YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Tell a buddy and bring a friend because it is Homecoming Week in Ypsilanti with the Eastern Michigan University set to close out the festive week by playing host to the University of Louisiana at ‘The Factory’ inside Rynearson Stadium Saturday, Sept. 20. The Eagles (0-3) and Ragin’ Cajuns (1-2) will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+ with Jason Ross Jr. and Tyoka Jackson on the call. The game can be heard live on WEMU (89.1 FM), The Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM with Tom Helmer (play-by-play), The Voice of the Eagles, Rob Rubick (analyst), and Elena Davis (sideline) on the radio call. 

HOMECOMING

Eastern holds an all-time record of 49-45-2 on Homecoming (23-31-1 since Rynearson Stadium opened in 1969), which was first called ‘Gala Days’ in 1920 before changing to the more recognized name in 1923. The Eagles, who came back from an 18-point deficit to win last year’s Homecoming contest, 38-34, over visiting Central Michigan, have won four consecutive Homecoming games, including 24-10 over Ball State (2023), UMass (2022), and Miami (2021). Overall, Eastern is 5-1 in Homecoming games against non-conference opponents (since 1976) with the 20-13 defeat of UMass, Sept. 24, 2022, halting a two-game skid. Additionally, Louisiana will be the eighth different non-conference opponent Eastern has faced as a member of the MAC, with the list including Akron, Arkansas State, Army, Idaho, Ohio, Southern Illinois, and UMass.

THAT’S EARLY

Saturday’s Homecoming contest (Sept. 20) stands as the earliest Homecoming game played in program history, surpassing the 2013 game against Ball State (Sept. 21), a 51-20 loss. The Eagles have played their Homecoming game in September nine times previously and stand 3-6 following their 20-13 win over UMass, Sept. 24, 2022.

MORE ON HOMECOMING

Eastern is 5-5 in Homecoming games under Chris Creighton with wins in its last four. A win Saturday would not only be the fifth consecutive victory, but also would tie for the second-longest Homecoming winning streak in program history with the 1964-68 and 1926-30 squads. The program record was set from 1952-58 when Eastern won seven consecutive Homecoming games.

NO. 134 IN THE 734

Eastern Michigan is currently playing its 134th season of football with the program first playing in 1891. Tied with NC State and Iowa State for 29th on the all-time ledger in seasons played, the Eagles are third in the Mid-American Conference behind newcomer UMass (143rd season) and Miami (137th). Along with Miami, the only other team on this year’s schedule that has played more seasons is Kentucky (135th).

THE EASTERN 500

Following the loss at Kentucky (Sept. 13), Eastern holds an all-time record of 495-633-47, leaving it five wins shy of 500. The Eagles are one of four teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) that could reach 500 wins this season, including Temple (498), Rice (498), and Wake Forest (497).

WINNERS IN SEPTEMBER 

Since the 2016 season, Head Coach Chris Creighton has led Eastern to a 15-15 record in the month of September. From 2013-15, EMU posted a cumulative September record of 0-9.

KNOW THE FOE: LOUISIANA

The Ragin’ Cajuns enter the week with a 1-2 record following their 52-10 loss at No. 25 Missouri, Sept. 13. Louisiana, which opened the year with a close 14-12 loss at home to Rice before bouncing back with a 34-10 home win over McNeese, is averaging nearly 195 yards per game on the ground is led by Zylan Perry, who has tallied 226 yards with one score. Defensively, Jaden Dugger leads the way with 25 tackles and is one of five players that has recorded 1.0 sacks this year.

IN THE SERIES: LOUISIANA

The Ragin’ Cajuns lead the all-time series, 2-1, and have won two consecutive meetings, including a 49-21 decision in Lafayette, Sept. 10, 2022. The Eagles are 1-0 when hosting the game after securing a 31-10 victory inside Rynearson Stadium, Sept. 10, 2005. Louisiana won the second game, 33-14, in Lafayette, Sept. 30, 2006.

#MACTION VERSUS #FUNBELT

Eastern is 7-15-1 all-time against the current members of the Sun Belt Conference after falling at Texas State, 52-27, in the season-opener (Aug. 30). Previously, the Eagles have played Arkansas State (1-2-0), Coastal Carolina (1-0-0), Georgia Southern (0-1-0), Louisiana (1-2-0), Louisiana-Monroe (2-2-1), Marshall (1-3-0), Old Dominion (0-3-0), South Alabama (1-1-0), and Texas State (1-1-0). The lone win against Arkansas State came Oct. 9, 1976, the first Homecoming game played as a member of the MAC.

LAST MEETING WITH LOUISIANA

Eastern Michigan and Louisiana last met Sept, 10, 2022, inside Cajun Field with the host Ragin’ Cajuns taking a 49-21 victory despite the Eagles building a 14-0 halftime lead. With momentum on its side and the lead, a lightning stoppage of 1:45 changed the game as the Ragin’ Cajuns outscored EMU, 49-7, after the break.

    Taylor Powell was 31-of-50 for 317 yards as nine different Eagles caught at least one pass, including Tanner Knue, who led the way with 89 yards and one score on eight receptions. Defensively, Jose Ramirez posted a team-high seven tackles and 1.0 TFLs.

THE LAST TIME IN YPSILANTI

In the only meeting between the two teams in Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan turned two Louisiana turnovers into a 14-0 lead and built a 24-3 halftime advantage that it did not relinquish as the Eagles claimed a 31-10 win, Sept. 14, 2002, inside Rynearson Stadium.

    Matt Bonhet tallied four touchdowns, including two rushing and two passing, to pace the offense that saw Eric Deslauriers pull in nine passes for 94 yards and one score. Defensively, Michael Richardson tallied 14 tackles as the Eagles held an opponent to 10 or fewer points for the first time in four years.

THE PELICAN STATE

Eastern holds an all-time record of 7-13-2 against teams from the state of Louisiana and stands 6-2-0 when welcoming those teams to Ypsilanti. The last time EMU hosted a team from the Bayou State was the first meeting with Louisiana, Sept. 10, 2005, a 31-10 win for the Eagles. The first time Eastern squared off with a team from Louisiana came No. 4, 1967, in a 12-10 loss at ULM.

MAKING DEBUTS • TRANSFERS

Eastern has seen 31 players take their first snaps with the team this years with 19 transfers (18 in 2025 and one from 2024) on that list,  including: Kadin Bailey, Caleb Coley, Nathan Dibert, Caleb Dobbs, Tavierre Dunlap, Makhi Gilbert, Nick Harris, James Jointer Jr., Noah Kim, Tanner Lemaster, Joshua Long, Ja’Quel Mack, Andrew Marshall, James Monds III, Marco Patierno, Benson Prosper, Porter Rooks, Juan Salas Jr., and Warren-Stevens Tayou. 

MAKING DEBUTS • FRESHMEN

Twelve freshmen have seen their first collegiate playing time this season with redshirt freshman Javon Thomas taking the field at Kentucky. He joins the list of first-year players that also includes: Tylan Boykin, Quincy Byas, Marvell Eggelston Jr.,  Antonio Floyd, Reggie Gardner, Hector Gonzalez, Ray Hester, Rudy Kessinger, Harold Mack Jr., Zah’eed Pierre, and Donmiel Rogers.

ON THE STARTING LINE

Through three games played, 14 different players have earned their first starts with the Eagles, including two in the game at Kentucky in freshman Donmiel Rogers, who started in the defensive backfield, and Owen Snively, who earned a spot on the offensive line. Snively’s start was his first with Eastern after earning six with Colorado State in 2022.

Along with Rogers and Snively, the 12 other players to earn starts with Eastern this year include: Dodji Dahoue, Nick Deveraux, Tavierre Dunlap, Makhi Gilbert, Noah Kim, Bryce Llewellyn, Joshua Long, Jason Marshall, Sterling Miles, Benson Prosper, Porter Rooks, and Terrance Saunders.

2025 Most First-Time Starters 

14 – Eastern Michigan, Navy, Louisiana Tech

13 – Old Dominion, UTSA, Bowling Green

12 – Oregon

11 – Bowling Green, Syracuse

10 – Fresno State

9 – Louisiana 

GOING GREEN IN THE RED ZONE

The Eagles are 1-of-27 teams in the FBS with a perfect mark in the red zone as the Eagles have scored on all 10 opportunities in 2025. Eastern, who is tied for the 10th-most visits to the red zone among those 27 teams, has tallied five touchdowns (three rushing and two passing) while adding five field goals. The Eagles are tied for the MAC lead with Northern Illinois, who is 3-of-3.

PROTECT THE BALL

Taking care of the ball is a big key to every game. Offensively, the Eagles have committed just one turnover through three games to tie for the fewest through the first three games of the season with the 2024 squad. Eastern, whose interception on the first play of the game at Kentucky snapped its two game streak, are tied for 10th nationally in turnovers lost with only nine teams yet to tally a miscue. Additionally, the Eagles are 1-of-38 teams in the FBS that has not lost a fumble in 2025.

NEED A LEAD

The Eagles have not held a lead in their first three games this season. In fact, it has been 22 consecutive quarters since Eastern was ahead on the scoreboard. The last lead EMU held was a 7-0 advantage at Ohio, Nov. 13, 2024.

KEEPING IT LEGAL

Eastern is currently one of the fewest penalized teams nationally as the Eagles rank 27th in fewest penalties (13), 22nd in fewest penalties per game (4.33), 17th in fewest penalty yards (95), and 14th in penalty yards per game (31.67). Among MAC teams, Eastern ranks third in both number of penalties and per game average behind Akron and Buffalo while sitting second behind the Zips in both yards and game average.

CAREER DAY FOR KIM

In the game at Kentucky (Sept. 30), Noah Kim posted career highs in several categories as he finished with 330 yards passing on 25-of-42 passing with one touchdown and one interception while adding 19 yards rushing and one score on nine carries. With his arm, Kim surpassed his previous career high of 292 yards against Richmond (Sept. 9, 2023) while playing for Michigan State with his 25 completions tying his career-best recorded at Iowa (Sept. 30, 2023). Additionally, his 330 yards are three shy of his total passing yards in seven games with Coastal Carolina in 2024 (333 yards).

PUMPING OUT PRODUCTION

Noah Kim delivered one of the most productive performances in Eastern Michigan history against Kentucky, throwing for 330 yards and adding a rushing touchdown. Since 1995, only eight Eagles quarterbacks have reached the 330-yard mark with a rushing score in the same game. Furthermore, he is just the seventh signal caller to do it against Kentucky during that span and the first since Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott tossed for 348 yards while running for three scores.

Charlie Batch vs. Central Michigan (10-7-95)

Walter Church at Kent State (10-3-98)

Andy Schmitt at Temple (11-22-08)

Andy Schmitt vs. Central Michigan (11-28-08)

Brogan Roback at Ball State (11-8-16)

Preston Hutchinson vs. Western Michigan (10-19-19)

Preston Hutchinson vs. Central Michigan (11-27-20)

Noah Kim vs. Kentucky (9-13-25)

STACKING STATS

Noah Kim has accumulated 767 yards passing in three games, giving him an average of 255.7 yards per contest. Ahead of this season, his highest production came in 2023 as a member of the Michigan State program where he tallied 1,090 yards in five games (218.0/game). As it stands, Kim is just 323 yards away from equaling his most productive passing season and 233 yards from breaking 1,000 in a single season for the second time in his career.

THROUGH THE AIR

Noah Kim has thrown for at least one touchdown in each of his first three games with the Eagles, which ties his the longest single-season stretch of his career after tallied one each for the Spartans in 2022 games against Akron (Sept. 10), Minnesota (Sept. 24), and Ohio State (Oct. 8). When combining seasons, his career-best streak is five games as he added two scores against Central Michigan (Sept. 1) and three against Richmond (Sept. 9) in the first two games of the 2023 campaign.

ONE IF BY LAND…

While Noah Kim has shown off his arm strength, he also featured his legs at Kentucky (Sept. 13) as he recorded the first rushing touchdown of his career. After not running the ball in his previous 19 games, Kim scored on a five-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter against the Wildcats. Having already thrown for one score earlier in the game, the late score marked the first time in his career that Kim threw for one touchdown and ran for one in the same game.

LEADER OF THE MAC

Through three games, Noah Kim finds himself among the MAC leaders for quarterbacks as he has accumulated 767 yards on 66-of-105 passing, the highest in the league. Ranked third with 62.9 completion percentage, Kim’s 255.7 yards per game average is 56.0 yards per game better than the next quarterback while he also ranks tied for third with just one interception thrown.

THE LONG BALL

In the game at Kentucky (Sept. 13), Noah Kim not only completed 25 passes, but also completed four that went for over 20 yards, tying for his single-game high in 2025 with the four he recorded at Texas State (Aug. 30). So far this season, Kim has connected on 11 passes of 20+, four of 30+, and one of 60+ yards after hitting Terry Lockett Jr. for a 64-yard scoring strike at Kentucky. Along with the grab by Lockett Jr., Kim found Tavierre Dunlap for 39 yards, Joey Mattord for 22, and Joshua Long for 25 against the Wildcats.

CAREER LONG

In the Kentucky game (Sept. 13), two of Noah Kim’s long passes stood as the longest in the careers of two Eagles with Joshua Long’s 25-yard reception and Tavierre Dunlap’s 39-yarder breaking marks. Long entered the game with best of 19 yards (vs. Long Island) and bettered that by six yards while Dunlap entered with a long of five yards he recorded with Michigan, Sept. 17, 2022, against UConn, before catching a pass 34-yards longer.

DONTAE 2K

Dontae McMillan is closing in on 2,000 career rushing yards as his 83 yards on 13 carries at Kentucky brought his career total to 1,989 yards, leaving him 11 away from the milestone. McMillan, who finished the game with the Wildcats with 105 total yards after also recording 22 yards on three receptions, accumulated 1,651 yards on the ground for Weber State (2020-22) before transferring to Eastern Michigan where he has tallied 338 yards. Through three games played, McMillan ranks fourth in the MAC with 73.0 yards per game while his 219 rushing yards rank second in the league. He is also tied for eighth in the MAC in scoring with 4.0 points per game and is 1-of-3 players that have recorded at least one rushing and one receiving touchdown this year.

MORE FROM McMILLAN

Dontae McMillan is the first running back to rush for 80 or more yards and post 20 or more receiving yards against Kentucky’s defense since the 2022 season. Overall, it has happened just 61 times since 1995, with South Carolina’s Marshawn Lloyd accomplishing the feat with 110 yards on the ground and 31 via the air in a 24-14 victory, Oct. 8, 2022.

BIG BOOTS

Rudy Kessinger finished the Kentucky game 3-of-4 in field goal attempts as he connected on his first three attempts before missing a 55-yarder in the fourth quarter. His first make came from 38 yards in the first quarter, which stood as a new career high (was 37 at Texas State) before resetting the mark to 50 yards in the second quarter. His 50-yarder is the first for an EMU kicker since Jesus Gomez connected on two at Washington, Sept. 7, 2024, with makes of 57 and 50.

KESSINGER MOVING UP

Rudy Kessinger is 6-of-7 in field goal attempts in 2025 with his first miss coming at Kentucky on a 55-yard attempt. The redshirt freshman has tallied 25 points already this year (six field goals and seven PATs) to rank third overall in the MAC in scoring and second among kickers while also sitting third in scoring average with 8.3 points per game. Overall, he is averaging 2.0 field goals made per game, which ranks second in the MAC and 11th nationally through games played Sept. 13.

KICKING CAREER

Mitchell Tomasek, through the game at Kentucky, has accumulated 7,851 career punting yards, placing him sixth on the program’s career ledger. Tomasek is now 212 yards behind Jay Kurtz (2010-12) for fifth after Kurtz tallied 8,063 yards in his career. Tomasek needs just 149 yards to reach 8,000 yards for his career.

PULLING OUT THE DRIVER

Mitchell Tomasek has hit 52 of his 176 career punts for 50+ yards (29.5 percent), including 13 over 60 yards, while recording just 15 touchbacks. For his career, Tomasek has recorded a best of 72 yards at Jacksonville State (Sept. 23, 2023) while hitting a 70-yarder at home against Ball State (Oct. 7, 2023). He has recorded at least three punts of 62 yards or better in all three seasons he has played for the Eagles and is one away already from making four consecutive years after recording punts of 63 and 62-yards at Texas State.

UPPER HALF

Since 2016, Eastern has posted 54 wins, which ranks as the sixth-most victories of any team in the MAC.

74 • Toledo

70 • Ohio

60 • Western Michigan, Miami

57 • Buffalo

54 • Eastern Michigan

52 • Northern Illinois 

49 • Central Michigan

41 • Ball State

38 • Bowling Green 

31 • Kent State

26 • Akron

18 • UMass

* updated through 2025 Week 3 games

FLYING THE FLAG

When a MAC team defeats a member of a “Power Four” conference, they celebrate by hoisting a black flag with the MAC logo placed above crossbones, something the Eagles have done four times since 2017 with victories over Rutgers, Purdue, Illinois, and Arizona State. Dating back to the start of the 2006 season, at least one member of the MAC has flown the flag with the conference accumulating 48 wins in that stretch of 19 consecutive seasons, including 32 against the Big Ten. All told, the MAC has posted wins against foes from the Big Ten (32), SEC (2), Big 12 (6), the former Pac-12 (2), the ACC (4), and one over Notre Dame.

    Overall, in the Eagles’ four wins tie for the sixth-highest total in the MAC with Ball State and Western Michigan while Northern Illinois leads the way with nine, both Bowling Green and Central Michigan have six, and Ohio and Toledo have five.

    In 2025, the streak continued as Ohio handed visiting West Virginia (Big 12) a 17-10 decision in Athens, Sept. 6.

BACK ON THE LANES?

After missing out on a bowl game in 2024 by one victory, the Eagles will look to return to the postseason in 2025 and claim their seventh appearance under Chris Creighton. For the 2025 season, the MAC has affiliations with four games: the former Bahamas Bowl (vs. Conference USA), the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (vs. Mountain West), the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (vs. MWC), and the GameAbove Sports Bowl (vs. Big Ten). Additionally, the MAC could send teams to two of the following: 68 Ventures Bowl (vs. Sun Belt), Boca Raton Bowl (vs. Group of Five), Camellia Bowl (vs. ACC/Sun Belt), Cure Bowl (vs. Group of Five), Frisco Bowl (vs. Group of Five), Myrtle Beach Bowl (vs. ACC/SBC), and New Mexico Bowl (vs. CUSA).

BOWL APPEARANCES

Since 2016, 12-of-13 current MAC teams have played in at least one bowl, with the Eagles appearing in six, which ranks tied for third-most with Miami while Ohio and Toledo lead the way with seven.

7 • Ohio, Toledo

6 • Eastern Michigan, Miami

5 • Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan

4 • Central Michigan

3 • Bowling Green

2 • Ball State, Kent State

1 • Akron

0 • UMass (only bowl was 1964)

CREIGHTON CLIMBING

Head Coach Chris Creighton is entering his 12th year at the helm of the Eastern program and has accumulated 57 wins with the Eagles, the second-most in program history behind the 114 secured under Elton J. Rynearson, for whom the Eagles’ home venue is named, sported 196 career wins, leaving him four away from 200. The third-longest tenured coach in program history behind Rynearson (26 years) and Fred Trosko (13) and one of just four men to lead the program for 10+ seasons, Creighton currently ranks fifth among active FBS coaches in career victories, trailing only Brian Kelly at LSU (294), K.C. Keeler at Sam Houston (273), Kirk Ferentz at Iowa (217), and Willie Fritz at Houston (214). 

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS UNDER CREIGHTON

Since the start of the 1976 season, Eastern Michigan has won 55 games in non-conference play with 43.6 percent of those victories (24 wins) coming in the past 11 seasons under Chris Creighton, an average of two non-conference wins per season. 

    In that same span, 14 of those wins have come on the road with a Creighton-led squad capturing nine wins (64.3 percent), including wins at Big Ten Conference opponents Rutgers (16-13, Sept. 9, 2017), Purdue (20-19, Sept. 8, 2018), and Illinois (34-31, Sept. 14, 2019), while adding a 30-21 win at Arizona State (Sept. 17, 2022), a then-member of the Pac-12 (currently Big 12).

THEY HAVE THE TOUCH

Over the past 11 seasons (2014-24), the Eagles’ 26 blocked kicks have them tied for third-most among all teams in the MAC as Eastern, Miami, and Toledo are one off the pace set by both Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, who each have 27. Over that span, Eastern has tallied at least one block in nine consecutive years (20 blocks) with Akron next with six consecutive years (8). EMU is one of three schools (CMU and Toledo) that has recorded at least one block in 10-of-11 seasons during the current span.

NO KICKING ZONE

Since taking over the program in 2014, Chris Creighton‘s teams have blocked 26 kicks, including at least one in each of the past nine consecutive years. In 2024, the Eagles blocked four kicks, the second-highest total for the team under Creighton behind only the six blocks tallied in 2014. Last year, Eastern blocked one punt and one point-after try at Washington (Sept. 7), blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown at home against St. Francis (Sept. 21), and blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt at Ohio (Nov. 13). The four blocks tied for the MAC lead with Northern Illinois while ranking sixth among all NCAA FBS teams.

    Overall, in the 11 seasons under Creighton, EMU has blocked 10 field goal attempts, 10 punts with five being returned for touchdowns, and six extra-point attempts with one returned for a two-point defensive score.

SAFE TO ASSUME IT WILL BE CLOSE

Since 2016, Eastern Michigan has played 111 contests, recording a 54-57 record in those games. The margin has been razor thin with the contests decided by a combined 70 points. EMU has scored 2,991 points (27.1 ppg), while giving up 3,091 points (28.1). 

SINGLE SCORES

Since the start of the 2016 season, Eastern is tied for second nationally with 58 one-score games played, sitting behind Northern Illinois (63). 

1. Northern Illinois – 63 (31-32)

t-2. Eastern Michigan – 58 (28-30)

t-2. Texas – 58 (26-32) 

4. Iowa State – 57 (26-31) 

5. Nebraska – 55 (16-39) 

6. Kansas State – 55 (26-29) 

7. North Carolina – 52 (22-30) 

t-8. Oklahoma State – 50 (31-19)

t-8. Tulsa – 50 (22-28) 

AYE, AYE CAPTAINS!

The Eagles will be led by six captains in the 2025 season. Following a vote of the current roster, the players selected Jefferson Adam, Tavierre Dunlap, Dramarian McNulty, Noah Kim, Zach Mowchan, and Mickey Rewolinski to serve as captains this season.

ON THE HORIZON

With the non-conference schedule complete, Eastern Michigan will turn its focus to the Mid-American Conference as the Eagles will travel north to Mount Pleasant, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 27, to face rival Central Michigan University inside Kelly Shorts Stadium. The game will air on ESPN+ with kick off set for 1 p.m. Tom Helmer (play-by-play), Rob Rubick (analyst), Elena Davis (sideline), and Greg Steiner (halftime) will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app.