EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES NOTES:
BOISE, Idaho – The Eastern Michigan University football team will play in its fifth bowl game in the last seven years when it participates in the 26th Annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Tuesday, Dec. 20, on the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium. The Eagles finished the regular season with an 8-4 mark and a 5-3 record in Mid-American Conference play. EMU made appearances in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl, the 2018 Camellia Bowl, the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl, and the 2021 LendingTree Bowl.
The Spartans finished the regular season with a 7-4 record, going 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference. SJSU is bowling for the first time since 2020. It will be Head Coach Brent Brennan’s second bowl game as head coach of SJSU. Furthermore, he is the first head coach to lead the Spartans to two bowl games since Claude Gilbert in 1986 and 1987.
Kickoff from Boise State University’s campus is set for 1:30 p.m. MT (3:30 p.m. ET) and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Clay Matvick and Rocky Boiman will be in the booth, while Dawn Davenport reports from the sideline. The game will also be aired on WEMU (89.1 FM) with veteran broadcasters Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick calling the action on the field. WEMU’s special 30-minute pregame show from the stadium begins at 1 p.m. MT (3 p.m. ET).
PARTY LIKE IT’S 1987?: The Eagles will face off against San Jose State for the second time in the postseason, as the matchup is a rematch of the 1987 California Bowl. The then-Hurons were a 17-point underdog, but EMU prevailed with a 30-27 win over the Spartans in Fresno, Calif., Dec. 12, 1987.
EYES ON NINE: A triumph would give Eastern Michigan exactly nine victories in a season for the first time ever, and would go down as the second-best win total in the 131-year history of the program. Eastern’s best season came in 1987, when the team won 10 games (nine regular season) en route to the program’s lone Mid-American Conference title and postseason bowl victory (California Bowl). EMU teams have finished with eight wins six times, including this season.
SEVEN IN THE FBS: The Eagles defeated seven Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents during the 2022 regular season campaign. That number is the second-most in a single season in program history (FBS officially established in 1978); only the 1987 team took down more with eight FBS wins during its nine-win regular season.
FIRST-TIME ACCOMPLISHMENT: Eastern Michigan will add another to its list of “firsts” under ninth-year Head Coach Chris Creighton in 2022. With its selection to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Eastern will make four consecutive bowl appearances (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season) for the first time in program history.
LET’S ROCK AND BOWL: Eastern Michigan’s 34-28 win over Akron, Nov. 8, gave the program bowl eligibility for the fifth time in the previous six full seasons and just the sixth time in program history. The win also gives EMU bowl eligibility in four consecutive seasons for the first time in program history (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season). Of note, EMU’s 1971 appearance in the Pioneer Bowl does not figure into the bowl count since it was a NCAA Division II regional final contest and not part of the bowl system.
WHAT’S STILL AT STAKE: Plenty of opportunities to cement the team’s legacy still await Eastern Michigan in its postseason bowl contest. A win would give EMU just its second in program history and its first since the 1987 California Bowl (EMU defeated San Jose State, 30-27).
NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT…: In going to a bowl game for the fourth time in five seasons, 13 student-athletes will have the opportunity to do something that just other group (three previous student-athletes) in program history has accomplished previously – play in four bowl games. hose 13 student-athletes participated in the 2018 Camellia Bowl, 2019 Quick Lane Bowl, 2021 LendingTree Bowl, and now the Potato Bowl. Of those 13 student-athletes, three will have the opportunity to become the first student-athletes in EMU history to record a snap in four different postseason bowl games: Dylan Drummond, Sidy Sow, and Gunnar Oakes. Blake Bogan would be the fourth, but is out with injury.
LAST TIME WE MET: Head Coach Jim Harkema’s Hurons were 17-point underdogs heading into the battle with the high-scoring Spartans of San Jose in the 1987 California Bowl, Dec. 12. While most people agreed with that pre-game prediction of an easy San Jose State win, the EMU team and its faithful fans knew that the Green and White would be prepared to pull off the major upset. Eastern, trailing 27-23 with just 3:59 left in the game, senior quarterback Ron Adams threw a long, arching pass to senior wide receiver Craig Ostrander for a 32-yard touchdown and Tim Henneghan added the PAT kick to give Eastern the 30-27 lead. That would be the last score of the game as the Hurons’ defense held on for one of the most memorable wins in school history.
GO WEST THEY SAID: For the first time in 51 years, EMU will play a contest in the state of Idaho when it battles San Jose State, Dec. 20. The last time Eastern ventured into the Gem State was the 1971 season at Idaho State University, Oct. 2. Eastern escaped with a 23-22 triumph. Eastern is 1-1 all-time against ISU and 0-1 versus Idaho.
VERSUS THE MOUNTAIN WEST: EMU has met five current members of the Mountain West Conference in its history, holding a 3-2-1 record. Eastern’s first tangled with Fresno State for the 1990 season opener, falling 41-10, Sept. 1. The then-Hurons upset heavily-favored San Jose State, 30-27, in the 1987 California Bowl. EMU swept a home-and-home series against Wyoming. EMU cruised to a 48-29 victory in Laramie, Wyo., Sept. 12, 2015, and followed it up with a 27-24 decision the following year inside “The Factory”, Sept. 23, 2016. Most recently, the Eagles dropped an overtime affair at San Diego State, 23-20, Sept. 22, at SDCCU Stadium.
WE’LL SEE YOU SOON!: The Dec. 20 meeting in Boise will not be the final time the two sides meet on the gridiron, as the schools previously agreed to a home-and-home series. The Spartans will play in Ypsilanti, Sept. 5, 2026, while the Eagles will travel to San Jose, Sept. 1, 2029.
FAMILIAR FOES: Even though the teams are meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 1987, there are some ties between EMU and SJSU. San Jose State’s Director of Athletics, Jeff Konya, previously served as the athletic director at nearby Oakland University from 2014-18. Deputy AD Scott MacDonald also worked at Oakland and played collegiate baseball at Henry Ford Community College (1994-96). Meanwhile, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Sky Kerstein was a sports producer and multimedia journalist for four years working for Detroit’s WJBK-TV (Fox 2).
THAT’S A GOOD POINT: Senior running back Samson Evans scored 78 points in 2022 which ties for 10th all-time in single-season scoring at EMU. He was edged by sophomore placekicker Jesus Gomez, who chipped in 82 points in his first campaign as the team’s primary field goal and extra point specialist to finish eighth on the list. This season marks just the second in program history in which two players finished within the program’s top-10 in the category in the same season. The other was just last season, when Evans (78 points) and former Eagle Chad Ryland (program-record 104 points) did it. Evans now has 162 points in his career, the 11th most of any player in program history. He is on pace to exceed 250 career points, which would place him comfortably in the program’s top three all-time (Ryland- 309, Andrew Wellock – 299, Justin Ventura – 239). If he is able to crack the top-3, he would be the only non-specialist to do so.
EVANS MOVES UP: Senior running back Samson Evans continued to climb up the EMU record books when he rushed for a touchdown against Central Michigan, Nov. 25. Evans now has 27 total scores in his career, which ties for third-most in program history, alongside Eric Deslauriers (2003-06). Evans would move into the No. 1 spot with 32 touchdowns. Eastern legend Gary Patton (1984-87) currently holds the top spot with 31. Additionally, Evans is now first all-time in EMU career rushing touchdowns. He surpassed Patton and Anthony Sherrell (2002-05) on that list.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS NOTES:
OPENING DRIVE
• The Spartans are looking for their eighth bowl game win and first since 2015. SJSU is 7-4 all-time in bowl games which is good for a .636 winning pct. and seventh best in the country with teams who have played in 10 or more bowl games.
• SJSU’s lone meeting against Eastern Michigan took place in the 1987 California Bowl where the Spartans fell 30-27 to the Eagles.
• Brent Brennan is leading the Spartans to his second bowl game as head coach of the Spartans and is the first head coach to lead the Spartans to two bowl games since Claude Gilbert in 1986 and 1987. This is also the first time since 1987 the Spartans have gone to two bowl games in three seasons.
• SJSU has a +12 turnover margin which is best in the MW and good for fifth in the country. In 2021, the Spartans had a -10 turnover margin.
• The Spartans only have six turnovers (4 int, 2 fumbles), with only five on offense and it would be the fewest for SJSU since they had nine turnovers in eight games in 2020. The 12 game record for the Spartans fewest turnovers is 13 in 2019. The fewest interceptions in a season for the Spartans is six in 1999, 1962 and 1956. The fewest fumbles for SJSU in a season is three in 2007.
• Defensive end Viliami “Junior” Fehoko was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and was All-MW First Team (2020, 21, 22). Fehoko is the second SJSU player to win MW DPOTY in the last three seasons (Cade Hall, 2020). Fehoko was named to the Sporting News and PFF All-America Second Teams (ranked fifth with 57 QB pressures) and leads the MW and is sixth in the country with a career-high 18.5 tackles for loss
and second in the league and 11th in the country with a career-high nine sacks. Fehoko also has a career-high 65 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection this season.
• Defensive end Cade Hall is one game played away from tying Jack Snyder for tops in SJSU history with 55 games played. The two-time MW first team (2020, 22) and 2020 MW DPOTY is in the SJSU top-five all-time in tackles for loss and sacks.
• Linebacker Kyle Harmon was named All-MW First Team for the third time (2020, 21, 22). He has 94 tackles this season and has 434 for his career which is good for third all-time in SJSU history.
• Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro (2,885 yards, tops in MW) is looking to be the first SJSU QB to throw for 3,000 yards since Josh Love did in 2019. Love also had 22 touchdowns in 2019 and Cordeiro is at 20 which leads the MW. Cordeiro has only thrown four interceptions and is looking to best the SJSU record of five (437 attempts), by Scott Rislov in 2003. Only four FBS QB’s have over 300 passing attempts and less than four interceptions. Cordeiro’s eight rushing touchdowns are most by an SJSU QB in the modern era. Cordeiro has been part of 28 touchdowns this season, the SJSU record is David Fales who was a part of 35 touchdowns (33 in the air) in 2013. Cordeiro was All-MW Second Team and went 170 passing attempts before throwing his first interception as a Spartan on a deflected ball at Fresno State (10/15).
• Wide receiver Elijah Cooks (983 yards) is looking to be the first 1,000 yard wide receiver for the Spartans since Tre Walker in 2019. Cooks (10 touchdowns) has the most touchdowns by any SJSU wide receiver since Chandler Jones had 15 in 2013. Cooks tied the SJSU record for three touchdown catches in a game against Utah State (11/19) earlier in the season. Cooks was named to the All-MW First Team.
• SJSU has played an NCAA low 11 games this season and their first 10 games started at 5:30 p.m. local time or later.
• The Spartans went 6-0 at home for the first time since 1978 and their first six win home season since 2006 when they went 6-1 at home.
• The Spartans finished the season with 36 sacks which was good for first in the MW and were fifth in the country averaging 3.27 sacks per game. The SJSU record for sacks in a season is 58 by the 1986 team. The 36 sacks are the most by an SJSU team since they had 41 sacks in 2012.
• Cornerback Nehemiah Shelton finished last season third in the country averaging 1.4 pass breakups a game. Shelton went five consecutive games breaking up a pass last season. The Gardena, Calif. native has a team leading eight this season and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Shelton was named MW honorable mention for the second season in a row.
• Safety Tre Jenkins is a two-time All-Mountain West Honorable Mention Selection (2021, 22) and has a career-high two interceptions, career-high five pass breakups, career-high two sacks and a career-high seven tackles for loss in 11 games played. He is also tied for the team lead with two interceptions and jas 60 tackles and a forced fumble as well plus led the team with nine tackles and one quarterback hit vs. Hawai’i (11/26).
SJSU BOWL HISTORY (7-4)
• 2020: Arizona Bowl, Tucson, Ariz., Ball State 34, San José State 13 (Played without 30+ players due to Covid protocols)
• 2015: Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla., San José State 27, Georgia State 16
• 2012: Military Bowl, Washington, D.C., San José State 29, Bowling Green 20
• 2006: New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, N.M., San José State 20, New Mexico 12
• 1990: California Raisin Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 48, Central Michigan 24
• 1987: California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., Eastern Michigan 30, San José State 27
• 1986: California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 37, Miami (Ohio) 7
• 1981: California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., Toledo 27, San José State 25
• 1971: Pasadena Bowl, Pasadena, Calif., Memphis State 28, San José State 9
• 1949: Raisin Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 20, Texas Tech 13
• 1947: Raisin Bowl, Fresno, Calif., San José State 20, Utah State 0
