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2021 Eastern Michigan

7–⁠6 (4–⁠4 Mid-American Conference), coached by Chris Creighton.

Schedule and results

Eastern Michigan in 2021, game by game: won vs. Saint Francis 35–15; lost at No. 18 Wisconsin 7–34; won at Massachusetts 42–28; won vs. Texas State 59–21; lost at Northern Illinois 20–27; won vs. Miami (OH) 13–12; lost vs. Ball State 31–38; won at Bowling Green 55–24; won at Toledo 52–49; lost vs. Ohio 26–34; won vs. Western Michigan 22–21; lost at Central Michigan 10–31; lost vs. Liberty 20–56+38−36Won 35–15 vs. Saint Francis+20Saint FrancisLost 7–34 at No. 18 Wisconsin-27No. 18 WisconsinWon 42–28 at Massachusetts+14MassachusettsWon 59–21 vs. Texas State+38Texas StateLost 20–27 at Northern Illinois-7Northern Illino…Won 13–12 vs. Miami (OH)+1Miami (OH)Lost 31–38 vs. Ball State-7Ball StateWon 55–24 at Bowling Green+31Bowling GreenWon 52–49 at Toledo+3ToledoLost 26–34 vs. Ohio-8OhioWon 22–21 vs. Western Michigan+1Western MichiganLost 10–31 at Central Michigan-21Central MichiganLost 20–56 vs. Liberty-36Liberty
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3vsSaint FrancisW 35–⁠1578%
Sep 11at18WisconsinL 7–⁠3428%
Sep 18atMassachusettsW 42–⁠2862%
Sep 25vsTexas StateW 59–⁠2172%
Oct 2atNorthern IllinoisL 20–⁠2757%
Oct 9vsMiami (OH)W 13–⁠1254%
Oct 16vsBall StateL 31–⁠3845%
Oct 23atBowling GreenW 55–⁠2463%
Nov 2atToledoW 52–⁠4937%
Nov 9vsOhioL 26–⁠3468%
Nov 16vsWestern MichiganW 22–⁠2154%
Nov 26atCentral MichiganL 10–⁠3130%
Dec 18Bowls & playoffvsLibertyLendingTree BowlL 20–⁠5637%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Liberty 56–⁠20 in the LendingTree Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 11th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 64 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
392–⁠390
Coach
Chris Creighton
Elo
1426 −28 this season
SP+ rating
-7.8 No. 100 of 130; offense No. 80, defense No. 122
SRS
−8.1 No. 99 of 130 in FBS
Returning
90% of last season’s EPA, No. 29 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 112 roster talent No. 115 in FBS
Defensive coordinator
Neal Neathery
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense73rd of 130
  • Defense105th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted86th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted115th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1344%1.1973rd of 130
Defense0.2451%1.18105th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.11 off
0.24 def		42% off
52% def		—86th off
115th 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
Offense4.3own 3016% allowed
Defense3.8own 2913% caused

CORE rating -14.4, 110th of 130 (offense -2.1, defense 12.3).

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 yardsBen Bryant QB3,121 yds
Passing touchdownsBen Bryant QB14 TD
Rushing yardsJawon Hamilton RB631 yds
Rushing touchdownsSamson Evans RB13 TD
Receiving yardsHassan Beydoun WR1,015 yds
Receiving touchdownsDylan Drummond WR6 TD
TacklesTariq Speights LB89 tkl
SacksJose Ramirez DL6.5 sacks
InterceptionsRuss Vaden DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2021 class

Melvin Swindle II DL★★★No. 819
Carter Evans TE★★★No. 1069
Cam Smith S★★★No. 1344
Jaden Gaines DE★★★No. 1646
J.B. Mitchell WR★★★No. 1687

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

The 2021 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.816
Running backs13.00.806
Receivers53.00.828
Offensive line23.00.802
Defensive line42.80.817
Linebackers13.00.812
Defensive backs23.00.837
Athletes and specialists32.30.768
Whole class192.80.812

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 123

The 2021 roster

123 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 69 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 3

The 2021 portal
Ben Bryant QB★★★from Cincinnati
Jawon Hamilton RB★★★from James Madison
Dexter Manior TEfrom Navy

Transfers out 12

C.J. Parks WR★★★no new school on file
Dennis Jackson DL★★★no new school on file
Isaac Stiebeling QB★★★no new school on file
Jairus Grissom QB★★★no new school on file
Jerodd Vines S★★★to North Dakota State
Lucas Luft TE★★★no new school on file
Timarcus Simpson CB★★★to South Florida
Carthell Flowers CB★★to Stony Brook
Desean Boyd LB★★no new school on file
Karmi Mackey RB★★no new school on file
Quian Williams WR★★to Buffalo
Samari Saddler OL★★no new school on file

2021 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Central Michigan6–⁠29–⁠4
Northern Illinois6–⁠29–⁠5
Kent State6–⁠27–⁠7
Toledo5–⁠37–⁠6
Miami (OH)5–⁠37–⁠6
Western Michigan4–⁠48–⁠5
Eastern Michigan4–⁠47–⁠6
Ball State4–⁠46–⁠7
Ohio3–⁠53–⁠9
Buffalo2–⁠64–⁠8
Bowling Green2–⁠64–⁠8
Akron1–⁠72–⁠10

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