015. Meanwhile the Chippewas enter the contest 6-5 (5-2 MAC) after becoming bowl eligible last Wednesday, Nov. 18, with a 27-14 win over Mid-American Conference foe Kent State University.
   The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Dave Wilson doing the play-by-play and Mickey Matthews providing analysis. The contest will once again hit the airwaves of WEMU (89.1 FM) with Chad Bush and Rob Rubick calling the action on the field.

JACKSON'S MARCH TOWARDS 1,000 YARDS RUSHING: Senior running back Darius Jackson needs just four yards on the ground to reach 1,000 yards in a season. Bronson Hill was the last EMU running back to reach the grand total, when he rumbled for 1,101 yards in 2013.
   The Sparta, Ill. native became the 15th EMU player to run for 1,500 yards in a career against UMass, Nov. 14 and currently sits 15th on the all-time rushing list with 1,504 career yards.

GREAT TACKLING: Senior linebacker Great Ibe currently leads the team and the conference in tackles per game at 12.3, despite missing one game due to injury. This also ranks second in the country. In three seasons for the Green and White after transferring into the program, Ibe currently ranks 13th on the all-time tackles list at EMU with 318 stops.

I-BE-GREAT: Senior linebacker Great Ibe had a memorable game in his final time suiting up for EMU at Rynearson Stadium on Senior Day versus the University of Massachusetts, Nov. 14. The Philadelphia, Pa. native finished the day by tying his career high in tackles with 21, including nine solo stops. Two of the tackles were for loss and he also added a sack. The 21 tackles are tied for the most by an FBS player this season.
   For his efforts, Ibe was named both the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week and the Walter Camp Football Foundation Football Bowl Subdivision National Defensive Player of the Week. It was his first time earning the MAC weekly accolade, and he is just the second Eagles to ever garner the National POW honor, joining quarterback Andy Schmitt in 2008.

MOVING UP THE CHARTS: With 14 touchdowns this season, senior running back Darius Jackson continues to march up the EMU single-season touchdown rankings. The Sparta, Ill. native ranks third and is within one of equaling the all-time mark of 15 held by Kerry Keating (1957) and Ime Akpan (2002). Since the 1987 campaign, only nine EMU student-athletes have recorded 10 or more touchdowns in a particular season. Of those players, all but one (Eric Deslauriers - 2004) have been running backs.

ONE OF THE TOP BACKS IN THE MAC: Senior running back Darius Jackson has been one of the best backs in both the MAC and the country this season. He ranks second in the MAC in rushing with 996 yards on the ground, good for 90.5 yards a game. This ranks 39th in the country. Jackson has also totaled 84 points on the season. That is sixth in the MAC and 63rd in the nation. Additionally, 13 of his 14 touchdowns have been rushing touchdowns, which is second in the MAC and 16th in the country.

2,000-AND COUNTING: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brogan Roback surpassed the 2,000-yard passing mark this season following a 260 yard performance against UMass, Nov. 14. The Toledo, Ohio native is the first EMU signal-caller since Andy Schmitt in 2008 to throw for 2,000-or-more yards. That season, the St. Johns, Mich. standout completed 261 passes for 2,644 yards, through the air, including 516 of them in an upset in the season-finale against Central Michigan, Nov. 28.

STRANGE THINGS HAVE BEEN KNOW TO HAPPEN: When EMU and CMU wrap up the regular season it has been anyone's guess what the final outcome will be. All-time the Eagles are 3-2-1 versus the Chippewas in the year's final contest. EMU posted victories in 1972 (28-3), 2007 (48-45) and 2008 (56-52) while CMU's wins occurred in 1954 (28-7) and most recently in 2013 (42-10). The tie happened in 1953 when Fred Trosko's club concluded with 7-1-1 record following the 33-33 stalemate. A reminder of two of those memorable games are below...

EMU's 2007 COMEBACK SHOCKS CMU: In 2007, Eastern Michigan put an exclamation point on it 2007 season with a thrilling 48-45 come-from-behind win. Trailing by a 45-42 count with just 6:30 left in the game, the Eagles marched 62 yards in eight plays and took a 48-45 lead with 3:08 left on a one-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Pierre Walker. Eastern was assessed with a personal foul penalty on the score, however, and Zach Johnson's 33-yard extra-point kick was no good, giving the Eagles the tenuous three-point lead. West Division champion CMU (6-5; 5-1 MAC) then moved down to the EMU 14-yard line, but a 15-yard personal foul penalty moved the Chippewas back to the EMU 34. After an incomplete pass with just 00:27 remaining, Central faced a 4th-and-30-yard situation. The Chippewas then called on the field-goal unit, but a 52-yard field goal attempt was wide left, giving the Eagles the 48-45 victory.

SCHMITT AND JONES TEAM UP FOR THE 2008 SHOOT OUT WIN OVER CMU: Eastern turned on the offense to record a thrilling 56-52 record-breaking effort in the 2008 season wrap up. The victory also closed out then-head coach Jeff Genyk's five-year EMU career on a positive note. EMU quarterback Andy Schmitt set one NCAA record and established five EMU marks on the way to completing 58-of-80 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Eagles to victory. Schmitt's 58 completions broke the NCAA mark of 56 set by Jarrod DeGeorgia of Wayne State (Neb.) vs. Duke, Nov. 9, 1996. All five of his EMU records broke his own marks, including 58 completions, 80 attempts, 516 passing yards, 89 total offensive plays and 554 yards in total offense. Wide receiver Tyler Jones caught an EMU single-game record 23 passes for 170 yards. That 23 reception mark tied UNLV's Randy Gatewood for the NCAA record. Gatewood caught his 23 passes against Idaho, Sept. 17, 1994. EMU place-kicker Joe Carithers tied an EMU single-game record with eight PAT kicks.

CHIP DIP: EMU and CMU will meet on the gridiron for the 93rd time in history between the two programs with the Chippewas holding the series lead, 58-28-6. The road team has won three of the previous five meetings between the two in-state rivals, and the Eagles will look to continue that trend.
   The last time the Green and White were victorious over its rivals from the north was Oct. 15, 2011. EMU invaded Mount Pleasant, Mich. and left with a 35-28 victory in the first leg of claiming the Michigan MAC Trophy.

SENIOR SNAPSHOTS: Friday's game is the appearance for 10 Eastern Michigan University seniors. Below is a quick snapshot of each of those seniors.

#3 - Dustin Creel: A team captain, wide receiver Dustin Creel has appeared in 45 games for the Green and White, recording 124 catches for 1,475 yards and 11 touchdowns. For his career, the Industry, Pa. native ranks eighth in receptions, ninth in touchdown catches and 11th in receiving yardage His best season came in 2012 where he tallied a career-high 593 yards receiving on 46 catches to go along with five touchdowns.

#6 - Darius Jackson: A team captain, running back Darius Jackson has played in 42 contests splitting time between running back and wide receiver. He has totaled 1,995 all purpose yards (1,504 rushing, 369 receiving, 122 kick return) and 19 touchdowns. His 19th scores are tied for 12th most in program history and he still has a chance to set the single-season mark with 14 TDs with still a game to play in the 2015 campaign.

#8 - Kris Strange: Wide receiver Kris Strange has appeared in 36 games for the Green and White after playing his first two seasons as a defensive back before making the switch to the offensive side of the ball. A native of Pickerington, Ohio, he has grabbed 40 balls for a total of 452 yards and three touchdowns in his career. This season has been his most productive, with a personal-best 26 catches for 273 yards, which is fourth most on the squad

#10 - Great Ibe: A team captain, linebacker Kelechukwu Great Ibe has been a consistent fixture in the middle of the EMU defense since transferring in from Concordia University and sitting out the 2012 season. He has posted back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons, and currently is second nationally in wrapups. In 34 career games played, the Philadelphia, Pa. product has 18 contests with 10-or-more stops. Ibe is just the 15th player in school history with 300 in a career.

#15 - Clay Dawson: Defensive lineman Clay Dawson has appeared in 17 games throughout this career at EMU. After transferring from Phoenix College, Dawson has recorded 46 tackles this year. He leads the team in sacks (5.0) while ranking second in tackles-for-loss (8.5). His best contest came at nationally-ranks LSU when he came up with a pair of sacks and forced a fumble to setup a short EMU scoring drive.

#29 - Jalen Williams: Defensive back Jalen Williams has played in 34 games in his EMU career. He has tallied 52 tackles (28 solo, 24 assist) to go along with a pass deflection and a tackle-for-loss in a backup role. Last season, Williams earned a pair of starts including notching a career-best 11 total tackles against Ball State University.

#31 - Ray Tillman: Defensive back Ray Tillman has started 15 of his 29 career games played. A native of Auburn Hills, Mich. Tillman has totaled 86 tackles (56 solo, 30 assist) to go along with three tackles-for-loss and six pass deflections.

#38 - Dylan Mulder: Kicker Dylan Mulder has been one of the most accurate kickers in program history, making 68.6 percent of his field goal attempts (35-of-51) and 93.5 percent of his point-after-touchdown tries (100-for-107). He is the only kicker in school-history to make three-or-more field goals from 50-or-longer in the same season, pushing it through from 51, 52 and 55 during in 2015 campaign.

#51- Darian Miles: Offensive lineman Darian Miles played in two games during his EMU career with both of them coming in 2015.

#99 - Arron Pipkins: Defensive lineman Arron Pipkins has seen action in 18 contests throughout his career for the Green and White. A product of Maple Heights, Ohio, Pipkins has made 24 tackles as an Eagle, including a career-high six tackles during the 2013 campaign against Ohio University.

JUST 261 UNTIL WE KICKOFF THE 2016 CAMPAIGN: Saturday's game will mark the final contest of the 2015 campaign but there are still plenty of dates to put on your calendar as we look ahead to 2016. EMU's 53rd Annual Football banquet will be held Sunday, Dec. 13, to hand out the yearly hardware. After that the Eagles will hold signing day in February before opening spring practice in early March.
   The Eagles kickoff the 2016 season Saturday, Aug. 3, at home inside "The Factory" against a yet to be announced Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent. EMU treks to the University of Missouri, Sept. 10, and UNC Charlotte, Sept. 17, before hosting the University of Wyoming, Sept. 24.

SPREADING IT AROUND: The EMU passing attack has spread the wealth with seven different receivers having 20-or-more receptions. EMU is one of just three schools nationally to accomplish that feat.

# of Receivers with 20 or More Receptions
Eight - Washington State
Seven – Eastern Michigan, Texas Tech
Six – Ole Miss, Cal, Arizona State
Five – Arizona, Boise State, Bowling Green, BYU, East Carolina, FIU, Hawai'i, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulsa, Wake Forest, WKU

ALL-MAC WORTHY: With just a week remaining in the regular season it is worth noting the individual accomplishments that should land several EMU players on the postseason all-conference teams.
   Austin Barnes - Barnes has become a weapon in the field position battle, as he leads the MAC and is 23rd nationally in punting average at 43.9. A total of 13 of his punts (34 percent) have been downed inside the 20-yard line with just one going into the endzone for a touchback. He also boomed a season-best 58 yard punt at Miami, Nov. 7, with punting eight other tries more than 50 yards.
   Great Ibe - Ibe has become a tackling machine since arriving on the Ypsilanti campus, as he leads the MAC in tackles while ranking second nationally in wrap-ups with 123. He is also second in the league in solo stops. He is just the 15th player in school history with 300 in a career with 318.
   Darius Jackson - Jackson certainly made an impact in his only season as the team's starting tailback. He ranks among the MAC leaders in rushing touchdowns (2nd - 13), rushing yards (2nd - 996), rushing yards per game (2nd – 90.5), yards per carry (5th - 5.16), scoring (6th – 7.6), all-purpose yards (6th – 108.3). The Sparta, Ill. native has accounted for 30 percent of EMU's scoring this season while being a part of 28.4 percent of all the offensive play calls.
   Dylan Mulder - Mulder has been one of the most accurate kickers in program history, making 68.6 percent of his field goal attempts (35-of-51) and 91 percent of his point-after-touchdown tries (100-for-107). He is the only kicker in school-history to make three-or-more field goals from 50-or-longer in the same season, pushing it through from 51, 52 and 55 during in 2015 campaign.

RED HOT IN THE RED ZONE: Eastern Michigan has been one of the most efficient teams in the red-zone through 11 games this season, scoring on 28-of-34 (82 percent) attempts, which is good for fifth in the MAC and 75th in the country. 25 of those scores have been touchdowns for the Green and White.

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Players Mentioned

Austin Barnes

Dustin Creel

Clay Dawson

Bronson Hill

Great Ibe

Darius Jackson

Darian Miles

Dylan Mulder

Arron Pipkins

Brogan Roback

Kris Strange

Ray Tillman

Jalen Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics