Last week’s matchup
The Eastern Michigan University Eagles lost their first game of conference play to in-state rival Central Michigan University with a score of 24-13.
Eastern Michigan’s defense has emerged as the clear bottleneck for the team. Against CMU, they recorded no sacks or interceptions.
When asked about the defense, defensive end Tyrell Martin said that it all comes down to trust.
“It’s really an issue of just being able to trust our techniques, our coaching, our fundamentals, earlier in the game,” Martin said. “Like against Central Michigan, we let up 21 in the first half, then three in the second half. I feel like that trust and confidence came in too late.”
Eastern Michigan Coach Chris Creighton also weighed in on the topic of the team’s defense, with the main focus being on the defensive line not performing well against the run.
“Yeah, it's got our full attention," he said. "It's something that has to improve in order for us to win football games.”
The offense also had a slow game against Central Michigan, with the only touchdown being a rushing score by quarterback Noah Kim.
Although the team has some things to fix, there is one player who has been progressing rapidly, and that is sophomore tight end Joshua Long. Long is a transfer from El Camino Community College in Alondra Park, California, and he has been making steady progress throughout his Ypsilanti tenure.
Long has made a big impact on the team’s offense, sitting just behind veteran wide receiver Terry Lockett Jr. in receptions. So far, Long has recorded 15 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns, with four of the receptions coming in against CMU.
“We’re super excited about Josh [Long]," Creighton said in the pregame press conference for Week 6. "He gets better every week and is just a great human on top of it.”
This week’s matchup
This week, the Eagles are heading to UB Stadium for an in-conference matchup against the 2-3 University at Buffalo Bulls.
The Bulls have lost two games in a row, both of them being one-score games. The Bulls are off to a good start to conference play, beating Kent State 31-28 to begin the Mid-American Conference campaign 1-0.
Buffalo is a versatile team. Four rushers have combined for nine rushing touchdowns, with four receivers combining for six touchdowns. Leading the ground game has been senior running back Al-Jay Henderson, who has four touchdowns so far. Of the receivers, junior Victor Snow has been the most dominant. Snow has 23 receptions for 274 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bulls have a lot of action on defense as well. That side of the ball has recorded 17 sacks, with seven of the sacks coming from linebackers. The team has also managed to get two interceptions thus far.
Buffalo is a tough matchup for Eastern. Eastern Michigan is 3-2 against Buffalo in the last five games played at UB Stadium, but if they want to keep that winning record going, they will need to drastically improve their defensive line play, while also correctly utilizing their offensive weapons like Dontae McMillan, Joshua Long and Terry Lockett Jr.
According to ESPN, the Eagles are currently 10.5-point underdogs on the betting line.
Where to watch
Viewers can tune into ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, to watch the Eagles take on the Buffalo Bulls.
