2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football
2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football
LendingTree Bowl, L 20–56 vs. Liberty
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	West Division
Record	7–6 (4–4 MAC)
Head coach	Chris Creighton (8th season);
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Neal Neathery (6th season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Rynearson Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

Last updated August 26, 2025

2021 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Kent State xy	6	–	2	7	–	7
Miami (OH)	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ohio	3	–	5	3	–	9
Bowling Green	2	–	6	4	–	8
Buffalo	2	–	6	4	–	8
Akron	1	–	7	2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$	6	–	2	9	–	5
Central Michigan x	6	–	2	9	–	4
Toledo	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ball State	4	–	4	6	–	7
Eastern Michigan	4	–	4	7	–	6
Western Michigan	4	–	4	8	–	5
Championship: Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles were led by eighth-year head coach Chris Creighton and played their home games at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). For the third time in the past six seasons (2016, 2018), the Eagles clinched a winning record, becoming the sixth Eagle team to reach seven wins.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Saint Francis (PA) *	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN3	W 35–15	16,461
September 11	7:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Wisconsin *	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	FS1	L 7–34	70,967
September 18	3:30 p.m.	at UMass *	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	NESN+	W 42–28	7,012
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Texas State *	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 59–21	14,253
October 2	2:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	L 20–27	10,034
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 13–12	15,664
October 16	2:00 p.m.	Ball State	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	L 31–38	15,258
October 23	12:00 p.m.	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	W 55–24	10,875
November 2	7:30 p.m.	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	ESPN2	W 52–49	14,997
November 9	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN2	L 26–34	13,636
November 16	7:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN2	W 22–21	15,272
November 26	12:00 p.m.	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	L 10–31	7,708
December 18	5:45 p.m.	vs. Liberty *	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL (LendingTree Bowl)	ESPN	L 20–56	15,186
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Game summaries

Saint Francis (PA)

at No. 18 (FBS) Wisconsin

Eastern Michigan vs. Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	7	7
No. 18 Badgers	7	17	3	7	34

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

Date: September 11, 2021
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); Sunny; Wind at SW3 MPH
Game attendance: 70,967
Referee: Reggie Smith
TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

WISC – Chez Mellusi 6-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:39 (Wisconsin, 7–0)

Second quarter

WISC – Collin Larsh 33-yard field goal, 13:39 (Wisconsin, 10–0)
WISC – Jalen Berger 6-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 7:02 (Wisconsin, 17–0)
WISC – Isaac Guerendo 82-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:40 (Wisconsin, 24–0)

Third quarter

WISC – Larsh, 39-yard field goal, 8:02 (Wisconsin, 27–0)

Fourth quarter

EMU – Chase Wolf pass intercepted for a TD, Chad Ryland kick, 9:38 (Wisconsin, 27–7)
WISC – Braelon Allen 1-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:16 (Wisconsin, 34–7)

Top passers

EMU – Preston Hutchinson – 6/13, 53 yards, INT
WISC – Graham Mertz – 14/17, 141 yards

Top rushers

EMU – Preston Hutchinson – 3 rushes, 12 yards
WISC – Chez Mellusi – 20 rushes, 144 yards, TD

Top receivers

EMU – Zach Westmoreland – 2 receptions, 35 yards
WISC – Kendric Pryor – 4 receptions, 54 yards

Top defenders

EMU – Scott Woo – 3 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
WISC – John Torchio – 3 tackles, TFL, 0.5 sack

at UMass

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	14	7	7	14	42
Minutemen	0	7	7	14	28

Statistics	EMU	MASS
First downs	26	30
Total yards	507	519
Rushing yards	184	209
Passing yards	323	310
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	29:29	30:31

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	14/21, 298 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jawon Hamilton	16 rushes, 122 yards, TD
	Receiving	Hassan Beydoun	6 receptions, 101 yards
UMass	Passing	Brady Olson	22/38, 285 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ellis Merriweather	23 rushes, 144 yards
	Receiving	Melvin Hill	4 receptions, 82 yards, TD

Texas State

Texas State at Eastern Michigan

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	7	7	7	0	21
•Eagles	14	14	10	21	59

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: Rynearson Stadium
Ypsilanti, MI
Game start: 1:05 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes
Game attendance: 14,253
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 7 MPH
Referee: Jeremy Valentine
TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play–by–play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
EMU –7.5	63

Statistics	Texas State	Eastern Michigan
First downs	18	33
Total yards	299	499
Rushing yards	112	242
Passing yards	187	257
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	25:52	34:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas State	Passing	Brady McBride	16/25, 187 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Brock Sturges	14 carries, 68 yards
	Receiving	Trevis Graham Jr.	4 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	20/33, 228 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Darius Boone Jr.	13 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	5 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD

at Northern Illinois

Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	6	0	3	3	12
Eagles	0	10	3	0	13

Statistics	MIA	EMU
First downs	19	16
Total yards	385	257
Rushing yards	126	31
Passing yards	259	206
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	25:52	34:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami	Passing	A. J. Mayer	16/39, 259 yards
	Rushing	Tyre Shelton	9 rushes, 41 yards
	Receiving	Jack Sorenson	7 receptions, 123 yards
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	21/31, 206 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Darius Boone Jr.	9 rushes, 36 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	7 receptions, 93 yards

Ball State

Ball State at Eastern Michigan

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
•Ball State	14	3	7	14	38
Eastern Michigan	0	14	3	14	31

Date: October 16. 2021
Location: Rynearson Stadium
Ypsilanti, MI
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 15,258
Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –1.0	55.5

Statistics	Ball State	Eastern Michigan
First downs	29	27
Total yards	433	385
Rushing yards	200	46
Passing yards	233	339
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	32:43	27:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	27/35, 207 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Carson Steele	18 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Justin Hall	10 receptions, 58 yards
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	35/48, 331 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Jawon Hamilton	8 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	7 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD

at Central Michigan (Michigan MAC Trophy)

Michigan MAC Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Michigan	0	3	7	0	10
•Central Michigan	7	3	7	14	31

Date: November 26, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 7,708
Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –8.5	63.5

Statistics	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan
First downs	15	22
Total yards	226	366
Rushing yards	5	236
Passing yards	221	130
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	27:17	32:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	24/35, 221 yards
	Rushing	Bryson Moss	5 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Tanner Knue	7 receptions, 70 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	12/24, 130 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	44 carries, 194 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	4 receptions, 46 yards, 2 TDs

vs. Liberty (LendingTree Bowl)

Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Liberty Flames (2021 LendingTree Bowl) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	7	0	10	20
Flames	13	20	16	7	56

at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama

Date: December 18
Game time: 5:45 p.m. EST / 4:45 p.m. CST
Game weather: Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: overcast, humid • Wind: N 7 MPH
Game attendance: 15,186
Referee: Trennis Livingston
TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich and Jalyn Johnson

Game information

First quarter

EMU – Chad Ryland 27-yard field goal, 7:48. Eagles 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 7:12.
LIB – D. J. Stubbs 54-yard pass from Malik Willis (Brayden Beck kick), 3:08. Flames 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 85 yards, 1:32.
LIB – Skyler Thomas 27-yard interception return (kick failed), 2:27. Flames 13–3.

Second quarter

EMU – Samson Evans 2-yard run (Chad Ryland kick), 13:01. Flames 13–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:26.
LIB – T. J. Green 24-yard run (kick failed), 12:07. Flames 19–10. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:54.
LIB – Johnny Huntley 20-yard pass from Malik Willis (Brayden Beck kick), 6:22. Flames 26–10. Drive: 12 plays, 88 yards, 3:32.
LIB – Malik Willis 2-yard run (Brayden Beck kick), 0:16. Flames 33–10. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 1:56.

Third quarter

LIB – Malik Willis 35-yard run (run failed), 11:02. Flames 39–10. Drive: 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:34.
LIB – Brayden Beck 43-yard field goal, 7:08. Flames 42–10. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 1:32.
LIB – Demario Douglas 2-yard pass from Malik Willis (Brayden Beck kick), 2:44. Flames 49–10. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 3:22.

Fourth quarter

LIB – Kevin Shaa 64-yard pass from Johnathan Bennett (Brayden Beck kick), 10:58. Flames 56–10. Drive: 1 play, 64 yards, 0:08.
EMU – Chad Ryland 43-yard field goal, 5:26. Flames 56–13. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:32.
EMU – Jeff Hubbard 34-yard interception return (Chad Ryland kick), 4:29. Flames 56–20.