Week 7: Contested Series Returns to Ypsilanti

If I asked you what you considered to be the most defining moments or games of the Chris Creighton era at Eastern Michigan, what would you say?

Would it be the streak of bowl games (including that one victory in 2022) after years and years of no bowl trips at all? Would it be any of the three Big Ten victories? Would you say something along the lines of Maxx Crosby and his continued dominance from the gray turf to the NFL?

Plenty of highlights worth remembering, but I’ve long thought that the series that best captures the ups and downs and overall strength of EMU’s program is its one with Toledo.

Let’s go back to Creighton’s first years with the team, which weren’t great. Toledo, still managed by Matt Campbell in 2014 and 2015, outscored the struggling Eagles 115-36 in those contests.

In 2016, when EMU started to turn things around as a program with its first bowl berth in 29 years, EMU still lost to Toledo and first-year head coach Jason Candle, but only by 15 points this time. Not a win, but not a definitive blowout loss either. The next year, against the eventual MAC champions, that gap was closed to a 5-point loss for EMU.

In 2018, EMU celebrated its first win over Toledo in 12 years, 28-26. But, of course, this had to be a nail-biter at the end. In the second half, two EMU safeties were ejected for targeting hits, and Toledo scored 23 unanswered points. After Toledo quarterback Mitch Guadagni ran his way in for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal with just 20 seconds left on the clock, underclassman cornerback Freddie McGee had a game-sealing pass breakup in the back of the end zone on Toledo’s 2-point attempt to tie the game.

A year later, in the pouring rain, both teams battled to a 10-10 halftime score after 10 straight EMU points in the second quarter. Toledo scored three straight touchdowns in the first six minutes of the second half, then EMU battled back to a 31-31 tie to force overtime. Chad Ryland made a 24-yard field goal on the first possession, but Toledo responded with a touchdown pass to beat EMU 37-34.

Two years after the close loss, EMU captured its first road win in the series since 1999: a 52-49 shootout.

But after some joyous moments, there were some heartbreaking ones.

The 2022 team was a fourth-quarter letdown away from going to the MAC Championship game for the first, and only, time in school history. EMU led Toledo into the fourth quarter, then the Rockets scored 10 unanswered points when EMU’s offense fell apart. EMU’s offense gained only 99 yards in the second half, and it finished its final four drives with two punts, a turnover on downs, and an interception.

Eastern got to call itself Co-West Division Champions for the year, but that’s not the kind of banner year EMU wanted. Toledo edged Ohio, without stud quarterback Kurtis Rourke, in the MAC title game, 17-7.

No December trip to Detroit, but EMU made the most of the rest of its season with five straight wins, including its first bowl win since 1987.

Since then, though, EMU didn’t play up to its new standard over the three previous seasons. It hasn’t had a winning season since, and went 15-22 in those years.

In 2024, when the series came back to Ypsilanti, EMU led the game 19-7 through three quarters, but Toledo roared back with 22 points in the final frame. Cole Snyder’s 36-yard toss into the end zone was hauled in by Terry Lockett, but the two failed to connect on a 2-point pass play after the touchdown to lose by a single point — 29-28.

The two, no longer divisional foes, did not face each other in 2025, and the series returns to Rynearson Stadium Saturday, and it’s set to be as big as the 2022 matchup.

No, there’s not a West division to be decided from this game’s outcome, but a win for EMU would keep it ahead of the rest of the class in the season-long race in the league standings. EMU, with a Week 0 win over new league member Sacramento State (28-17), got to an early start in the standings, and has stayed perfect through its early MAC schedule with wins at UMass (38-14) and Akron (25-23).

Toledo, under new head coach (and former EMU graduate assistant) Mike Jacobs, has had some exciting moments in its first six games, but is coming off a disappointing homecoming loss to Buffalo (24-8).

Still, Toledo’s got a 4-2 overall record, and is 1-1 in MAC play.

A win for EMU (4-3 overall) would give the program its first 4-0 start in MAC play since, still, 1995, and then there are still some difficult league opponents it would have to take on. EMU still has road trips to Ohio (2-0) and Western Michigan (2-0) it’ll have to consider after it hosts Toledo.

But that’s all for later. For now, EMU just has to focus its sights on the Rockets.

Maybe this comes from a source of excitement for Saturday’s activity, but maybe it comes from an evergreen understanding of how this series tends to go.

If EMU wants to have a chance at beating Toledo’s talented roster, it’ll have to rise up to the moment and play some of its best football of the season.

Moreover, it wouldn’t hurt if EMU could find a way to get some of Toledo’s players to not reach their full potential.

Like defensive end Andrew Zock. That guy’s a problem waiting to happen.

Recognized as the top defender in FCS football last season, Zock followed Jacobs from Mercer and is already making an impression in the MAC with 32 tackles made (8 for loss, 5 sacks), and one fumble forced (two recoveries) this season.

If you’re looking for some keys to Eastern Michigan coming away with a win on Saturday, here’s one in the form of a question. Will EMU field a right tackle that can slow down Toledo’s heralded transfer defender?

EMU has started three different players at that position since the start of the season. Tyler McMillan started the first two games plus EMU’s fifth game (vs. Lindenwood). Samuel Adjin, a 21-year-old freshman, started the two Big Ten games and last week at Akron. Elijha Payne made his first appearance with a start in the UMass game, but was absent last week.

Another key question I have coming into this game is whether or not EMU will be able to match Toledo on the gamebreaking plays.

Toledo’s defense is certainly capable of allowing long plays (still allowing explosives at a lower rate than EMU), but EMU hasn’t yet proven that it can break off, as Creighton would call them, monster explosives on offense with ease.

At 7.8% on plays of at least 20 yards and 3.7% on plays of 30+ yards, Toledo's offense is currently picking up these big chunk plays on offense at the second-best rate in the MAC. EMU is 9th in the MAC on plays of 20+ yards (4.3%), last on 30+ (0.9%).

EMU was able to clamp-down on UMass defensively and edge the Minutemen and their speedy quarterback Pop Watson in the explosives department (4-3, per GameOnPaper), but had fewer than Akron last week (1-5). EMU has seen some monster touchdowns erased to penalties, sure, but those moments are too common across the sport to groan about.

EMU’s offense has made improvements in the run game and with game-opening drive success. But after a conference loss to Buffalo, Toledo’s bound to be motivated for a bounce-back performance, and I’d expect guys like Zock to try and enforce that type of game defensively.

EMU’s defense has been tested, and while there weren’t any significant exits last week, some more bodies were slow to get up during the Akron game.

End Carter Evans and cornerback Rayquan Adkins both came off the field on the first drive of the second half, but got back into the game. Jason Marshall returned to action, but was used more in the second half (Davion Williams made his third start).

And what’s going on with Zach Mowchan?

The linebacker, I noticed, came off the field late in the Lindenwood game with some sort of discomfort in his leg. He went to the bike for a moment or so, then sat with his teammates on the bench. He didn’t really miss a beat the following game against UMass, but per EMU’s notes, he appeared in just 11 snaps last week at Akron.

This defense already saw Barry Manning be 86’d for the year just six quarters into his final season, and Mowchan, of course, has had a backlog of injury issues he was hoping to never re-experience again.

When asked Monday about his linebacker’s status, Creighton said, “With a whole other week, we're expecting him to be good.”

Toledo’s got a well-rounded offense with a ripe, fifth-year quarterback in his first full season as the starter, and plenty of weapons around him at skilled spots. If the injury bug gets hungry for EMU’s defense yet again this week, then the job of slowing down the Rockets will only grow tougher Saturday.