{"id":892771,"date":"2026-09-15T10:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/892771\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T10:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:26:15","slug":"football-faces-road-test-at-wisconsin-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/892771\/","title":{"rendered":"Football Faces Road Test at Wisconsin Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nMADISON, Wis. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team returns to the road this week for its second consecutive match-up with a Big Ten Conference opponent as the Eagles will travel to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., for a late morning meeting with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday, Sept. 19. The Eagles (1-2) and Badgers (1-1) are set to meet for the fifth time in a series dating back to 1991 with this latest edition kicking at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET).
\n\u00a0
\nTUNE IN
\nThe fifth meeting in the series between Eastern Michigan and Wisconsin will be aired live on the Peacock with Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Matt Cassel (analyst), and Lewis Johnson (sideline) on the call. The Voice of the Eagles, Tom Helmer, is back on the air with play-by-play calls on WEMU (89.1 FM) with Rob Rubick joining him in the booth to break down all the action that can be heard live on WEMU.org, The Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM.
\n\u00a0
\nTHE YPSI 500
\nEastern Michigan secured its 500th all-time victory with its 28-17 win over visiting Sacramento State, Aug. 29, inside Rynearson Stadium for both team’s season and Mid-American Conference opener. Standing 1-2 this year, the Eagles hold a record of 500-639-47 all-time with their victory over the Hornets making them the 111th different FBS program to reach the 500-win milestone. The next two teams on the list chasing 500 include Houston (487) and fellow MAC member Ball State (483).
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\nGOING LIVE ON YEAR 135
\nThe 2026 season marks the 135th varsity campaign for Eastern Michigan and its 51st as a member of the Mid-American Conference. EMU, then known as Michigan State Normal School, played its first game, Oct. 21, 1891, and has played at least two games every calendar year since then with the exception of 1944 (World War II).
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\nEASTERN AMONG NCAA LEADERS
\nEastern Michigan ranks among the NCAA’s top 10 in four team statistical categories, including fifth nationally in fewest penalty yards per game, fifth in fumbles recovered, ninth in turnovers gained and ninth in defensive touchdowns. The Eagles average 25.33 penalty yards per game, ranking fifth nationally and first in the MAC. EMU also ranks ninth nationally and first in the conference with five turnovers gained. The Eagles’ three fumble recoveries rank fifth nationally and second in the MAC. EMU also ranks ninth nationally and first in the MAC with one defensive touchdown. As a team, EMU ranks 58th nationally and third in the MAC with 5.7 tackles for loss per game.
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\nIndividually, Noah Kim<\/a> ranks 24th nationally and first in the MAC with 571 passing yards. He also ranks 20th nationally and second in the conference with 22.33 completions per game. Amareon Blue<\/a> leads the MAC with 176 rushing yards, ranking 35th nationally. His 5.68 yards per carry rank 43rd nationally and first in the MAC. Defensively, Zach Mowchan<\/a> ranks 16th nationally and third in the MAC with 10.0 tackles per game. Jason Marshall<\/a> ranks 20th in the MAC with 6.7 tackles per game. Marshall and Caleb Dobbs<\/a> each have one interception, ranking 21st nationally and tied for third in the MAC. Daniel Hull<\/a> ranks 41st nationally and seventh in the MAC with a 42.2-yard punting average.
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\nMOWCHAN LEADING THE WAY
\nZach Mowchan<\/a> entered the 2026 season following a 2025 campaign that saw him play nine games and record 43 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, for his most productive season with the program. Through three games this year, Mowchan has tallied 30 total tackles, which has him tied for the national lead with Kana Moore of Hawai’i. Mowchan has risen to another level this year as his 30 tackles include 11 solo stops and 2.0 TFLs. While his TFL total doubled his career total coming into the year, he is 13 total tackles and three solo stops from tying his season-best marks.
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\nBACK-TO-BACK AT IT AGAIN
\nFor the third consecutive game, the Eagles will be finishing off the back-half of a back-to-back with the latest instance seeing Eastern Michigan play a Big Ten opponent for the second consecutive game after falling at Michigan State, 35-7, Sept. 12. The double ups started with EMU’s Week 0 (Sacramento State) and Week 1 (San Jose State) games that featured back-to-back contests against California schools, marking the first two games against a Golden State opponent played in Ypsilanti. Last week saw the Eagles play their second consecutive game against the Spartans after first playing San Jose State before taking on Michigan State. One more double appears on the EMU slate later this year as the Eagles will face Michigan MAC foes in back-to-back games, including Central Michigan (Nov. 4) in Week 10 and Western Michigan (Nov. 17) Week 11.
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\nKNOW THE FOE: WISCONSIN
\nWisconsin opened 2026 with a 41-13 loss to No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6 before rebounding with a 36-9 home-opener victory over Western Illinois on Sept. 12. The Badgers are averaging 345.0 yards of total offense per game and allowing 326.0.
\nColton Joseph has thrown for 390 yards on the season, including 217 yards against Notre Dame and 173 yards (12-of-22) against Western Illinois, while Abu Sama III has rushed for 156 yards through two games, highlighted by a 107-yard effort against WIU that opened with a 72-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Tyrell Henry, a Michigan native (Roseville) totaled 91 receiving yards in the win over WIU. Defensively, Cooper Catalano is one of the most productive tacklers in the country, ranking sixth nationally with 22 total tackles (11.0 per game) while Mason Posa logged 15 tackles against UND.
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\nALL-TIME VERSUS THE BADGERS
\nThe Badgers hold a 4-0 lead in the all-time series that has been played exclusively in Madison. The first meeting was a 21-6 victory for the hosts, Sept. 28, 1991, with the two teams meeting three years later when the No. 10 Badgers won, 56-0, Sept. 10, 1994. After playing two years later in 1996 (Sept. 7), a 24-3 win for UW, the teams didn’t meet again until 2021, a 34-7 win of the Badgers, Sept. 11, 2021.
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\nALL-TIME VERSUS THE BIG TEN
\nIncluding the four new additions to the league in 2024, Eastern Michigan holds a 3-42-0 all-time record against the current Big Ten with the 11 games played against Michigan State standing as the most-played. To date, the Eagles have played 13 of the current 18 teams in the league, including Illinois (1-0), Indiana (0-1), Maryland (0-4), Michigan (0-10), MSU (0-11), Minnesota (0-1), Northwestern (0-3), Ohio State (0-1), Penn State (0-3), Purdue (1-2), Rutgers (1-1), Washington (0-1), and Wisconsin (0-4).
\n\u00a0
\nB1G STREAK
\nEMU owns a unique run of recent success against the Big Ten, winning three consecutive road games against the conference from 2017-19. The Eagles opened the streak with a 16-13 victory at Rutgers in 2017, their first-ever win over a Big Ten opponent after 38 consecutive losses. Jeremiah Harris sealed the win with a sack with five seconds remaining. EMU followed with a 20-19 win at Purdue in 2018, overcoming a 19-17 deficit with a late scoring drive capped by Chad Ryland’s game-winning field goal. The following season, Ryland delivered again, hitting a 24-yard field goal as time expired to give the Eagles a 34-31 victory at Illinois. EMU rallied from behind in the final minutes, with Mike Glass III leading an 84-yard drive in 1:44 to set up the winning kick. The three-game run marked three consecutive seasons with a Big Ten road win, and EMU became one of only three MAC programs to win three consecutive games against Big Ten foes during the conference’s 2006-24 stretch of B1G victories.
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\nLAST MEETING WITH WISCONSIN
\nThe last meeting between Eastern Michigan and Wisconsin came Sept. 11, 2021, when No. 18 Wisconsin defeated the Eagles, 34-7, in Madison. The Badgers dominated on the ground, rushing for 352 yards, led by Chez Mellusi’s 144 yards and one touchdown, while Jalen Berger added 62 yards and a score and Isaac Guerendo broke an 82-yard touchdown run. Wisconsin also controlled the game defensively, limiting EMU to 92 total yards, three first downs and only 13 rushing yards while holding the ball for 40 minutes. Eastern Michigan’s lone touchdown came from freshman defensive back David Carter Jr., who returned an interception 98 yards for a score.
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\nNON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS UNDER CREIGHTON
\nSince the start of the 1976 season, Eastern Michigan has won 56 games in non-conference play with 44.6 percent of those victories (25 wins) coming in the past 12 seasons under Chris Creighton<\/a>, 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 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).
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\nDEFENSE HOLDS MSU UNDER 475 YARDS
\nEastern Michigan held Michigan State to 472 total yards in Saturday’s 35-7 loss, marking the 16th time since 1995 the Eagles have held a Big Ten opponent to 475 or fewer total yards. The Spartans finished with 214 passing yards and 258 rushing yards, while EMU forced one turnover. Michigan State’s 472 total yards rank 15th among the 16 qualifying performances. The Eagles have held Michigan State to 475 or fewer total yards in four meetings since 1995, with the Spartans totaling 440 yards in 1996, 418 in 2008, 428 in 2012 and 472 in 2026. EMU also held Michigan State to 35 points, the Spartans’ lowest scoring total against the Eagles since a 23-7 victory in 2012.
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\nMARSHALL, SALAS JOIN RARE B1G TACKLING GROUP
\nJason Marshall<\/a> and Juan Salas<\/a>, Jr., each reached double figures in tackles at Michigan State, Sept. 12, giving EMU multiple 10-tackle performers against a Big Ten opponent for only the fifth time since 1995. Marshall led the Eagles with 13 tackles, including six solo stops, while Salas added 11. Their 24 combined tackles marked EMU’s latest two-player, double-digit tackling performance against the Big Ten. The previous four came in 2023 at Minnesota, 2012 at Michigan State, 2009 at Northwestern and 2008 at Michigan State. Donald Coleman owns the highest individual total with 19 tackles at Michigan State in 2012, while Vince Calhoun had 15 at Illinois in 2019.
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\nMARSHALL-ING UP THE STOPS
\nJason Marshall<\/a> recorded 13 tackles and a fumble recovery at Michigan State, Sept. 12, becoming the only EMU player since 1995 to record 10 or more tackles and recover a fumble against a Big Ten opponent. Marshall finished with six solo tackles and seven assists, pairing his double-digit tackle performance with the takeaway. His 13 tackles also rank among the highest single-game totals by an EMU player against a Big Ten opponent since 1995.
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\nGROUP TACKLING
\nEastern finished its game at Michigan State with 92 total tackles that included 20 solo stops. The 92 tackles were the highest recorded by the Eagles in a single game since posting 94 against Akron at home, Nov. 14, 2023. Additionally, the 92 stops were the most in a non-conference game since Oct. 27, 2018, when Eastern gathered 116 tackles against visiting Army.
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\nTAKE IT AWAY, DEFENSE
\nThe EMU defense has started the season with at least one takeaway in three consecutive games after Peyton Christian<\/a> popped the ball loose and Jason Marshall<\/a> recovered the ball at Michigan State, Sept. 12. Earlier in the season, EMU posted a pair of takeaways against both Sacramento State and San Jose State with one fumble recovery and one interception in each game. Eastern, who has five takeaways through three games, had nine in 2025 and didn’t record its fifth until the eighth game of the season after not breaking the seal until a pair of interceptions recorded in the fourth contest of the season against Louisiana.
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\nSLIPPERY PIG
\nThe fumble recovered by Jason Marshall<\/a> at Michigan State, Sept. 12, marked the third consecutive game this year Eastern has recovered an opponent’s miscue, one more than the entire 2025 season. The recovery against the Spartans also marked the first against a Big Ten foe since Sept. 7, 2024, at Washington.
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\nKIM MAKES EMU HISTORY AGAINST P-4 FOES
\nNoah Kim<\/a> rushed for a touchdown at Michigan State, Sept. 12, 2026, making him the first Eastern Michigan quarterback since 1995 to record rushing TDs against both Big Ten and SEC opponents. Kim previously scored on the ground at Kentucky on Sept. 13, 2025. He joins a select group of EMU quarterbacks who have rushed for touchdowns against Power 4 opponents but stands alone as the only one to do so against both the Big Ten and SEC. EMU quarterbacks have combined for 10 games with a rushing touchdown against Big Ten, SEC or ACC opponents since 1995.
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\nBIG TEN
\n2026 \u2022 Noah Kim<\/a> at Michigan State
\n2012 \u2022 Tyler Benz at Purdue
\n2009 \u2022 Andy Schmitt at Michigan
\n2008 \u2022 Andy Schmitt at Michigan State
\n2007 \u2022 Kyle McMahon vs. Northwestern
\n2007 \u2022 Andy Schmitt at Michigan
\n\u00a0
\nSEC
\n2025 \u2022 Noah Kim<\/a> at Kentucky
\n2016 \u2022 Todd Porter at Missouri
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\nACC
\n2019 \u2022 Mike Glass III vs. Pitt
\n2010 \u2022 Alex Gillett at Virginia
\n\u00a0
\nSTARTER REPEATED
\nWith Noah Kim<\/a> earning the starting nod against Sacramento State (Aug. 29), the Eagles had the same starting quarterback in back-to-back season-opening games for the first time under Chris Creighton<\/a> since Preston Hutchinson in 2020 and 2021. Kim also became just the third player to open consecutive seasons as QB1 under Creighton with Reginald Bell becoming the first in 2014 and 2015.
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\nGame 1 Starting Quarterbacks Under Creighton
\n2026 – Noah Kim<\/a>
\n2025 – Noah Kim<\/a>
\n2024 – Cole Snyder
\n2023 – Austin Smith
\n2022 – Taylor Powell
\n2021 – Preston Hutchinson
\n2020 – Preston Hutchinson
\n2019 – Mike Glass
\n2018 – Tyler Wiegers
\n2017 – Brogan Roback
\n2016 – Todd Porter
\n2015 – Reginald Bell
\n2014 – Reginald Bell
\n\u00a0
\nONE BY LAND AND TWO BY AIR
\nIn the opener with Sacramento State (Aug. 29), Noah Kim<\/a> finished the game with two passing touchdowns and added one more on the ground to mark the third time he has accomplished the feat in his career with all three coming with the Eagles in MAC games. Overall, his three such games are tied for the fourth-most among EMU quarterbacks since the start of the 1995 season with Mike Glass III (2018-19) leading the way with five and both Alex Gillett (2010-12) and Preston Hutchinson (2019-20) tied for second with four. When counting only MAC games, Kim’s three games are tied for second with Andy Schmitt (2007-08), Gillett, and Brogan Roback (2015-17) while Hutchinson leads with four.
\n\u00a0
\n2+ pass\/1+ rush TD (since 1995) \u2013 All Games
\nMike Glass III (2018-19) \u2013 5 games
\nAlex Gillett (2010-12) \u2013 4 games
\nPreston Hutchinson (2019-20) \u2013 4 games
\nNoah Kim<\/a> (2025-present) \u2013 3 games
\nAndy Schmitt (2007-08) \u2013 3 games
\nBrogan Roback (2015-17) \u2013 3 games
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\n2+ pass\/1+ rush TD (since 1995) \u2013 MAC Games ONLY
\nPreston Hutchinson (2019-20) \u2013 4 games
\nNoah Kim<\/a> (2025-present) \u2013 3 games
\nAndy Schmitt (2007-08) \u2013 3 games
\nAlex Gillett (2010-12) – 3 games
\nBrogan Roback (2015-17) – 3 games
\n\u00a0
\nONE AND ONE
\nAlong with his propensity to score on the ground and added multiple passing touchdowns, Noah Kim<\/a> also ranks highly (since 1995) among EMU quarterbacks with at least one passing and one rushing touchdown in the same game as he recorded his sixth with two passing and one running score against Sacramento State (Aug. 29). His six career games with EMU are tied for the third-highest with Mike Glass III leading the way with 10.
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\n1+ pass\/1+ rush TD (since 1995) \u2013 All Games
\nMike Glass III (2018-19) \u2013 10 games
\nAlex Gillett (2010-12) \u2013 8 games
\nNoah Kim<\/a> (2025-present) \u2013 6 games
\nAndy Schmitt (2007-08) \u2013 6 games
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\nADDED TO THE LIST \u2022 STARTERS
\nThe right side of the offensive line featured a pair of Eagles that made their first career starts as Dennis Strey, Jr., took over at right guard and first-year player Samuel Adjin<\/a> lined up at right tackle. Strey Jr., who was earlier this season named to the 2026 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, had appeared in 13 games since the start of the 2024 campaign while Adjin saw time on the field in each of the previous games this year before grabbing a starting spot.
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\nWE SEE YOU
\nIn addition to the two starters, three other players made their Eastern Michigan debuts in the game at Michigan State, Sept. 12, with Marty Collins<\/a>, Colin Main<\/a>, and RJ Alphonse<\/a> each seeing time on defense and special teams. Both Collins and Alphonse picked up their first career statistics as well with each recording one tackle.
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\nMAKE IT HARD(IN) TO RUN
\nRonn Hardin<\/a>, who wore the coveted Zero jersey at Michigan State, Sept. 12, recorded 0.5 sacks in the game, marking his second consecutive contest with part of one quarterback sack with his previous 1.0 recorded against San Jose State on a strip sack that was recovered in the end zone by Bryce Llewellyn<\/a> for a touchdown. For the year, Hardin, who finished five tackles in the game, has 1.5 sacks through three games, equaling his total from last year after playing eight games.
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\nHOLD ON TO YOUR RED POP
\nEMU made a habit of keeping fans on edge in 2025, playing in six one-possession or overtime games, tied for fourth-most in the nation. Only Arizona State, Iowa State and San Jose State had more, with seven. Tight finishes are nothing new for the Eagles. Since 2016, Eastern has competed in 64 single-score regular-season games, the second-most in the country behind Northern Illinois with 66. The Eagles are 31-33 in those contests, showing a consistent knack for drama and resilience in crunch time.
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\nSINGLE SCORES
\nSince the start of the 2016 season, Eastern is second nationally with 64 one-score games played, sitting behind Northern Illinois (67).
\n1. Northern Illinois – 67 (31-36)
\n2. Eastern Michigan – 64 (31-33)
\nt-3. Iowa State – 63 (28-35)
\nt-3. Texas – 63 (30-33)
\n5. Nebraska – 60 (19-41)
\n6. Kansas State – 58 (27-31)
\n7. North Carolina – 57 (24-33)
\nt-8. California – 55 (24-31)
\nt-8. Iowa – 55 (29-26)
\nt-8. Oklahoma State – 55 (32-23)
\nt-8. TCU – 55 (28-27)
\nt-8. Tulsa – 55 (25-30)
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\nFLYING THE FLAG
\nWhen 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 49 wins in that stretch of 20 consecutive seasons, including 33 against the Big Ten. All told, the MAC has posted wins against foes from the Big Ten (33), SEC (2), Big 12 (6), the former Pac-12 (2), the ACC (4), and one over Notre Dame. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 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. This year, the streak continued in Week 1 with UMass handing Rutgers a 37-21 home loss, Sept. 3.
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\nONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
\nChris Creighton<\/a> reached a significant milestone with his victory at Ball State, Nov. 15, becoming the 38th FBS head coach on record to earn 200 career wins. His career mark now stands at 201-131 across 30 seasons at Wabash, Ottawa, Drake, and Eastern Michigan, supported by a .607 winning percentage. The achievement places him among the active leaders in major college football, joining K.C. Keeler, Kirk Ferentz, and Willie Fritz. He also becomes the first coach to reach 200 career wins while serving at a MAC institution, adding his name to a select group of MAC-linked coaches who have hit the milestone, including Brian Kelly (Central Michigan), Nick Saban (Toledo), Woody Hayes (Miami), and Don Nehlen (Bowling Green).
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\nCREIGHTON IN THE MAC
\nChris Creighton<\/a> has tallied 62 wins during his tenure with Eastern Michigan following the 28-17 defeat of Sacramento State (Aug. 29), with 37 of those victories coming in MAC games. With his most recent win, his 62 wins with the Eagles ranks tied for 11th in MAC history while his league win total is tied for 19th on the list.
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\nOverall Coaching Wins in MAC History
\n1. Frank Solich (Ohio\/2005-20) \u2022 115
\n2. Herb Deromedi (Central Michigan\/1978-93) \u2022 110
\n3. Bill Hess (Ohio\/1958-77) \u2022 108
\n4. Jason Candle (Toledo\/2015-25) \u2022 81
\n5. Bob Pruett (Marshall\/1997-04) \u2022 79
\n6. Doyt Perry (Bowling Green\/1955-64) \u2022 77
\n7. Gary Pinkel (Toledo\/1991-00) \u2022 73
\n7. Chuck Martin (Miami\/2014-pres) \u2022 73
\n9. Trevor J. Rees (Kent State\/1951-63) \u2022 66
\n10. Bill Mallory (MU\/1969-73, NIU\/1980-83) \u2022 64
\n11. Chris Creighton<\/a> (EMU\/2014-pres) \u2022 62
\n11. Al Molde (Western Michigan\/1987-96) \u2022 62
\n11. Joe Novak (NIU\/1997-07) \u2022 62
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\nAYE, AYE CAPTAINS!
\nEMU will be led by five captains in the 2026. Following a vote of the current roster, the players selected included Nicholas Gallegos<\/a> (OL), Makhi Gilbert<\/a> (DL), Noah Kim<\/a> (QB), Bryce Llewellyn<\/a> (DB), and Zach Mowchan<\/a> (LB).
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\nDONNING THE DEUCE
\nIn an Aug. 20 team meeting, Chris Creighton<\/a> announced Nick Devereaux<\/a> would wear ‘The Deuce’ for the 2026 season, an honor reserved for the team’s top senior pass catcher. While players often request a certain number to wear, ‘The Deuce’ must be earned in remembrance of wide receiver Demarius Reed, who passed away on Oct. 18, 2013. ‘The Deuce was put back into circulation in 2017 with the blessing of Reed’s family and former teammates and has been worn by Sergio Bailey II (2017), Blake Banham (2018), Mathew Sexton (2019), Thomas Odukoya (2020), Bryson Cannon (2021), Hassan Beydoun (2022), Tanner Knue (2023), Oran Singleton (2024), and Terry Lockett Jr.<\/a> (2025).
\n\u00a0
\nZEROING IN
\nAnother number that cannot be requested by an Eastern player is The Zero. Most weeks, the defensive coaching staff will select an individual player that stood out in the previous week’s game and the following week of practice and will announce the wearer at a team meeting on the eve of the game. This year, the honor has been earned by Donmiel Rogers<\/a> (Sacramento State), Makhi Gilbert<\/a> (San Jose State), and Ronn Hardin<\/a> (Michigan State). Six players returned this season that have previously worn The Zero, including two-time honorees Carter Evans<\/a> and Barry Manning<\/a>, along with Quincy Byas<\/a>, Caleb Dobbs<\/a>, Gilbert, and Bryce Llewellyn<\/a>.
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\nWELCOME TO YPSILANTI
\nThe 2026 roster features 54 newcomers to the program, including 30 first-year players and 24 transfers. The first-year players hail from nine states and two countries with players representing Florida (8), Georgia (3), Illinois, Indiana (4), Kentucky, Michigan (6), New Jersey (2), Ohio (3), and Pennsylvania with one player from Canada. Additionally, the five of the 24 transfers came to Ypsilanti from ‘Power 4’ programs, including Illinois, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech with other NCAA Division I programs including Akron, Delaware State, Drake, Lamar, St. Francis (Pa.), and Yale.
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\nMAKE’EM SAY ‘UNC’LE
\nWhen looking at the newcomers, 11 of the 30 first-year players were born in 2008, nearly six years after eight the team’s ‘elder’ statesmen, including Ronn Hardin<\/a>, who was born in November of 2001. Comparatively, the youngest player on the roster is Horace Glenn III<\/a>, who was born in October of 2008, Hardin the ‘unc’ of the team by over 2,500 days (nearly six years and 11 months).
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\nADDED TO THE STAFF
\nChanges to the coaching roster also took place since the end of the 2025 season with five new assistant coaches in place for 2026. Joining the staff this year are Antreal Allen<\/a> (cornerbacks), who coached cornerbacks at West Georgia in 2025; Erik Campbell<\/a> (wide receivers), who worked with the wide receivers at Michigan in 2025; Donnell Kirkwood Jr<\/a>. (running backs), who coached running backs at Washington State in 2025; Zac Sias<\/a> (defensive tackles), who worked with the linebackers at Kansas the past two years; and Grant Kurzner<\/a> (special teams coordinator), who worked with Michigan’s special teams the past two years.
\n\u00a0
\nNEW CALLERS
\nAlong with the new additions to the staff, new roles were also assigned as both Tate Omli<\/a> and Kasey Teegardin<\/a> were named co-defensive coordinators for 2026. Omli, who also works with the safeties, is in his fourth season with the Eagles while Teegardin, who is entering his third season in Ypsilanti, will work with the defensive ends. Offensively, Mike Piatkowski<\/a> returns as the offensive coordinator for the Eagles.
\n\u00a0
\nHAIL TO THE CHIEF!
\nThe football player and staff roster was not the only change this offseason as Dr. Brendan Kelly was selected to lead Eastern Michigan as the 24th president of the University. Kelly, who began his tenure in Ypsilanti on April 1, 2026, earned both his bachelor’s degree in public relations and master’s degree in communication from EMU before completing his Ph.D. in political communication and rhetoric at Wayne State University. Early in his career, he served at EMU as Assistant Director of Forensics and a Lecturer in Communication and Theatre Arts, making today’s return a meaningful homecoming for both him and his wife, Dr. Tressa Kelly, also a two\u2011time EMU alumna and longtime educator.
\n\u00a0
\nON THE LIST
\nEastern had 16 players named to preseason All-MAC teams by Athlon Sports and\/or Phil Steele with eight Eagles earning a selection to both lists. The Eagles appearing on both ledgers included Nick Devereaux<\/a> (1st team Athlon\/1st team Steele), Carter Evans<\/a> (1st\/1st), Nicholas Gallegos<\/a> (1st\/2nd), Bryce Llewellyn<\/a> (1st\/1st), Joshua Long<\/a> (1st\/1st), Rudy Kessinger<\/a> (2nd\/2nd), Noah Kim<\/a> (3rd\/3rd), and Jason Marshall<\/a> (4th\/4th). Additionally, Athlon Sports recognized Barry Manning<\/a> (2nd), Joshua Anderson<\/a> (3rd), Braydon Bennett<\/a> (3rd), Jefferson Adam<\/a> (4th), Caleb Coley<\/a> (4th), and Harold Mack<\/a> Jr. (4th) while Phil Steele selected Makhi Gilbert<\/a> (3rd) and Juan Salas<\/a> Jr. (4th) to their lists.
\n\u00a0
\nWATCHING OUT
\nSeven Eastern players were named to preseason watch lists for various national honors ahead of the start of the season. The list included Bryce Llewellyn<\/a> for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player), Dennis Strey Jr.<\/a> for the All-State AFCA Good Works Team and the Allstate Wuerfful Trophy (community service), Nick Devereaux<\/a> for the East-West Shrine Bowl (all-star game), Joshua Long<\/a> for the John Mackey Trophy (tight end), Nicholas Gallegos<\/a> for the Rimington Trophy (center), and Braydon Bennett<\/a> for the Doak Walker (running back).
\n\u00a0
\nON THE HORIZON
\nFollowing two consecutive road games against Big Ten opponents, Eastern Michigan will return to The Factory inside Rynearson Stadium Saturday, Sept. 26. The Eagles’ final non-conference game of the year is slated for a 1 p.m. kick, will be streamed live on ESPN+. Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM), the Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM radio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MADISON, Wis. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team returns to the road this week for its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":892772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-892771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}