CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Eastern Michigan

5–⁠7 (3–⁠5 Mid-American Conference), coached by Chris Creighton.

Schedule and results

Eastern Michigan in 2017, game by game: won vs. Charlotte 24–7; won at Rutgers 16–13; lost vs. Ohio 20–27; lost at Kentucky 20–24; lost at Toledo 15–20; lost at Army 27–28; lost vs. Western Michigan 17–20; lost at Northern Illinois 27–30; won vs. Ball State 56–14; lost at Central Michigan 30–42; won at Miami (OH) 27–24; won vs. Bowling Green 34–31+42−12Won 24–7 vs. Charlotte+17CharlotteWon 16–13 at Rutgers+3RutgersLost 20–27 vs. Ohio-7OhioLost 20–24 at Kentucky-4KentuckyLost 15–20 at Toledo-5ToledoLost 27–28 at Army-1ArmyLost 17–20 vs. Western Michigan-3Western MichiganLost 27–30 at Northern Illinois-3Northern Illino…Won 56–14 vs. Ball State+42Ball StateLost 30–42 at Central Michigan-12Central MichiganWon 27–24 at Miami (OH)+3Miami (OH)Won 34–31 vs. Bowling Green+3Bowling Green
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsCharlotteW 24–⁠765%
Sep 9atRutgersW 16–⁠1351%
Sep 23vsOhioL 20–⁠2753%
Sep 30atKentuckyL 20–⁠2427%
Oct 7atToledoL 15–⁠2020%
Oct 14atArmyL 27–⁠2829%
Oct 21vsWestern MichiganL 17–⁠2029%
Oct 26atNorthern IllinoisL 27–⁠3024%
Nov 2vsBall StateW 56–⁠1467%
Nov 8atCentral MichiganL 30–⁠4234%
Nov 15atMiami (OH)W 27–⁠2438%
Nov 21vsBowling GreenW 34–⁠3169%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Bowling Green 34–⁠31; unranked in the final AP poll; 9th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 10th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 64 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠5 9th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
313–⁠280
Coach
Chris Creighton
Elo
1427 +11 this season
SP+ rating
-5.3 No. 90 of 128; offense No. 106, defense No. 60, special teams No. 102
SRS
−3.6 No. 81 of 130 in FBS
Returning
81% of last season’s EPA, No. 24 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 123 roster talent No. 118 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Aaron Keen
Defensive coordinator
Neal Neathery
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense93rd of 130
  • Defense36th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted113th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted47th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0341%1.1993rd of 130
Defense0.0142%1.0336th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.01 off
0.05 def		38% off
42% def		—113th off
47th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense2.9own 3115% allowed
Defense3.1own 3016% caused

CORE rating -3.3, 79th of 130 (offense -7.6, defense -4.2).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsBrogan Roback QB2,890 yds
Passing touchdownsBrogan Roback QB19 TD
Rushing yardsIan Eriksen RB805 yds
Rushing touchdownsIan Eriksen RB8 TD
Receiving yardsSergio Bailey II WR878 yds
Receiving touchdownsSergio Bailey II WR9 TD
TacklesBrody Hoying DB78 tkl
SacksMaxx Crosby DL11 sacks
InterceptionsBrody Hoying DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Jairus Grissom DUAL★★★No. 960
Jeffrey Hubbard CB★★★No. 1628
C.J. Hunt DT★★No. 2281
Samari Saddler OG★★No. 2414
Desean Boyd OLB★★No. 2750

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.50.813
Running backs12.00.764
Receivers62.00.762
Offensive line32.00.767
Defensive line22.00.771
Linebackers22.00.763
Defensive backs52.20.768
Athletes and specialists12.00.758
Whole class222.10.770

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 113

The 2017 roster

113 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 52 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Toledo7–⁠111–⁠3
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠5
Central Michigan6–⁠28–⁠5
Akron6–⁠27–⁠7
Ohio5–⁠39–⁠4
Buffalo4–⁠46–⁠6
Western Michigan4–⁠46–⁠6
Miami (OH)4–⁠45–⁠7
Eastern Michigan3–⁠55–⁠7
Bowling Green2–⁠62–⁠10
Kent State1–⁠72–⁠10
Ball State0–⁠82–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.