2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football
2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football
LendingTree Bowl, L 20–56 vs. Liberty
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	West Division
Record	7–6 (4–4 MAC)
Head coach	Chris Creighton (8th season);
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Neal Neathery (6th season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Rynearson Stadium

2021 Mid-American Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Kent State xy	6	–	2	7	–	7
Miami (OH)	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ohio	3	–	5	3	–	9
Bowling Green	2	–	6	4	–	8
Buffalo	2	–	6	4	–	8
Akron	1	–	7	2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$	6	–	2	9	–	5
Central Michigan x	6	–	2	9	–	4
Toledo	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ball State	4	–	4	6	–	7
	4	–	4	7	–	6
Western Michigan	4	–	4	8	–	5
Championship: Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles were led by eighth-year head coach Chris Creighton and played their home games at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). For the third time in the past six seasons (2016, 2018), the Eagles clinched a winning record, becoming the sixth Eagle team to reach seven wins.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Saint Francis (PA)*	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN3	W 35–15	16,461
September 11	7:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Wisconsin*	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	FS1	L 7–34	70,967
September 18	3:30 p.m.	at UMass*	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	NESN+	W 42–28	7,012
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Texas State*	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 59–21	14,253
October 2	2:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	L 20–27	10,034
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 13–12	15,664
October 16	2:00 p.m.	Ball State	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	L 31–38	15,258
October 23	12:00 p.m.	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	W 55–24	10,875
November 2	7:30 p.m.	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	ESPN2	W 52–49	14,997
November 9	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN2	L 26–34	13,636
November 16	7:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN2	W 22–21	15,272
November 26	12:00 p.m.	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	L 10–31	7,708
December 18	5:45 p.m.	vs. Liberty*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL (LendingTree Bowl)	ESPN	L 20–56	15,186
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Game summaries

Saint Francis (PA)

at No. 18 (FBS) Wisconsin

Eastern Michigan vs. Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	7	7
No. 18 Badgers	7	17	3	7	34

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

Date: September 11, 2021
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); Sunny; Wind at SW3 MPH
Game attendance: 70,967
Referee: Reggie Smith
TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

WISC – Chez Mellusi 6-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:39 (Wisconsin, 7–0)

Second quarter

WISC – Collin Larsh 33-yard field goal, 13:39 (Wisconsin, 10–0)
WISC – Jalen Berger 6-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 7:02 (Wisconsin, 17–0)
WISC – Isaac Guerendo 82-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:40 (Wisconsin, 24–0)

Third quarter

WISC – Larsh, 39-yard field goal, 8:02 (Wisconsin, 27–0)

Fourth quarter

EMU – Chase Wolf pass intercepted for a TD, Chad Ryland kick, 9:38 (Wisconsin, 27–7)
WISC – Braelon Allen 1-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:16 (Wisconsin, 34–7)

Top passers

EMU – Preston Hutchinson – 6/13, 53 yards, INT
WISC – Graham Mertz – 14/17, 141 yards

Top rushers

EMU – Preston Hutchinson – 3 rushes, 12 yards
WISC – Chez Mellusi – 20 rushes, 144 yards, TD

Top receivers

EMU – Zach Westmoreland – 2 receptions, 35 yards
WISC – Kendric Pryor – 4 receptions, 54 yards

Top defenders

EMU – Scott Woo – 3 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
WISC – John Torchio – 3 tackles, TFL, 0.5 sack

at UMass

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	14	7	7	14	42
Minutemen	0	7	7	14	28

Statistics	EMU	MASS
First downs	26	30
Total yards	507	519
Rushing yards	184	209
Passing yards	323	310
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	29:29	30:31

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	14/21, 298 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jawon Hamilton	16 rushes, 122 yards, TD
	Receiving	Hassan Beydoun	6 receptions, 101 yards
UMass	Passing	Brady Olson	22/38, 285 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ellis Merriweather	23 rushes, 144 yards
	Receiving	Melvin Hill	4 receptions, 82 yards, TD

Texas State

Texas State at Eastern Michigan

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	7	7	7	0	21
• Eagles	14	14	10	21	59

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: Rynearson Stadium
Ypsilanti, MI
Game start: 1:05 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes
Game attendance: 14,253
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 7 MPH
Referee: Jeremy Valentine
TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play–by–play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
EMU –7.5	63

Statistics	Texas State	Eastern Michigan
First downs	18	33
Total yards	299	499
Rushing yards	112	242
Passing yards	187	257
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	25:52	34:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas State	Passing	Brady McBride	16/25, 187 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Brock Sturges	14 carries, 68 yards
	Receiving	Trevis Graham Jr.	4 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	20/33, 228 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Darius Boone Jr.	13 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	5 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD

at Northern Illinois

Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	6	0	3	3	12
Eagles	0	10	3	0	13

Statistics	MIA	EMU
First downs	19	16
Total yards	385	257
Rushing yards	126	31
Passing yards	259	206
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	25:52	34:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami	Passing	A. J. Mayer	16/39, 259 yards
	Rushing	Tyre Shelton	9 rushes, 41 yards
	Receiving	Jack Sorenson	7 receptions, 123 yards
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	21/31, 206 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Darius Boone Jr.	9 rushes, 36 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	7 receptions, 93 yards

Ball State

Ball State at Eastern Michigan

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ball State	14	3	7	14	38
Eastern Michigan	0	14	3	14	31

Date: October 16. 2021
Location: Rynearson Stadium
Ypsilanti, MI
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 15,258
Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –1.0	55.5

Statistics	Ball State	Eastern Michigan
First downs	29	27
Total yards	433	385
Rushing yards	200	46
Passing yards	233	339
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	32:43	27:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	27/35, 207 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Carson Steele	18 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Justin Hall	10 receptions, 58 yards
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	35/48, 331 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Jawon Hamilton	8 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	7 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD

at Central Michigan (Michigan MAC Trophy)

Michigan MAC Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Michigan	0	3	7	0	10
• Central Michigan	7	3	7	14	31

Date: November 26, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 7,708
Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –8.5	63.5

Statistics	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan
First downs	15	22
Total yards	226	366
Rushing yards	5	236
Passing yards	221	130
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	27:17	32:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	24/35, 221 yards
	Rushing	Bryson Moss	5 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Tanner Knue	7 receptions, 70 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	12/24, 130 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	44 carries, 194 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	4 receptions, 46 yards, 2 TDs

vs. Liberty (LendingTree Bowl)

Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Liberty Flames (2021 LendingTree Bowl) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	7	0	10	20
Flames	13	20	16	7	56

at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama

Date: December 18
Game time: 5:45 p.m. EST / 4:45 p.m. CST
Game weather: Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: overcast, humid • Wind: N 7 MPH
Game attendance: 15,186
Referee: Trennis Livingston
TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich and Jalyn Johnson

Game information

First quarter

EMU – Chad Ryland 27-yard field goal, 7:48. Eagles 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 7:12.
LIB – D. J. Stubbs 54-yard pass from Malik Willis (Brayden Beck kick), 3:08. Flames 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 85 yards, 1:32.
LIB – Skyler Thomas 27-yard interception return (kick failed), 2:27. Flames 13–3.

Second quarter

EMU – Samson Evans 2-yard run (Chad Ryland kick), 13:01. Flames 13–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:26.
LIB – T. J. Green 24-yard run (kick failed), 12:07. Flames 19–10. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:54.
LIB – Johnny Huntley 20-yard pass from Malik Willis (Brayden Beck kick), 6:22. Flames 26–10. Drive: 12 plays, 88 yards, 3:32.
LIB – Malik Willis 2-yard run (Brayden Beck kick), 0:16. Flames 33–10. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 1:56.

Third quarter

LIB – Malik Willis 35-yard run (run failed), 11:02. Flames 39–10. Drive: 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:34.
LIB – Brayden Beck 43-yard field goal, 7:08. Flames 42–10. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 1:32.
LIB – Demario Douglas 2-yard pass from Malik Willis (Brayden Beck kick), 2:44. Flames 49–10. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 3:22.

Fourth quarter

LIB – Kevin Shaa 64-yard pass from Johnathan Bennett (Brayden Beck kick), 10:58. Flames 56–10. Drive: 1 play, 64 yards, 0:08.
EMU – Chad Ryland 43-yard field goal, 5:26. Flames 56–13. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:32.
EMU – Jeff Hubbard 34-yard interception return (Chad Ryland kick), 4:29. Flames 56–20.

Top passers

EMU – Ben Bryant – 23/36, 200 yards, INT
LIB – Malik Willis – 13/24, 231 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

EMU – Samson Evans – 13 rushes, 52 yards, TD
LIB – T. J. Green – 8 rushes, 88 yards, TD

Top receivers

EMU – Hassan Beydoun – 11 receptions, 83 yards
LIB – Kevin Shaa – 3 receptions, 94 yards, TD

References

^ "2021 Eastern Michigan Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.

[1] "2021 Eastern Michigan Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.

[1]


1	08:06	EMU	Samson Evans 4-yard rush (Chad Ryland kick) (10 plays, 66 yards, 4:47)	EMU 7–0
	03:23	EMU	Ben Bryant 39-yard rush (Chad Ryland kick) (6 plays, 85 yards, 2:12)	EMU 14–0
	01:36	TXST	Javen Banks 5-yard pass from Brady McBride (Seth Keller kick) (5 plays, 38 yards, 1:37)	EMU 14–7

2	13:30	EMU	Dylan Drummond 12-yard pass from Ben Bryant (Chad Ryland kick) (8 plays, 74 yards, 2:49)	EMU 21–7
	03:21	EMU	Thomas Odukoya 13-yard pass from Dylan Drummond (Chad Ryland kick) (7 plays, 55 yards, 2:32)	EMU 28–7
	01:24	TXST	Trevis Graham Jr. 29-yard pass from Brady McBride (Seth Keller kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 1:50)	EMU 28–14

3	10:56	TXST	Javen Banks 29-yard pass from Brady McBride (Seth Keller kick) (6 plays, 77 yards, 2:42)	EMU 28–21
	08:14	EMU	Jawon Hamilton 22-yard rush (Chad Ryland kick) (6 plays, 57 yards, 2:35)	EMU 35–21
	02:43	EMU	Chad Ryland 36-yard field goal (5 plays, 12 yards, 2:32)	EMU 38–21

4	12:16	EMU	Latrell Fordham 24-yard pass from Ben Bryant (Chad Ryland kick) (7 plays, 66 yards, 3:01)	EMU 45–21
	08:08	EMU	Hassan Beydoun 4-yard pass from Ben Bryant (Chad Ryland kick) (5 plays, 27 yards, 2:19)	EMU 52–21
	01:09	EMU	Samson Evans 2-yard rush (Chad Ryland kick) (9 plays, 54 yards, 5:44)	EMU 59–21

Eastern Michigan Eagles football
Venues	Normal Field (1927–1936) Briggs Field (1937–1968) Rynearson Stadium (1969–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Central Michigan Central Michigan, Western Michigan: Michigan MAC Trophy
Culture & lore	Marching band Swoop
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2022 2023 2024 2025