Eastern Michigan (4-4, 3-1 MAC) at Ohio (5-2, 3-0 MAC). Saturday, Oct. 24, 4 p.m. ET, Peden Stadium, Athens, Ohio, ESPNU.
Your hosts are Imogen Tremblay, an Eastern Michigan fan with a color-coded spreadsheet tab devoted to the gray turf, and Penny Trautman, an Ohio fan who builds every argument brick by brick.
Imogen: Penny, I hear you build things brick by brick. I build them cell by cell. Let's compare blueprints.
Penny: Deal. Just know my blueprint has a four-game winning run penciled in.
Players to watch
Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos has completed 38 of 68 passes for 503 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Receiver Riley Neer has 32 catches for 441 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Duncan Brune has 330 yards on 73 carries. Linebacker Michael Molnar leads with 52 tackles, and defensive end Ike Ackerman has 4.5 sacks.
Eastern Michigan quarterback Noah Kim has 1,678 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. Tight end Joshua Long leads the team with 38 catches for 366 yards. Running back Amareon Blue has 338 yards. Linebacker Zach Mowchan has 58 tackles, Quincy Byas has four sacks and Caleb Dobbs has two interceptions.
Imogen: A tight end leading the team in catches. Highlight that cell in green.
What happened last week
Ohio beat Sacramento State 48-7. Poulos went 11 of 14 for 165 yards and a touchdown and ran five times for 48 yards. Irving Brown ran eight times for 87 yards and a score, and Preston Bowman caught three passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Eastern Michigan lost 34-14 to Toledo on homecoming. Kim threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns, but he went 16 of 36. Long caught seven passes for 84 yards and a score.
Penny: Four straight wins. That's a sturdy wall.
Injuries and availability
The MAC doesn't publish an official availability report, and no injury news had surfaced for either team as of Oct. 18. Check the schools' channels on game day.
What the coaches are up to
John Hauser is in his first season as Ohio's head coach, hired Dec. 26, 2025. His Bobcats run for 207 yards a game, 24th in FBS.
Chris Creighton has led Eastern Michigan since being hired on Dec. 11, 2013. His teams went 7-6 in 2021 and 9-4 in 2022. This year's offense loves to throw it. EMU throws for 215 yards a game and runs for 105, which ranks 128th.
Player storylines
Ohio's ground game meets an EMU run defense allowing 142.3 yards a game, 71st in FBS. Third downs could flip it. Ohio's defense allows opponents to convert 42.1%, which ranks 106th. EMU converts 41.9% of its own third downs, 56th in FBS. Poulos's clean sheet is worth watching too: no interceptions all season.
What's happening on campus
It's Senior Day and Heroes Day at Peden Stadium, and Ohio's last Saturday home game of 2026. After this, the Bobcats visit Akron on Nov. 3. Eastern Michigan hosts Central Michigan on Nov. 4. MAC weeknight football season is almost here.
Anything else fun and true
Ohio leads the series 22-12-1 in 35 meetings since 1976. The Bobcats have won four straight, including 28-21 in Ypsilanti last year and 35-10 in Athens in 2024. EMU's last win in the series was 27-20 in Athens in 2016. In last year's game, Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro threw for a career-high 315 yards. EMU has already won three road games this season.
Imogen: Ten years since our last win in Athens. My model would like a word.
Penny: Your model is welcome at Peden anytime, Imogen. Bring a hard hat.
The Cover Window
My call: Ohio Bobcats 31, Eastern Michigan Eagles 19.