Glass Bowl -- Toledo, OH
ESPN2
There is a four-team tie for second place in the MAC West, with everybody except Northern Illinois (4-0 MAC) tied at 2-2 in conference play. As the conference race heads down the home stretch, Eastern Michigan and Toledo will battle for a chance to stay in the race Tuesday night, with the winner adding a notch on its bowl eligibility resume.
EMU, in fact, already has five wins overall. So, a win at Toledo will make the Eagles bowl eligible for a fourth time in the previous five (full) seasons. Eastern Michigan is coming off a 55-24 win at Bowling Green.
Toledo, meanwhile, shook off a two-game MAC losing streak to knock off a strong Western Michigan squad 34-15 last week. Entering this this week at 4-4 overall, the Rockets still need two wins for bowl eligibility. Of course, there could be some wiggle room as UT finishes against Bowling Green, Ohio and Akron. That trio has combined for just two conference victories and five wins overall.
Toledo leads, 36-12. The Rockets have won 19 of the last 21 games in the series, including a 45-28 victory in Ypsilanti last season.
Eastern has not beaten Toledo inside the Glass Bowl in over two decades. The last time EMU came away victorious in Toledo was Oct. 23, 1999, when the Eagles beat the Rockets, 20-13. EMU has lost 10 consecutive road matchups against Toledo.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES (5-3, 2-2 MAC)
>> EMU has won five of its first eight games two times under eighth-year Head Coach Chris Creighton. Prior to Creighton’s arrival, the Green and White had not accomplished the feat since the 1995 season. . In its time as a MAC member, just 11 EMU teams have reached five-or-more wins for the entirety of a season. Chris Creighton has led five of those teams, including this year’s squad.
>> After falling to Ball State one week earlier, the Eagles took out some frustrations last Saturday by dominating Bowling Green 55-24. After trailing 10-7 midway through the second quarter, Eastern Michigan erupted for 48 of the next 55 points before a late Falcon TD.
>> EMU out-gained the hosts 455-374. Ben Bryant completed 20 of 26 pass attempts for 286 yards and two scores. Gunnar Oakes and Dylan Drummond led the way for receivers, combining for 10 catches, 142 yards and two TDs.
>> The Eagles ground out 130 yards, averaging 3.3 ypc against Bowling Green. On the season, Eastern Michigan is averaging 126 ypc and 4.1 ypc (9th MAC). However, Eastern Michigan is third in passing offense (244.9 ypc). The Green and White are first in offensive efficiency.
>> Eastern Michigan is second in defensive efficiency, second against the run and fifth defending the pass.
>> EMU’s 55 points at Bowling Green are the 10th most points in a single game in program history and the third-most by an EMU team on the road.
>> A common goal in Head Coach Chris Creighton’s program, Eastern has won or tied (26 wins, 4 ties) the turnover battle in 30 of its last 32 victories under Creighton. EMU won the turnover battle, 2-1, against Bowling Green, Oct. 23.
>> EMU has been perfect in the red zone during its last three games. The Eagles have produced points on 11-of-11 red zone trips since the Miami game, Oct. 9. In total, eight of the scores have been of the touchdown variety, while three have been field goals. Eastern is 29-of-33 in the red zone this season, which is fourth in the MAC and 45th nationally. Last year, EMU was a perfect 28-for-28 inside the red line.
>> Eastern Michigan has been one of the best teams in the nation when it comes to recovering fumbles in 2021. The Eagles have picked up six loose balls this season, which ranks fourth in the MAC and 25th nationally.
>> In addition to being one of the nation’s best teams at recovering fumbles, EMU is also one of the best teams at holding on to the ball. EMU has lost a fumble just twice this season. That number is the best among any team in the Mid-American Conference and ranks 11th in the nation.
>> After starting the season just 3-for-6, junior kicker Chad Ryland has hit his stride, knocking in his last five attempts and seven of his last eight overall. He is now 8-for-11 on the season, and has hit three 47-yarders on the year.
>> Both the EMU offense and defense have been successful on fourth down plays in 2021. As an offense, the Eagles have converted 64 percent (7-of-11) of their fourth down tries. That number is good for second in the MAC and 36th nationally. Defensively, Eastern has held its opponents to just 38 percent (5-of-13) on its fourth down tries, which ranks second in the MAC and 29th nationally.
>> Eastern Michigan’s offense is the best scoring unit in the Mid-American Conference. Averaging 32.8 points per game, EMU has put up 262 total points on 34 touchdowns, eight field goals, and 34 extra points. In total, 13 different Eagles have found the pay dirt in 2021, including five players who have scored multiple touchdowns. Sophomore Samson Evans leads all Eagles with seven touchdowns, while freshman Darius Boone Jr. has six.
>> EMU has been one of the most disciplined teams in the country thus far in 2021. The Eagles rank third in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game (32), second in fewest penalties per game (3.75), fifth in fewest total penalties (30), and sixth in fewest total penalty yards (256).
>> UT trailed Western Michigan 15-13 at intermission Saturday. However, the Rockets scored three straight third quarter touchdowns and held WMU scoreless in the second half.
>> Zachary Ford's 35-yard fumble return for a TD was part of the Rockets third quarter run. Toledo owned a 2-0 advantage in forced turnovers.
>> Freshman Dequan Finn connected on just 8 of 24 passes totaling 138 yards with two TDs. Danzel McKinley-Lewis and Bryce Mitchell both had just one catch -- each for a touchdown.
>> The Rockets ground game churned out 192 yards (4.5 ypc) with a score. Bryant Koback led the way with 17 totes for 100 yards (5.9 ypc). Micah Kelly logged eight carries for a total of 38 yards with one touchdown.
>> Toledo’s defense stopped Western on fourth down three times in three attempts. Maxen Hook and Tycen Anderson combined for 19 tackles to lead the defense.
>> Junior defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson is tied for the lead in the MAC with 8.0 tackles for loss.
>> Sophomore kicker Thomas Cluckey has hit 13 of 20 field goal attempts (long of 50 yards) and all 25 PAT tries.
>> Sophomore Devin Maddox leads the MAC in punt return averge, gaining 13.3 yards per attempt.
>> Toledo ranks first in the MAC in scoring defense (18.3) and defensive passing efficiency (112.3), second in total defense (326.9), and fourth in rushing defesne (146.1).
>> Redshirt freshman quarterback Dequan Finn is second on the team with 354 rushing yards. He has rushed for a team-best six touchdowns this year, including two scores at CMU on Oct. 16. Four of his scores have been long distance calls—70, 36, 26 and 24
yards.
>> Toledo has 22 players on its roster who are in at least their fifth season on a college football roster. Of those, nine have at least six years of experience, and two