EMU Football Game Notes for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

EMU Football vs. Old Dominion (2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl)
Date	Friday, Dec. 23 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Nassau, Bahamas \| Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (15,000)
Media Guide	EMU Notes
Watch	ESPN (Game) / ESPN3 (Trophy Presentation)
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio
Donate	EMUEaglesPride.com
Twitter	@EMUFB \| @EMUAthletics \| #EMUFB \| #LetsRoll \| #LetsBowl
Bowl Information	2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Info

NASSAU, Bahamas (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team will break its 29-year bowl game drought when it participates in the third annual Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Friday, Dec. 23 in Nassau, Bahamas. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 7-5 mark and 4-4 record in conference play. It marked the first winning season in program history since 1995, and the most wins since 1989.
   Eastern will meet the Old Dominion University Monarchs in a matchup of the Mid-American Conference against Conference USA. ODU is making its first bowl appearance in program history after finishing the regular season 9-3 and 7-1 in conference play. It is just the second year in which ODU was eligible for a bowl after transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2011.
   Kickoff from Thomas Robinson Stadium is set for 1 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN. Steve Levy and Mack Brown will be in the booth, while Kaylee Hartung reports from the sideline. The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with veteran broadcasters Matt Shepard, Rob Rubick and Chad Bush calling the action on the field. WEMU's special 30-minute pregame show from the stadium begins at 12:30 p.m.

LET'S ROLL, LET'S BOWL: The Bahamas Bowl marks the second Division I bowl game in program history, and EMU's first since 1987. EMU is 1-0 in bowl games after a 30-27 California Bowl victory over San Jose State.

ALL-TIME VS. ODU: The Eagles and Monarchs have squared off twice since ODU's resurgence in 2011, as the teams had a home and home in 2014-15. Old Dominion took both sides of the series, winning the 2014 game in Norfolk, 17-3, and the return trip in Ypsilanti, 38-34, in the 2015 season opener.

WHO ARE WE?: The Eagles will come into the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl following one of the most successful seasons in its 125-year history. EMU finished with a winning record for the first time since 1995, most wins (seven) since 1989, and its first bowl appearance since 1987 when EMU won the California Bowl. The Eagles tied the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) mark for biggest turnarounds in 2016, improving on its win total from one win in 2015, to seven this season.
   Eastern is led on offense by redshirt junior quarterback Brogan Roback, who has put up gaudy numbers in his nine appearances this season, totaling six starts. He finished the regular season with 193 completions for 2,394 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had five 300+ yard games and a season-high of 468 yards. For his efforts, he was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week three times. The offense gets its start up front from the experienced offensive line, which has 161 combined starts under its belt. The group has combined to allow the 13th fewest sacks in the nation, as well as the second fewest tackles for loss. On the ground, redshirt sophomore Ian Eriksen led the rushing attack with 741 yards on 175 carries and nine scores. Junior Sergio Bailey II was the leading pass catcher with 55 receptions for 799 yards and six touchdowns.
   Defensively, the Eagles forced 24 turnovers, good for 29th in the nation and second in the MAC. Redshirt sophomore Kyle Rachwal led EMU in tackles with 101 stops, while redshirt senior Pat O'Connor had 8.0 sacks, good for 38th in the nation and fourth in the MAC.

MAC-BEST 18 PLAYERS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-MAC: The 2016 Eastern Michigan University football team had 18 student-athletes representing the Green and White on the 2016 Mid-American Conference Football Academic All-MAC Team, the conference office announced Dec. 13. The 18 Eagles on the list are the most in the MAC and also the most in EMU history.
   Making the team were Blake Banham, Jason Beck, Dan Buschman, Ian Eriksen, Paul Fricano, Cole Gardner, Juan Giraldo, Jeremiah Harris, Clay Holford, Brody Hoying, Jake Hurcombe, Bryce Kemp, Luke Maclean, DaQuan Pace, Rob Pavletich, Brendan Renius, Ike Spearman, and Breck Turner.
Gardner, Hurcombe and Renius collected the honor for the third time in their careers, while Banham, Beck, Buschman, and Pace picked up the award for the second time. In total, 146 student-athletes were named to the team this season.
   The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.

EIGHT PLAYERS NAMED ALL-MAC: EMU saw eight of its student-athletes named to All-Mid-American Conference Teams, the league office announced Nov. 30. The eight honorees are the most since the 1996 campaign. Additionally, the eight honorees are the most under third-year head coach Chris Creighton, who had just five total postseason MAC award winners during the first two seasons of his tenure, three in 2014 and two a season ago.
   For EMU, Pat O'Connor, a 2014 First Team All-MAC award winner, led the way and was named to the conference's first team for the second time in his career, while Austin Barnes, Paul Fricano, and Cole Gardner were each named to the second team. In addition, Sergio Bailey II, Jeremiah Harris, DaQuan Pace, and Andrew Wylie all garnered All-MAC Third Team honors. Besides O'Connor, every other player earned All-MAC honors for the first time in their careers.

A FIRST FOR THE EAGLES: The Bahamas Bowl will mark the first time in the 125-year program history of the Eastern Michigan program will play a football game outside of the United States.

TRACKING THE MILES: The voyage from Ypsilanti, Mich. to Nassau, Bahamas is a whopping 1,240-mile journey. For comparison's sake, EMU traveled 1,911 total miles in six road games this season, including just 659 for the four road trips within the Mid-American Conference.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CHRIS CREIGHTON?: In his head coaching career, Chris Creighton has racked up the frequent flyer miles, coaching games in six different countries. With the stage set for a Bahamas Bowl battle against Old Dominion, Creighton will see that total move to seven as the Bahamas is added to a list that already consists of the United States, Sweden, Austria, Panama, Tanzania, and Germany.

BIGGEST TURNAROUNDS: Eastern Michigan improved on its 2015 win total by six games, from one win to seven in 2016. This is tied for the lead in the FBS for the largest turnaround from 2015 to 2016. UCF, Wyoming, and Colorado all had six-game improvements this season.

BREAKING THE RECORD BOOK: The Eagles have rewritten the record book this season with 103 different all-time top performances, as well as 16 instances where EMU set a new program record. This includes redshirt senior Pat O'Connor setting the all-time sack record with 19.5, as well as the team setting the season total offense record with 5,447 total yards.

LOOKING FOR 150: A victory over ODU would give Chris Creighton his 150th career victory.

ROBACK RISING: Redshirt junior Brogan Roback has put up gaudy numbers in his nine appearances this season, totaling six starts. He finished the regular season with 193 completions for 2,394 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had five 300+ yard games and a season-high of 468 yards. For his efforts, he was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week three times. For his career, he has 5,463 yards and 36 passing touchdowns, which ranks fourth and third all-time in program history, respectively, while his 474 completions rank fourth as well.

HISTORIC OFFENSIVE SEASON: The Eastern Michigan offense attained one of the biggest offensive seasons in its history in 2016. The team set the single season record for total offense (5,447), passing offense (3,549), total points (365), touchdown passes (23), and extra points (40), while finishing second in total plays (914), completions (283), and first downs (275) and third in total touchdowns (45).

CALIFORNIA BOWL REWIND: The then-Hurons faced tough odds to defeat the Spartans of San Jose State, as EMU entered the contest as 17-point underdogs. Jim Harkema's "Road Warriors" squad overcame the odds as they knocked off SJSU, 30-27. The EMU offense ground out 212 yards rushing, including 130 yards from game MVP Gary Patton. The EMU defense also rose to the occasion, holding San Jose State to just 81 yards rushing.

BAHAMAS CONNECTION: Former EMU women's track star Sevatheda Fynes, a native of the Bahamas, donned the Green and White during the mid-90's. As an Eagle, Fynes posted program records in the 60m and 200m indoor races, as well as the 100m and 200m outdoor events during her career. After her time at EMU, Fynes won an Olympic silver medal in the 4x100 relay at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Ga. before securing an Olympic gold medal in the 4x100 relay for her native country in the 2000 summer games in Sydney, Australia.

SEVEN EAGLES EARN ALL-MAC HONORS FROM PHIL STEELE: The EMU football team had seven of its student-athletes named to Phil Steele Postseason All-Mid-American Conference Teams, announced Dec. 12. The Eagles only had two named to the list last season. For EMU, redshirt senior defensive lineman Pat O'Connor led the way being named to the first team, while redshirt junior punter Austin Barnes, redshirt freshman placekicker Paul Fricano, and redshirt senior offensive lineman Cole Gardner were each named to the second team. In addition, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jeremiah Harris, senior defensive back DaQuan Pace, and redshirt senior offensive lineman Andrew Wylie all garnered All-MAC Third Team honors.

NEW RECEIVERS THRIVING: This season, EMU's five leading receivers are all newcomers. A trio of JUCO receivers have found success donning the Green and White, as juniors Sergio Bailey II, Antoine Porter, and Johnnie Niupalau have totaled 799, 491, and 328 receiving yards, respectively, on the season. Additionally, redshirt freshmen Nigel Kilby and Dieuly Aristilde have been stellar catching the ball, as they currently have the third and fourth-most receiving yards this year with 437 and 412, respectively. The five players have also combined to catch 19 of EMU's 23 touchdown passes on the season.

ROAD GRADERS: The offense gets its start up front from the experienced offensive line, which has 166 combined starts under its belt. The group has combined to allow the 12th-fewest sacks in the nation, as well as the second fewest tackles for loss. Anchoring the line are four redshirt seniors who have combined to make 141 of the starts, including Andrew Wylie (45), Jake Hurcombe (36), Cole Gardner (31), and Darien Terrell (29).

INSIDE THE WINS: The Eagles have posted wins over Mississippi Valley State, Charlotte, Wyoming, Bowling Green, Ohio, Ball State, and Central Michigan. Together, those teams combined for a 35-50 record, while Wyoming and Ohio both finished 8-5 on the year and won their conference's division.

O'CONNOR THE SACK KING: Senior Pat O'Connor finished the regular season at 19.5 sacks for his career, making him the program leader since 1998. Former Eagle Kevin Howe previously set the record with 17.5 from 2003-06. O'Connor's eight sacks rank 38th in the nation and fourth in the MAC.

PAUL OF DUTY: Redshirt freshman Paul Fricano broke the program record for the most PAT's made in a single-season with 40. Fricano finished 40-of-41 this season on extra point opportunities. Fricano is 17-of-22 on field goals, which ranks him 49th in the nation in field goal percentage (5th MAC), as well as 25th in field goals per game (2nd MAC). In all, his 91 points rank third in a single-season for EMU all-time.

O'VERTAKING THE CHARTS: If Pat O'Connor and Chris O'Risky play in EMU's bowl game, Dec. 23, they will have played in their 49th career game. Additionally, the duo will become the program record holders in game played, having played in more than any other Eagle.

MICHIGAN MAC SCHOOLS MAKE HISTORY: For the first time ever, all three Michigan-based Mid-American Conference schools are headed to a bowl game. Eastern Michigan, alongside Western Michigan and Central Michigan, boast a combined record of 26-11 this season.

EARNING THE EIGHTH: The Eagles head into their first bowl game in nearly three decades in search of their eighth win of the season, currently posting a 7-5 overall record. Eastern Michigan has not posted eight wins in a season since 1987, when EMU finished the season 10-2 under Jim Harkema. If the Eagles were to defeat ODU, it would be just the seventh time in EMU's 125-year history that the Green and White have posted eight-or-more wins in a season all-time.
   Prior to the Bahamas Bowl, no EMU team has ever played 13 games in a single-season.

MOODY EARNS PFF SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICAN HONORS: Sophomore Justin Moody was named a Second Team All-American on special teams by Pro Football Focus. Moody played in 11 games for EMU but made a statement on special teams. The Richmond, Va. native finished the year with 49 tackles (30 solo, 19 assist) to go along with 1.5 tackles for a loss of three yards. Of those 49 stops, 12 occurred while playing special teams. Moody recorded 10 takedowns on kickoffs and two more on punt returns. In addition, Moody also returned four kickoffs for the Eagles for a total of 71 yards. His longest return was a 27-yarder in a road victory over eventual Mid-American Conference East Division champion Ohio University, Oct. 15.

2,000-AND COUNTING: Redshirt junior quarterback Brogan Roback surpassed the 2,000-yard passing mark this season following a 184 yard performance against Northern Illinois, Nov. 16. The Toledo, Ohio native is the first EMU signal-caller since Walter Church to throw for 2,000-or-more yards in consecutive seasons. Church tossed for 2,650 yards during the 1998 campaign before following it up with 2,015 in 1999. Roback has 2,039 yards via the air this season after posting 2,304 in 2015.
   In total, Roback becomes just the third EMU signal-caller to throw for more than 2,000-yards in multiple seasons. Church did so three times, while Charlie Batch managed the feat in 1995 and 1997.

BUMPING UP THE WINS: With seven wins this season, the Eagles have produced more wins than the previous four years combined. Last year, EMU won one game, while the squad won two apiece in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.

FOCUSING ON THE FUMBLES: EMU's 13 fumble recoveries this season rank them fifth in the country and of course tops in the MAC. Senior Pat O'Connor leads the way with four forced fumbles, which is good for fourth in the nation and first in the MAC. Redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Harris is next with three and is ranked 28th in the nation (third in the MAC).

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Players Mentioned

Dieuly Aristilde Jr.

Sergio Bailey II

Blake Banham

Austin Barnes

Jason Beck

Dan Buschman

Ian Eriksen

Paulie Fricano

Cole Gardner

Juan Giraldo

Jeremiah Harris

Clay Holford

Brody Hoying

Jake Hurcombe

Bryce Kemp

Nigel Kilby

Luke Maclean

Justin Moody

Johnnie Niupalau

Pat O'Connor

Chris O'Risky

DaQuan Pace

Rob Pavletich

Antoine Porter

Kyle Rachwal

Brendan Renius

Brogan Roback

Ike Spearman

Darien Terrell

Breck Turner

Andrew Wylie

Eastern Michigan Athletics