Last week’s matchup
The Eastern Michigan University football team scored their first Mid-American Conference win of the year after beating Northern Illinois University 16-10. The Eagles now sit at 1-2 within the MAC and have an overall record of 2-5.
Sophomore tight end Joshua Long once again served as a key weapon in the Eagles’ offense, recording five receptions for 52 yards and the go-ahead touchdown against NIU.
“He's learning a ton every day, and is just getting better at a rapid rate,” Eagles Head Coach Chris Creighton said about the budding underclassman.
Another player that has been playing at an elite level for Eastern Michigan is running back Dontae McMillan.
In the matchup against NIU, McMillan ran the ball 23 times for a total of 104 rushing yards. McMillan has 637 rushing yards on the season and is 10th in Football Bowl Subdivision rankings for rushing yards.
On the defensive side, the Eagles played statistically their best game of the campaign against the Huskies. Multiple players stepped up in order to hold NIU to only 10 points. Junior linebacker Andrew Marshall had 10 total tackles, which led the team, with four of them being solo.
“Andrew is another guy that's just taking massive steps every week — super physical and aggressive, and he's the middle of our linebacker group right now,” Creighton said about Marshall.
Defensive back Bryce Llewelyn also played a crucial role in the win against Northern Illinois. Llewelyn recorded nine total tackles, five of them being solo, as well as a late game interception to help close out the win. That interception was Llewelyn’s second of the year.
This week’s matchup
This week the Eagles are heading to Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio, to take on Miami University in another MAC matchup.
The Miami RedHawks are currently 3-2 with a 2-0 record in the MAC.
The RedHawks have a dual-threat quarterback, Dequan Finn. Finn is the team's starting quarterback and also leads the team in rushing yards. While Finn is very dangerous, he is prone to making mistakes, as he is sitting at four passing touchdowns but has thrown five interceptions.
Of the wide receivers, junior Kam Perry has been the biggest weapon. Perry has caught 17 passes with a total of 505 receiving yards, putting his average at 29.7 yards per reception. He has three touchdowns on the season. If Eastern Michigan’s secondary is able to disrupt Perry, they can have a good shot at winning the game.
The key player to watch in this game will be RedHawks linebacker Adam Trick. So far this season, Trick has recorded 31 total tackles, with 16 being solo, as well as five sacks and an interception.
“He’s fun to watch. He’s smart and he plays super hard. I love how he plays, and he’s going to be tough to deal with — so our guys are going to need to be sharp,” Creighton said about Trick’s play this season.
Creighton said that this will be a game of execution.
“They’ll have gameplans for us, there's no question. This is going to be an execution game — it's not going to be a bunch of deception. This is about playing at a high level, knowing what you are going to see," Creighton said.
The matchup will likely hinge on containing Finn’s dual-threat ability and limiting big plays from Perry.
The RedHawks are the favorites heading into the matchup. ESPN has Miami at 13.5-point betting favorites.
Where to watch
Viewers can tune into ESPN+ at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, to watch Eastern Michigan take on the Miami RedHawks in Yager Stadium.
