CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2018 Eastern Michigan

7–⁠6 (5–⁠3 Mid-American Conference), coached by Chris Creighton.

Schedule and results

Eastern Michigan in 2018, game by game: won vs. Monmouth 51–17; won at Purdue 20–19; lost at Buffalo 28–35; lost at San Diego State 20–23; lost vs. Northern Illinois 23–26; lost at Western Michigan 24–27; won vs. Toledo 28–26; won at Ball State 42–20; lost vs. Army 22–37; won vs. Central Michigan 17–7; won vs. Akron 27–7; won at Kent State 28–20; lost vs. Georgia Southern 21–23+34−15Won 51–17 vs. Monmouth+34MonmouthWon 20–19 at Purdue+1PurdueLost 28–35 at Buffalo-7BuffaloLost 20–23 at San Diego State-3San Diego StateLost 23–26 vs. Northern Illinois-3Northern Illino…Lost 24–27 at Western Michigan-3Western MichiganWon 28–26 vs. Toledo+2ToledoWon 42–20 at Ball State+22Ball StateLost 22–37 vs. Army-15ArmyWon 17–7 vs. Central Michigan+10Central MichiganWon 27–7 vs. Akron+20AkronWon 28–20 at Kent State+8Kent StateLost 21–23 vs. Georgia Southern-2Georgia Southern
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31vsMonmouthW 51–⁠1771%
Sep 8atPurdueW 20–⁠1937%
Sep 15atBuffaloL 28–⁠3539%
Sep 22atSan Diego StateL 20–⁠2328%
Sep 29vsNorthern IllinoisL 23–⁠2657%
Oct 6atWestern MichiganL 24–⁠2732%
Oct 13vsToledoW 28–⁠2641%
Oct 20atBall StateW 42–⁠2057%
Oct 27vsArmyL 22–⁠3739%
Nov 3vsCentral MichiganW 17–⁠772%
Nov 10vsAkronW 27–⁠766%
Nov 23atKent StateW 28–⁠2070%
Dec 15Bowls & playoffvsGeorgia SouthernCamellia BowlL 21–⁠2345%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Georgia Southern 23–⁠21 in the Camellia Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 5th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 64 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 5th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
351–⁠287
Coach
Chris Creighton
Elo
1486 +35 this season
SP+ rating
-2.0 No. 86 of 130; offense No. 93, defense No. 52, special teams No. 109
SRS
−2.4 No. 81 of 130 in FBS
Returning
15% of last season’s EPA, No. 129 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 110 roster talent No. 119 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Aaron Keen
Defensive coordinator
Neal Neathery
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense89th of 130
  • Defense17th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted99th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted26th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0540%1.2189th of 130
Defense-0.0140%0.9817th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.04 off
0.03 def		39% off
43% def		—99th off
26th 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
Offense3.4own 3216% allowed
Defense3.0own 2716% caused

CORE rating -2.5, 87th of 130 (offense -6.5, defense -4.0).

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 yardsTyler Wiegers QB1,887 yds
Passing touchdownsTyler Wiegers QB11 TD
Rushing yardsShaq Vann RB579 yds
Rushing touchdownsMike Glass III QB6 TD
Receiving yardsBlake Banham WR758 yds
Receiving touchdownsArthur Jackson III WR5 TD
TacklesKyle Rachwal LB114 tkl
SacksMaxx Crosby DL7.5 sacks
InterceptionsKevin McGill DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Isaiah Watson CB★★★No. 1353
Carter Stagner WDE★★★No. 1596
Alexander Howie OC★★★No. 1613
Robert Daniel CB★★★No. 1642
Timarcus Simpson CB★★★No. 1946

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

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.770
Receivers22.50.796
Offensive line42.30.789
Defensive line13.00.830
Defensive backs53.00.817
Whole class132.60.803

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.

Drafted in 2019

The 2019 draft
Rd 4Maxx Crosby DEOakland Raiders

Roster 111

The 2018 roster

111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Buffalo7–⁠110–⁠4
Ohio6–⁠29–⁠4
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Miami (OH)6–⁠26–⁠6
Toledo5–⁠37–⁠6
Western Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Eastern Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Akron2–⁠64–⁠8
Bowling Green2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State1–⁠72–⁠10
Central Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

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