Eastern Michigan Eagles hosts Alabama State Hornets

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- With a season-opening 41-9 victory over Howard University under its belt, the Eastern Michigan University football team turns its attention to Alabama State University. Saturday's, Sept. 10, kickoff is scheduled for 1:06 p.m. at Rynearson Stadium.

The Eagles and the Hornets are meeting for the first time on the gridiron. In fact, Eastern Michigan has never played a team from the state of Alabama in its 120-year history. Meanwhile, Alabama State, the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division champions, will be playing its first Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) opponent.

STRIVING FOR A 2-0 START: Eastern Michigan will look for its first 2-0 start to a campaign since the 1989 season, when the then-Hurons downed Kent State University, Sept. 2, and Youngstown State University, Sept. 9. That season the Eagles posted a 5-0-1 record through its first six games en route to a 7-3-1 finish.

COACH ENGLISH: EMU Head Coach Ron English got to sing the fight song and celebrate a victory at home following the 32-point decision over Howard, Sept. 4. It also marked the first time under the Eagles' third-year mentor that the Green and White held a team under 250 yards of total offense, limiting the Bison to just 201 yards (96 rush; 105 pass). Conversely, Eastern Michigan rolled up 441 total yards of offense, including 326 yards rushing, and advanced into Howard territory on 10 of its 14 drives.

WINNING STREAK: The Eagles have posted a 7-3 record against Football Championship Subdivision opponents since the 2001 campaign. However, EMU is currently riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 38-15 decision over Howard, Sept. 22, 2007, a 52-0 victory over Indiana State, Aug. 28, 2008, and a 41-9 win against Howard, Sept. 4, 2011.

During the 10-game span, the Green and White have averaged 31.2 points and 416.1 total yards of offense per game, while giving up an average of 22.0 points and 356.8 yards per contest.

WINNING STREAK: The Eagles have posted a 7-3 record against Football Championship Subdivision opponents since the 2001 campaign. However, EMU is currently riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 38-15 decision over Howard, Sept. 22, 2007, a 52-0 victory over Indiana State, Aug. 28, 2008, and a 41-9 win against Howard, Sept. 4, 2011.

During the 10-game span, the Green and White have averaged 31.2 points and 416.1 total yards
of offense per game, while giving up an average of 22.0 points and 356.8 yards per contest.

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ASU Hornets hyped in taking on MAC team

Montgomery, AL - It's not the type of big-name opponent you would circle on the schedule. But Alabama State's trip this weekend to face Eastern Michigan represents the first time the Hornets have ever ventured out of the state to face a Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) opponent.

It gives the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division champions a chance to gauge their brand of football with a team from other regions of the country.

"It's a good opportunity, not only for the program, but as individuals you want to compare yourself to those type of guys that are playing at a bigger level," said Hornets receiver Nick Andrews. "You want to see how well you match up with those guys. It means a lot more. In the SWAC, we're basically at a lower level, so they're looking down on us since we're a historically black college. We just have to go out there and play football," Andrews said.

The two teams have never met in any sport, but ...

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CMU opens season with a victory over South Carolina State

Mount Pleasant, MI - There are plenty of labels or mottos that can be used to describe the 2011 season opener for the Central Michigan football team. But, really, all of that is just sugarcoating what can be labeled an ugly win.

Still, for a team looking to separate itself from its 3-9 record in 2010, the Chippewas will take a win any way they can. On Thursday, it came in the form of a 21-6 win over Football Championship Subdivision opponent, South Carolina State, at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

“It was a win,” CMU coach Dan Enos said. “We didn’t play that well at times but we did what we had to do to win.” Coming into the season, Enos was hopeful to see the Chippewas (1-0) improve on their rushing offense and turnover margin.

Neither of those made a drastic step forward as CMU amassed just 88 rushing yards and lost the turnover battle 2-0, on a pair of Ryan Radcliff interceptions.The game lacked many big plays, as 20 punts were kicked in the contest and 15 possessions lasted just three plays or less.

Things started quickly for CMU, as the Chippewas scored on the opening possession, just four plays into the game. Radcliff used a play action fake and then hit junior Cody Wilson on a 45-yard touchdown pass that put CMU up 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.

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Central Michigan gives new coach Dan Enos 33-0 win in football opener against Hampton University

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- The Dan Enos coaching era at Central Michigan University began with a bang. Solid play by special teams got it going as the Chippewas built a large early lead and cruised to a 33-0 win against Hampton on Thursday night in front of 17,311 fans at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The opening-game shutout was the first by CMU since 1979, when the Chippewas beat Western Michigan 10-0 in the school's first Mid-American Conference championship season. It also marked Hampton's first shutout since 1984, a 44-0 loss to Tennessee St.

"Obviously, we won, and that was the goal the entire season," Enos said. "Special teams, we challenged the kids all week that we should make a difference. We really hammered that home, and we thought we made a huge impact with their play today."

Special teams came into play on the Pirates' second drive when redshirt freshman long snapper Vincent Harper snapped the ball over the head of punter Jordan Stovall and into the end zone for a CMU safety. On the ensuing kickoff, Central Michigan sophomore wide receiver and kick returner Cody Wilson raced 81 yards to the Hampton 4-yard line. A face mask penalty advanced the ball to the 2.

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Hampton University head coach Donovan Rose is ready for CMU

In the 20 years Hampton head coach Donovan Rose has been associated with Hampton University he has never had the opportunity to play a D-1 team. Rose will get his chance when he steps into Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on Sept. 2nd to take on the reigning Mid American Conference champions, the Central Michigan Chippewas.

In only his second season as the head coach, Rose is looking to improve upon a 5-6 campaign last year by catching newly minted CMU head coach Dan Enos off guard.

Rose admits the task of beating the Chips' won't be easy; he fully expects them to unleash their full arsenal of weapons...

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Kent State Set To Host Delaware State On Saturday

Courtesy: Kent State Athletic Communications

Complete Delaware State Game Notes (PDF Format)
Click here to Watch the Game Live on K-Zone!

Kent State (0-2) vs.
Delaware State (1-0)
Saturday, September 13, 2008 • 2:00 p.m. EDT
Dix Stadium (25,000/FieldTurf) • Kent, Ohio
WNIR 100.1 FM (Tom Linder, Reggie Crook & Ty Linder)

THE OPENING KICK

Kent State will debut the new-look Dix Stadium on Saturday when the Golden Flashes welcome Football Championship Series opponent Delaware State to Kent for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Flashes earned a 38-7 victory, handing the Hornets their only regular season setback against 10 victories.

In last year’s match-up, Eugene Jarvis rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a 42-yard TD pass as part of a 267-yard passing day for quarterback Julian Edelman. Shawn Bayes started the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown grab before closing out the game with a 95-yard kickoff return with 22 seconds remaining.

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE IS PACKED

Beginning when doors open on Tailgate Alley at 11:30 a.m. right up until the end of the game, the Heroes’ Day activities surrounding Kent State’s home opener Saturday against Delaware State will have fans excited, entertained and most importantly, educated.

The day will begin at Tailgate Alley with interactive displays and demonstrations from the four branches of the armed forces and local fire, police and rescue squads. In addition, the Flight 93 exhibit and timeline that spent all week at the M.A.C. Center will also be set up.

Prior to the game, the Army Fast Track Jump team will deliver the game ball and the Air Force will conduct a fly-over following a national anthem performance that will be highlighted by the unveiling of a 47’ x 90’ American flag on the field. In addition, family members of the Flight 93 passengers and crew, members of the U.S. Army and a Wounded Warrior representative will be on hand for the coin toss involving a special Flight 93 commemorative coin.

FLASH FACTS

• Running back Eugene Jarvis moved within 12 yards of taking over fourth place in the KSU rushing annals with his 139-yard performance at Iowa State. The junior now has 2,657 yards in just over two seasons.

• Quarterback Julian Edelman has completed 55.6 percent of his passes en route to throwing for 294 yards in the first two games. He is also the team’s second-leading rusher with 97 yards.

• Linebacker Derek Burrell extended his double-digit tackles streak to six games with 11 stops at Iowa State. After two games, he leads the MAC with 25 tackles.

• Delaware State is the only school out of the MEAC that Kent State has faced in its 86-year history.

A GLANCE AT THE SERIES

Kent State won last year’s contest, 38-7, in the first meeting between the two schools. The loss was the only regular season setback for the Hornets as the Flashes improved to 26-22-1 all-time against FCS opponents. DSU is the only MEAC school KSU has ever faced.

KSU VS. FCS OPPONENTS UNDER MARTIN

Year Opponent Result Score
2003 Youngstown State W 16-13
2007 Liberty W 38-10
2007 SE Missouri State W 33-12
2007 Delaware State W 38-7

TELEVISION

None. However, the game can be seen on http://www.kentstatesports.com/ as part of the premium content on the K-Zone.

RADIO

For the second straight year, the excitement of Golden Flashes football can be found on flagship station WNIR 100.1 FM in Northeast Ohio as part of the Kent State ISP Sports Network. New for this year, Tom Linder slides over from the analyst chair to handle the play-by-play duties, with Reggie Crook (defensive back at KSU, 1998-01) joining the team as the color analyst. Once again, Ty Linder will roam the sidelines for all of the broadcasts.

WEB SITE

Live audio for all Kent State football game broadcasts, live video of select games and live stats are available via the K-Zone on the official athletic department web site (http://www.kentstatesports.com/).

THE COACHES

• Doug Martin (Kentucky ‘85) is in his fifth season as a head coach, owning a 15-33 record at the helm of the Golden Flashes. He was promoted to head coach March 1, 2004, after serving as Kent State’s offensive coordinator in 2003. (For a complete Martin bio see page 12.)

• Al Lavan (Colorado State ‘70) has a 30-16 record in his fifth season at Delaware State. Overall, he is 32-17 in six seasons as a head coach, including a 2-1 mark at Eastern Michigan in 2003 after taking over for Jeff Woodruff, who was fired after the Eagles started 1-8.

UP NEXT

The Golden Flashes embark on a two-game road trip beginning at Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 20. Following the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Kent State will open up MAC play the following weekend at Ball State in a game that will be televised on ESPN Plus.