# 2009 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

The 2009 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division and played their home games in Rynearson Stadium.
Following the firing of Jeff Genyk during the 2008 season, Eastern Michigan hired Ron English, who had formerly been the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville, as the team's head coach. The coaching change initially brought excitement to the program, as English hired a new staff, including former University of Michigan, New York Giants, and Oakland Raiders running back Tyrone Wheatley, and replaced Genyk's spread offense with a pro-style offense.
However, the change in offense proved difficult for senior quarterback Andy Schmitt, and he was largely ineffective in the first several games of the season. In the second game of the year, the Eagles traveled to Northwestern, and after trailing 21–0 in the second quarter, they tied the game at 24 with 2 minutes left, before Northwestern kicked a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds. The following week, they had another trip just across the county to play Michigan. Similar to their 2006 game at Michigan State, they played a very competitive first half, only trailing by one score. But like many times before, they couldn't put two good halves together. In the second half, the Eagles were outscored 21–0 and Andy Schmitt suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The rest of the season they used former starting quarterback Kyle McMahon, and freshman Alex Gillet. Eastern scored no more than 12 points in any of the next three games, including a 56–8 loss at Central Michigan. The week after that, they nearly beat Ball State who was also winless at the time. The difference was a safety in the fourth quarter. Next, they had one more non-conference game as they traveled to Arkansas. This game was the opposite of the Michigan game — bad first half, good second half. They were down 42–0 before eventually losing 63–27. For the rest of the year, they were only close in the finale at Akron, losing by 7. In previous years, Eastern was able to get at least a few wins because of a high scoring offense. Schmitt's injury ended that, and their defense was among the worst in the nation. Eastern gave up 3,321 rushing yards (276.8 per game), more than any other team in the nation, which was their downfall. They statistically appeared to have one of the best passing defenses, allowing 150.5 passing yards per game, second only to Air Force, but this was mostly an illusion. Everyone knew they couldn't stop the run, so opponents just didn't call many pass plays.
Eastern finished the season without a win, their first winless season since 1981. The Eagles were one of two winless FBS teams (Western Kentucky was the other).

## Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for 2009 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Matthew Boyd LB | Southfield, MI | Southfield-Lathrup HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Jan 28, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Melvin Crews DE | Muskegon, MI | Muskegon HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | – | Jan 22, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Devon Davis DE | Columbus, IN | Columbus East HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | – | Aug 13, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Javon Gillespie DB | Washington, DC | Collegiate Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Alex Gillett QB | Clyde, OH | Clyde HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 4.77 | Jan 22, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Kelip Goodwin WR | South Haven, MI | South Haven HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.49 | Jan 25, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Garrett Gronowski DB | Avon, OH | Avon HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Willie Hickman DB | Pahokee, FL | Pahokee HS | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 139 lb (63 kg) | 4.4 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Garrett Hoskins TE | Grand Rapids, MI | Creston HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Delano Johnson DE | Visalia, CA | College of the Sequoias | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | 4.65 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Bronley Kashama DE | Brampton, ON | Brampton Centennial SS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Ryan Leonard DT | Visalia, CA | College of the Sequoias | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | 4.9 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jonte Lewis DB | Visalia, CA | College of the Sequoias | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Orlando McCord DE | Detroit, MI | King HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 231 lb (105 kg) | 4.71 | Jan 28, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 67 |||||||
| Darrius Moffett LB | Chicago, IL | Hubbard HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Andy Mulumba LB | Montreal, PQ | Cegep Du Vieux | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Nick Olds WR | Columbus, IN | Columbus East HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | – | Jul 23, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| Nate Paopao LB | San Marcos, CA | Palomar | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Devontae Payne QB | Cleveland, OH | South HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Stephan Sewell LB | Colorado Springs, CO | USAF Academy Prep | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Andrew Sorgatz OL | Wheaton, IL | Wheaton North HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Aaron Tanguma TE | Elsa, TX | Edcouch-Elsa HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | – | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Kinsman Thomas WR | Bennettsville, SC | Marlboro County HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 4.59 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 111 Rivals: 104 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Eastern Michigan Commit List for 2009". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "Football Recruiting: Eastern Michigan". Scout.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "Eastern Michigan Football Recruiting 2009". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Army* | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan | | L 14–27 | 14,499 |
| September 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Northwestern* | Ryan FieldEvanston, Illinois | BTN | L 24–27 | 19,239 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 25 Michigan* | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, Michigan | BTN | L 17–45 | 107,903 |
| October 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Temple | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan | | L 12–24 | 3,364 |
| October 10 | 12:00 p.m. | at Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, Michigan (rivalry) | ESPN Plus | L 8–56 | 26,730 |
| October 17 | 4:00 p.m. | Kent State | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan | | L 6–28 | 2,401 |
| October 24 | 1:00 p.m. | Ball State | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan | | L 27–29 | 1,535 |
| October 31 | 7:00 p.m. | at Arkansas* | Razorback StadiumFayetteville, Arkansas | ESPNU | L 27–63 | 62,501 |
| November 5 | 6:30 p.m. | at Northern Illinois | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, Illinois | ESPNU | L 6–50 | 10,527 |
| November 14 | 1:00 p.m. | Western Michigan | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, Michigan (Michigan MAC Trophy) | | L 14–35 | 3,281 |
| November 20 | 7:00 p.m. | at Toledo | Glass BowlToledo, Ohio | | L 21–47 | 9,967 |
| November 27 | 2:00 p.m. | at Akron | InfoCision StadiumAkron, Ohio | | L 21–28 | 9,962 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at school |
| Ron English | Head coach | 1st |
| Ken Karcher | Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks coach | 1st |
| Eric Lewis | Defensive coordinator Defensive backs coach | 1st |
| Kurt Anderson | Offensive line coach | 2nd |
| Tom Burpee | Tight ends coach Special teams coach | 1st |
| Antonio Carter | Wide receivers coach | 1st |
| Tim Carter | Defensive backs coach Recruiting coordinator | 1st |
| Casey Creehan | Defensive line coach | 1st |
| Steve Szabo | Associate head coach Linebackers coach | 1st |
| Tyrone Wheatley | Running backs coach | 1st |

## Game summaries
### Army

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Black Knights | 6 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
* 06:12 ARMY – Mealy 6-yard run (Campbell kick failed) 6–0 ARMY
2nd Quarter
* 05:56 ARMY – Carter 12-yard run (Campbell kick) 13–0 ARMY
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
* 13:58 EMU – Hunter 20-yard pass from Schmitt (Carithers kick) 13–7 ARMY
* 10:22 ARMY – Ehie 10-yard run (Smith rush) 21–7 ARMY
* 06:53 ARMY – Ehie 5-yard run (Campbell kick failed) 27–7 ARMY
* 03:31 EMU – Priest 1-yard run (Carithers kick) 27–14 ARMY

### Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
* 06:38 NU Simmons 1-yard run (Demos kick) 0–7 NU
2nd Quarter
* 12:33 NU Simmons 14-yard run (Demos kick) 0–14 NU
* 09:08 NU Johnson 70-yard interception return (Demos kick) 0–21 NU
* 03:32 EMU Carithers 33-yard field goal 3–21 NU
3rd Quarter
* 04:33 EMU Priest 1-yard run (Carithers kick) 10–21 NU
4th Quarter
* 12:57 NU Demos 20-yard field goal 10–24 NU
* 09:55 EMU Stone 25-yard pass from Schmitt (Carithers kick) 17–24 NU
* 02:40 EMU Blevins 3-yard run (Carithers kick) 24–24
* 00:06 NU Demos 49-yard field goal 24–27 NU

### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Wolverines | 10 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
* 10:46 MICH Olesnavage 37-yard field goal 0–3 MICH
* 05:32 EMU Carithers 43-yard field goal 3–3
* 02:30 MICH Brown 9-yard run (Olesnavage kick) 3–10 MICH
2nd Quarter
* 11:16 EMU Schmitt 11-yard run (Carithers kick) 10–10
* 09:20 MICH Shaw 5-yard run (Olesnavage kick) 10–17 MICH
* 07:15 MICH Brown 90-yard run (Olesnavage kick) 10–24 MICH
* 02:05 EMU Priest 5-yard run (Carithers kick) 17–24 MICH
3rd Quarter
* 04:47 MICH Odoms 13-yard run (Olesnavage kick) 17–31 MICH
* 03:06 MICH Robinson 13-yard run (Olesnavage kick) 17–38 MICH
4th Quarter
* 07:14 MICH Robinson 36-yard run (Olesnavage kick) 17–45 MICH

### Temple

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 14 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Eagles | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |

### Central Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Chippewas | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
* 08:51 CMU Brown 70-yard pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) 0–7 CMU
* 03:58 CMU LeFevour 1-yard run (Aguila kick) 0–14 CMU
2nd Quarter
* 12:33 CMU LeFevour 1-yard run (Aguila kick) 0–21 CMU
* 02:51 CMU Brown 75-yard punt return (Aguila kick) 0–28 CMU
* 00:18 CMU Schroeder 11-yard pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) 0–35 CMU
3rd Quarter
* 12:50 CMU Poblah 25-yard pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) 0–42 CMU
* 01:57 CMU LeFevour 5-yard run (Aguila kick) 0–49 CMU
4th Quarter
* 11:25 EMU Welch 1-yard run (Gillett rush) 8–49 CMU
* 07:36 CMU Volny 3-yard run (Aguila kick) 8–56 CMU

### Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Eagles | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |

### Ball State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 6 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 29 |
| Eagles | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
* 9:08 EMU Thayer 3-yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick) 0–7 EMU
* 4:52 BSU Sykes 51-yard run (Schott kick blocked) 6–7 EMU
2nd Quarter
* 10:59 EMU Carithers 20-yard field goal 6–10 EMU
* 9:23 EMU Welch 12-yard run (Carithers kick) 6–17 EMU
* 6:37 EMU Carithers 26-yard field goal 6–20 EMU
* 4:06 BSU Lewis 48-yard run (Schott kick) 13–20 EMU
3rd Quarter
* 10:44 EMU White 10-yard run (Carithers kick) 13–27 EMU
* 6:37 BSU Sykes 6-yard run (Schott kick) 20–27 EMU
* 5:33 BSU Team Safety 22–27 EMU
* 1:47 BSU Sykes 37-yard run (Schott kick) 29–27 BSU

### Arkansas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | 27 |
| Razorbacks | 21 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 63 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
* 10:42 AR Davis 36-yard run (Tejada kick) 0–7 AR
* 6:42 AR Green 3-yard run (Tejada kick) 0–14 AR
* 4:02 AR Burton 50-yard interception return (Tejada kick) 0–21 AR
2nd Quarter
* 12:21 AR Adams 10-yard pass from Mallett (Tejada kick) 0–28 AR
* 4:10 AR Green 99-yard run (Tejada kick) 0–35 AR
* 1:38 AR Adams 78-yard pass from Mallet (Tejada kick) 0–42 AR
3rd Quarter
* 12:38 AR Armbrust 1-yard blocked punt return (Tejada kick) 0–49 AR
* 9:30 EMU Thayer 8-yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick failed) 6–49 AR
* 5:58 EMU Thomas 77-yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick) 13–49 AR
* 4:30 AR Davis 4-yard run (Tejada kick) 13–56 AR
* 2:50 EMU Bonner 32-yard pass from McMahon (Carithers kick) 20–56 AR
* 0:18 AR Miller 16-yard pass from Mallet (Tejada kick) 20–63 AR
4th Quarter
* 2:14 EMU Priest 10-yard run (Carithers kick) 27–63 AR

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Huskies | 20 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 50 |

### Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### Toledo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Rockets | 3 | 23 | 7 | 14 | 47 |

### Akron

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Zips | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |

## Awards/MAC Leaders

Team Statistics
* 150.5 ypg Pass Defense (1st)
* 33.7 Net yards per punt (1st)
Zach Johnson
* All-MAC Second Team Defense
* 40.4 Punting Yards Per Punt (2nd)
Andre Hatchett
* All-MAC Third Team Defense
* 113 Total Tackles (5th)
Johnny Sears
* 33 Kickoff Returns (5th)
* 7 Passes Defended (Tied 3rd)
Martavius Cardwell
* 60 Solo Tackles (5th)
Brandon Downs
* 7.5 Sacks (4th)
Chris May
* 6 Interceptions (Tied 2nd)
* 126 Interception Return Yards (1st)