Imogen Tremblay · Eastern Michigan Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
Gray turf, bright future! Hi, I'm Imogen Tremblay. I studied education in Ypsilanti, I build spreadsheets for fun, and I have one tab, color-coded, devoted entirely to the "gray turf advantage." My model says it's worth 1.3 points. My heart says 13. I travel with this team and I live with this team, and every week I'll walk you through the players, the matchups and the history, plus at least one gentle reminder that Ypsilanti is not Ann Arbor's little brother. We are Ann Arbor's cooler cousin with better parking. When we win, I'll show you a spreadsheet with one enormous green cell, and I will squeal. When we lose, I'll update the model, grimly, and come back next week with more columns. Thanks for being here.
The School in 60 Seconds
Eastern Michigan has played football since 1891, missing only 1944. Before we were the Eagles, we were the Normalites (1899-1928) and the Hurons (1929-1990). We've had five undefeated seasons: 1906, 1925, 1927, 1943 and 1945, and the 1943 team didn't allow a point. Our golden age ran from 1925 through 1939 under Elton Rynearson, and our stadium carries his name. The field inside is Crosby Field at "The Factory," and yes, it's gray. CFBD lists Rynearson at 30,200 seats. We compete in the Mid-American Conference. Spreadsheet note: the all-time record is 490-622-47. Honesty is a column too.
The Coach and the Scheme
Chris Creighton was hired Dec. 11, 2013, which makes him a fixture in Ypsilanti. His teams went 7-6 and 9-4 in 2021 and 2022. The 2026 offense leans on the arm: 215 passing yards a game (86th) and 105 rushing yards (128th), for 21.5 points a game (110th). It converts 41.9% of third downs, 56th in FBS, which is a nice green cell. The defense allows 379.3 yards a game (97th) and 25.9 points (92nd). The stat I love most is quieter: EMU averages just 41.8 penalty yards a game, 15th-fewest in the country. Clean football is my love language, and also my spreadsheet's.
Players to Know
QB Noah Kim: 169 of 285, 1,678 yards, 11 TD, 4 INT. Against Toledo he threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
RB Amareon Blue: 338 yards on 68 carries, 3 TD.
TE Joshua Long: a team-high 38 catches for 366 yards and 2 TD, including seven for 84 and a score last week.
LB Zach Mowchan: a team-high 58 tackles. DL Quincy Byas: 4 sacks. DB Caleb Dobbs: 2 interceptions.
The Conference Picture
Eastern Michigan is 4-4 overall and 3-1 in the MAC. The league wins came at Massachusetts 38-14, at Akron 25-23 and against Sacramento State 28-17 to open the year. The MAC loss was last week, 34-14 to Toledo. Non-league games at Michigan State and Wisconsin were losses. After this, Central Michigan is next, on Nov. 4. A road win in Athens would keep the Eagles near the top of the MAC standings. My spreadsheet would need a new color.
The season, cell by cell: we opened by beating Sacramento State 28-17 and lost 27-21 to San José State, then dropped road games at Michigan State (35-7) and Wisconsin (54-10). Since then: Lindenwood 29-3, at UMass 38-14, at Akron 25-23 and the Toledo loss. That's three road wins already, and two of them were MAC games. On defense, we've forced nine turnovers and committed ten. The pass rush has 12 sacks and has allowed 14. None of those cells are glowing green yet, but none of them are red either. They're gray. Like the turf. Which, as I've explained, is a good sign.
This Week: Eastern Michigan (4-4) at Ohio (5-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 4 p.m. ET · Peden Stadium, Athens, Ohio · ESPNU. It's Ohio's Senior Day and Heroes Day, and the Bobcats' last Saturday home game of 2026.
Last week: we lost 34-14 to Toledo on homecoming; Kim was 16 of 36 for 214 yards. Ohio beat Sacramento State 48-7.
Our offense vs. their defense: Ohio allows 198.4 passing yards (52nd) and 138.7 rushing (62nd). But the Bobcats let opponents convert 42.1% of third downs, 106th, and we're 56th at converting them. That is a column I'm watching.
Their offense vs. our defense: Ohio runs for 207 yards a game, 24th in FBS. We allow 142.3 on the ground (71st). Our run defense is the whole story.
Series: Ohio leads 22-12-1 and has won four straight, including 28-21 in Ypsilanti last year. Our last win was 27-20 in Athens in 2016. Ten years! My model would like a word. Last year's game was a shootout of sorts on our gray turf: Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro threw for a career-high 315 yards, and two Bobcat receivers went over 100 yards. Keeping their passing game in check this time starts with knowing that Ohio's 2026 offense is built differently, on the ground.
Availability: no injury or availability report found for either team as of Oct. 18.
What decides it: (1) Whether we can slow Ohio's run game. (2) Third downs on both sides. (3) Kim's accuracy; 44.4% last week won't do.
And Penny Trautman, Ohio's lovely insider: I hear you build things brick by brick. I build them cell by cell. Let's compare blueprints.
My call: Ohio Bobcats 31, Eastern Michigan Eagles 19.