2003 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Last updated

2003 Eastern Michigan Eagles football
Eastern Michigan Eagles logo.svg
Conference Mid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record3–9 (2–6 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTim Salem (1st season)
Defensive coordinator Tim Rose (1st season)
Home stadium Rynearson Stadium
Seasons
  2002
2004  
2003 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 10 Miami (OH) x$  8 0   13 1  
Marshall  6 2   8 4  
Akron  5 3   7 5  
Kent State  4 4   5 7  
UCF  2 6   3 9  
Ohio  1 7   2 10  
Buffalo  1 7   1 11  
West Division
No. 23 Bowling Green x  7 1   11 3  
Northern Illinois  6 2   10 2  
Toledo  6 2   8 4  
Western Michigan  4 4   5 7  
Ball State  3 5   4 8  
Eastern Michigan  2 6   3 9  
Central Michigan  1 7   3 9  
Championship: Miami 49, Bowling Green 27
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2003 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division. The team was coached by Jeff Woodruff in his final season at EMU. Following the 38–10 loss to Central Michigan, Woodruff, who had compiled a 9–34 record in 3 34 seasons, was fired on November 3. [1] Running backs coach Al Lavan was named the interim coach while the school conducted a national search for the new permanent coach, [2] and under his leadership the team won two of their final three games. After the end of the season, Northwestern running backs coach Jeff Genyk was hired as the new EMU head coach. [3]

Contents

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 287:00 pm East Tennessee State *W 28–21 [4] 11,725 [5]
September 47:00 pm Western Illinois *
  • Rynearson Stadium
  • Ypsilanti, MI
L 12–34 [6] 11,123
September 136:00 pmat Akron L 17–24 [7] 10,262
September 201:30 pmat Navy *L 7–39 [8] 27,627
September 276:00 pm Maryland *
  • Rynearson Stadium
  • Ypsilanti, MI
L 13–37 [9] 19,628
October 42:00 pm Western Michigan
  • Rynearson Stadium
  • Ypsilanti, MI
L 3–31 [10] 19,963
October 117:00 pmat Toledo L 14–49 [11] 22,807
October 186:00 pm Bowling Green
  • Rynearson Stadium
  • Ypsilanti, MI
L 20–33 [12] 6,154
November 11:00 pmat Central Michigan L 10–38 [13] 8,391
November 812:00 pm UCF
  • Rynearson Stadium
  • Ypsilanti, MI
W 19–13 [14] 5,150
November 151:00 pm Ball State
  • Rynearson Stadium
  • Ypsilanti, MI
W 38–14 [15] 5,075
November 222:05 pmat Northern Illinois L 24–38 [16] 16,589

[17]

EMU was briefly scheduled to host the South Florida Bulls in 2003. The Rynearson Stadium game had originally been scheduled for 2002, but the Bulls paid EMU a $50,000 postponement fee to delay the game to 2003, allowing USF a 2002 game at Arkansas. However, EMU dropped USF from the 2003 schedule with no advance notice. [18]

Game summaries

East Tennessee State

1234Total
Buccaneers0147021
Eagles777728

EMU opened the season with the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, a Division I-AA team in the Southern Conference. East Tennessee State had a 4–8 record in 2002, [19] and 2003 would be the final year for their football program, which had been losing nearly $1 million per year from 1999 through 2003. [20]

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Western Illinois

1234Total
Leathernecks7761434
Eagles333312

Following the Leathernecks' win over EMU, Western Illinois received its first-ever #1 ranking in the national Division I-AA polls, though they lost the ranking the following week with a 35–7 loss to the eventual I-A national champions, the LSU Tigers.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Akron

1234Total
Eagles0107017
Zips7140324

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

1234Total
Eagles00077
Midshipmen83141439
EMU junior quarterback Chinedu Okoro being tackled by Navy junior linebacker Lane Jackson. US Navy 030920-N-6157F-002 Eastern Michigan University (EMU) junior quarterback Chinedu Okoro attempts to pass while getting wrapped up by Navy junior linebacker Lane Jackson.jpg
EMU junior quarterback Chinedu Okoro being tackled by Navy junior linebacker Lane Jackson.

With their win over EMU, the Midshipmen won consecutive home games for the first time since 1997. [21] EMU's offense committed six turnovers, [22] including four interceptions thrown by Chinedu Okoro, [21] about which head coach Jeff Woodruff commented, "You can’t beat a high school team giving up five turnovers...Mathematically, you are out of the game with that. That was frustrating because the defense was playing well." [22]

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Maryland

1234Total
Terrapins61071437
Eagles373013

This game was the first and so far, the only occasion on which a team from an AQ conference played at Rynearson Stadium. [9]

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Western Michigan

1234Total
Broncos00141731
Eagles03003

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Toledo

1234Total
Eagles707014
Rockets14287049

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Bowling Green

1234Total
Falcons14120733
Eagles773320

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Central Michigan

Following the 38–10 loss to Central Michigan, EMU's eight consecutive loss, Jeff Woodruff, who had compiled a 9–34 record in 3 34 seasons, was fired on November 3. [1] Running backs coach Al Lavan was named the interim coach while the school conducted a national search for the new permanent coach. [2]

1234Total
Eagles730010
Chippewas010141438

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Central Florida

1234Total
Knights0130013
Eagles1070219

In Al Lavan's first game as interim head coach, the Eagles snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 19–13 win over Central Florida. After the two offenses combined for 20 second-quarter points, neither offense scored in the second half of the game.

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Ball State

1234Total
Cardinals007714
Eagles01417738

With a win over Ball State, the Eagles achieved back-to-back wins over Division I-A opponents for the first time in more than three years; they had last done this in November 2000, in Jeff Woodruff's first season as head coach. [23]

Scoring summary

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Northern Illinois

1234Total
Eagles1430724
Huskies71013838

Scoring summary [24]

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Roster

2003 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 5Chris TalleyJr
WR 6 Chris Roberson Jr
WR 7LaGarian HoustonFr
QB 8Jeff CrooksSr
TE 82Kevin ZurekiSr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 2Yves DieudonneSo
DB 14 Jereme Perry Jr
LB 37Mike SalvatoriSr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Tim Salem
    (Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injury icon 2.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. 1 2 "Eastern Michigan football coach fired in 4th year". The Beacon News. November 4, 2003. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Eastern Michigan fires football coach Jeff Woodruff". The Daily Sentinel. November 4, 2003. p. B6. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  3. "Genyk takes over floundering program". ESPN. December 1, 2003. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  4. "East Tenn. St. Buccaneers vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Box Score". ESPN. August 28, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  5. "EMU's confidence gets boost in victory". The Ann Arbor News. August 29, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Western Illinois Leathernecks vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Box Score". ESPN. September 4, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  7. "Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Akron Zips – Box Score". ESPN. September 13, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  8. "Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Navy Midshipmen – Box Score". ESPN. September 20, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  9. 1 2 "Maryland Terrapins vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Recap". ESPN. September 27, 2003. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  10. "Western Michigan Broncos vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Box Score". ESPN. October 4, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  11. "Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Toledo Rockets – Box Score". ESPN. October 11, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  12. "Bowling Green Falcons vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Box Score". ESPN. October 18, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  13. "Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Central Michigan Chippewas – Box Score". ESPN. November 1, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  14. "UCF Knights vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Box Score". ESPN. November 8, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  15. "Ball State Cardinals vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles – Box Score". ESPN. November 15, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  16. "Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Northern Illinois Huskies – Box Score". ESPN. November 22, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  17. "Eastern Michigan University Coaching Records Game by Game 2003". College Football Data Warehouse . Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  18. McMurphy, Brett (February 14, 2003). "USF Scrambling Even More After Losing Another Game". Tampa Tribune . p. 1. Retrieved November 3, 2010. The Wildcats are seeking a home game Sept. 20. USF was scheduled to host Baylor on Sept. 20, but the Bears canceled last month. USF also has openings Sept. 6 and 13. USF officials were not aware Eastern Michigan had dropped USF from its 2003 schedule until Wednesday when the Eagles' schedule was released – minus USF. USF was supposed to visit Eastern Michigan in 2002, but pushed the game to 2003 so the Bulls could instead play at Arkansas. USF paid a $50,000 postponement fee to EMU for moving the game.[ dead link ]
  19. "EMU to face I-AA team". The Detroit News . August 28, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  20. Sterling, Feleesha (December 7, 2006), "Football at what cost?", East Tennessean, archived from the original on March 8, 2008, retrieved November 3, 2010
  21. 1 2 "Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Navy Midshipmen – Recap". ESPN. September 20, 2003. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  22. 1 2 "Navy 39, Eastern Michigan 7". Yahoo! Sports. September 20, 2003. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  23. "Eastern Michigan Yearly Results 2000–2004". College Football Data Warehouse . Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  24. "Eastern Michigan vs. Northern Illinois". USA Today . November 22, 2003. Retrieved November 10, 2010.

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