2009 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Eastern Michigan Eagles
football team
represented Eastern Michigan University
in the college football season of 2009. They competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football
during the football season
. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference
(MAC) West Division and played their home games in Rynearson Stadium
.
Following the firing of Jeff Genyk during the 2008 season
, Eastern Michigan hired Ron English
, who had formerly been the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville, as the team's head coach. The coaching change initially brought excitement to the program, as English hired a new staff, including former University of Michigan, New York Giants, and Oakland Raiders running back Tyrone Wheatley
, and replaced Genyk's spread offense with a pro-style offense.
However, the change in offense proved difficult for senior quarterback Andy Schmitt, and he was largely ineffective in the first several games of the season. In the second game of the year, the Eagles traveled to Northwestern, and after trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, they tied the game at 24 with 2 minutes left, before Northwestern kicked a game winning field goal in the closing seconds. The following week, they had another trip just across the county to play Michigan. Similar to their 2006 game at Michigan State, they played a very competitive first half, only trailing by one score. But like many times before, they couldn't put two good halves together. In the second half, the Eagles were outscored 21-0 and Andy Schmitt suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The rest of the season they used former starting quarterback Kyle McMahon, and freshman Alex Gillet. Eastern scored no more than 12 points in any of the next three games, including a 56-8 loss at Central Michigan. The week after that, they nearly beat Ball State who was also winless at the time. The difference was a safety in the fourth quarter. Next, they had one more non-conference game as they traveled to Arkansas. This game was the opposite of the Michigan game — bad first half, good second half. They were down 42-0 before eventually losing 63-27. For the rest of the year, they were only close in the finale at Akron, losing by 7. In previous years, Eastern was able to get at least a few wins because of a high scoring offense. Schmitt's injury ended that, and their defense was among the worst in the nation. Eastern gave up 3,321 rushing yards (276.8 per game), more than any other team in the nation, which was their downfall. They statistically appeared to have one of the best passing defenses, allowing 150.5 passing yards per game, second only to Air Force, but this was mostly an illusion. Everyone knew they couldn't stop the run, so opponents just didn't call many pass plays.
Eastern finished the season without a win, their first winless season since 1981. The Eagles were one of two winless FBS teams (Western Kentucky
was the other).
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Eastern Michigan Eagles
The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Eastern Michigan Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University. Altogether, they have won three NCAA Division II national championships and 13 NAIA Division I national championships in five different sports The Eastern Michigan...
football team
Eastern Michigan Eagles football
The Eastern Michigan Eagles are a college football program at Eastern Michigan University. They compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mid-American Conference...
represented Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
in the college football season of 2009. They competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
during the football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
(MAC) West Division and played their home games in Rynearson Stadium
Rynearson Stadium
Rynearson Stadium is a stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. It held its first game on September 27, 1969 when EMU upset the University of Akron, 10-3. Currently, the stadium has seating for...
.
Following the firing of Jeff Genyk during the 2008 season
2008 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team
The 2008 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference.The team was led by...
, Eastern Michigan hired Ron English
Ron English (American football)
-External links:**...
, who had formerly been the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville, as the team's head coach. The coaching change initially brought excitement to the program, as English hired a new staff, including former University of Michigan, New York Giants, and Oakland Raiders running back Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history...
, and replaced Genyk's spread offense with a pro-style offense.
However, the change in offense proved difficult for senior quarterback Andy Schmitt, and he was largely ineffective in the first several games of the season. In the second game of the year, the Eagles traveled to Northwestern, and after trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, they tied the game at 24 with 2 minutes left, before Northwestern kicked a game winning field goal in the closing seconds. The following week, they had another trip just across the county to play Michigan. Similar to their 2006 game at Michigan State, they played a very competitive first half, only trailing by one score. But like many times before, they couldn't put two good halves together. In the second half, the Eagles were outscored 21-0 and Andy Schmitt suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The rest of the season they used former starting quarterback Kyle McMahon, and freshman Alex Gillet. Eastern scored no more than 12 points in any of the next three games, including a 56-8 loss at Central Michigan. The week after that, they nearly beat Ball State who was also winless at the time. The difference was a safety in the fourth quarter. Next, they had one more non-conference game as they traveled to Arkansas. This game was the opposite of the Michigan game — bad first half, good second half. They were down 42-0 before eventually losing 63-27. For the rest of the year, they were only close in the finale at Akron, losing by 7. In previous years, Eastern was able to get at least a few wins because of a high scoring offense. Schmitt's injury ended that, and their defense was among the worst in the nation. Eastern gave up 3,321 rushing yards (276.8 per game), more than any other team in the nation, which was their downfall. They statistically appeared to have one of the best passing defenses, allowing 150.5 passing yards per game, second only to Air Force, but this was mostly an illusion. Everyone knew they couldn't stop the run, so opponents just didn't call many pass plays.
Eastern finished the season without a win, their first winless season since 1981. The Eagles were one of two winless FBS teams (Western Kentucky
2009 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
The 2009 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2009 college football season. The team's Head Coach was David Elson. WKU was formerly an Independent team in 2008, before their move to the Sun Belt Conference in 2009...
was the other).
Recruiting
Schedule
Roster
| As of 2009-07-15 | ||||||
Wide Receivers
Offensive Line
Tight Ends
|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Defensive Line
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Punters
Kickers
Long Snapper
|
||||
| † Starter at position * Injured; will not play in 2009. | ||||||
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at school |
|---|---|---|
| Ron English Ron English (American football) -External links:**... |
Head Coach | 1st |
| Ken Karcher Ken Karcher Ken Karcher is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eastern Michigan University... |
Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks Coach |
1st |
| Eric Lewis | Defensive Coordinator Defensive Backs Coach |
1st |
| Kurt Anderson | Offensive Line Coach | 2nd |
| Tom Burpee | Tight Ends Coach Special Teams Coach |
1st |
| Antonio Carter | Wide Receivers Coach | 1st |
| Tim Carter | Defensive Backs Coach Recruiting Coordinator |
1st |
| Casey Creehan | Defensive Line Coach | 1st |
| Steve Szabo | Associate Head Coach Linebackers Coach |
1st |
| Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history... |
Running Backs Coach | 1st |
Army
Scoring Summary1st Quarter
- 06:12 ARMY - Mealy 6 yard run (Campbell kick failed) 6-0 ARMY
2nd Quarter
- 05:56 ARMY - Carter 12 yard run (Campbell kick) 13-0 ARMY
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
- 13:58 EMU - Hunter 20 yard pass from Schmitt (Carithers kick) 13-7 ARMY
- 10:22 ARMY - Ehie 10 yard run (Smith rush) 21-7 ARMY
- 06:53 ARMY - Ehie 5 yard run (Campbell kick failed) 27-7 ARMY
- 03:31 EMU - Priest 1 yard run (Carithers kick) 27-14 ARMY
Northwestern
Scoring Summary1st Quarter
- 06:38 NU Simmons 1 yard run (Demos kick) 0-7 NU
2nd Quarter
- 12:33 NU Simmons 14 yard run (Demos kick) 0-14 NU
- 09:08 NU Johnson 70 yard interception return (Demos kick) 0-21 NU
- 03:32 EMU Carithers 33 yard field goal 3-21 NU
3rd Quarter
- 04:33 EMU Priest 1 yard run (Carithers kick) 10-21 NU
4th Quarter
- 12:57 NU Demos 20 yard field goal 10-24 NU
- 09:55 EMU Stone 25 yard pass from Schmitt (Carithers kick) 17-24 NU
- 02:40 EMU Blevins 3 yard run (Carithers kick) 24-24
- 00:06 NU Demos 49 yard field goal 24-27 NU
Michigan
Scoring Summary1st Quarter
- 10:46 MICH Olesnavage 37 yard field goal 0-3 MICH
- 05:32 EMU Carithers 43 yard field goal 3-3
- 02:30 MICH Brown 9 yard run (Olesnavage kick) 3-10 MICH
2nd Quarter
- 11:16 EMU Schmitt 11 yard run (Carithers kick) 10-10
- 09:20 MICH Shaw 5 yard run (Olesnavage kick) 10-17 MICH
- 07:15 MICH Brown 90 yard run (Olesnavage kick) 10-24 MICH
- 02:05 EMU Priest 5 yard run (Carithers kick) 17-24 MICH
3rd Quarter
- 04:47 MICH Odoms 13 yard run (Olesnavage kick) 17-31 MICH
- 03:06 MICH Robinson 13 yard run (Olesnavage kick) 17-38 MICH
4th Quarter
- 07:14 MICH Robinson 36 yard run (Olesnavage kick) 17-45 MICH
Temple
Central Michigan
Scoring Summary1st Quarter
- 08:51 CMU Brown 70 yard pass from LeFevourDan LeFevourDan LeFevour is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Michigan University...
(Aguila kick) 0-7 CMU - 03:58 CMU LeFevour 1 yard run (Aguila kick) 0-14 CMU
2nd Quarter
- 12:33 CMU LeFevour 1 yard run (Aguila kick) 0-21 CMU
- 02:51 CMU Brown 75 yard punt return (Aguila kick) 0-28 CMU
- 00:18 CMU Schroeder 11 yard pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) 0-35 CMU
3rd Quarter
- 12:50 CMU PoblahKito PoblahKito Poblah is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Poblah didn't qualify for non-import status until after the 2011 CFL Draft, and, as such, was only eligible to be taken in the 2011 supplemental draft...
25 yard pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) 0-42 CMU - 01:57 CMU LeFevour 5 yard run (Aguila kick) 0-49 CMU
4th Quarter
- 11:25 EMU Welch 1 yard run (Gillett rush) 8-49 CMU
- 07:36 CMU VolnyCarl VolnyCarl Volny is a Canadian football running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Volny was drafted 32nd overall in the draft by the Bombers and signed a contract with the team on May 18, 2011. He played college football with the Central Michigan Chippewas.-References:...
3 yard run (Aguila kick) 8-56 CMU
Kent State
Ball State
Scoring Summary1st Quarter
- 9:08 EMU Thayer 3 yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick) 0-7 EMU
- 4:52 BSU Sykes 51 yard run (Schott kick blocked) 6-7 EMU
2nd Quarter
- 10:59 EMU Carithers 20 yard field goal 6-10 EMU
- 9:23 EMU Welch 12 yard run (Carithers kick) 6-17 EMU
- 6:37 EMU Carithers 26 yard field goal 6-20 EMU
- 4:06 BSU LewisMiQuale LewisMi'Quale Maurice Lewis is a college football running back with the Ball State University Cardinals. As a junior, Lewis rushed for 1,701 yards and scored 22 touchdowns to help Ball State accumulate a 12-1 record and earn a berth in the 2009 GMAC Bowl.-External links:* BallStateSports.com* ESPN.com...
48 yard run (Schott kick) 13-20 EMU
3rd Quarter
- 10:44 EMU White 10 yard run (Carithers kick) 13-27 EMU
- 6:37 BSU Sykes 6 yard run (Schott kick) 20-27 EMU
- 5:33 BSU Team Safety 22-27 EMU
- 1:47 BSU Sykes 37 yard run (Schott kick) 29-27 BSU
Arkansas
Scoring Summary1st Quarter
- 10:42 AR DavisKnile DavisKnile Davis is an American football running back for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He is considered one of the best running back prospects for the 2013 NFL Draft.-2010 season:...
36 yard run (Tejada kick) 0-7 AR - 6:42 AR Green 3 yard run (Tejada kick) 0-14 AR
- 4:02 AR Burton 50 yard interception return (Tejada kick) 0-21 AR
2nd Quarter
- 12:21 AR Adams 10 yard pass from MallettRyan MallettRyan Mallett , nicknamed "Big Tex", is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League , taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks...
(Tejada kick) 0-28 AR - 4:10 AR Green 99 yard run (Tejada kick) 0-35 AR
- 1:38 AR Adams 78 yard pass from Mallet (Tejada kick) 0-42 AR
3rd Quarter
- 12:38 AR Armbrust 1 yard blocked punt return (Tejada kick) 0-49 AR
- 9:30 EMU Thayer 8 yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick failed) 6-49 AR
- 5:58 EMU Thomas 77 yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick) 13-49 AR
- 4:30 AR Davis 4 yard run (Tejada kick) 13-56 AR
- 2:50 EMU Bonner 32 yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick) 20-56 AR
- 0:18 AR Miller 16 yard pass from Mallet (Tejada kick) 20-63 AR
4th Quarter
- 2:14 EMU Priest 10 yard run (Carithers kick) 27-63 AR