EASTERN MICHGIAN FACES PITT IN 2019 QUICK LANE BOWL
2019 QUICK LANE BOWL
Eastern Michigan (6-6, 3-5 MAC) vs. Pittsburgh (7-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Thursday, December 26, 2019 • 8:00 pm ET • Detroit, Mich. • Ford Field (65,000)
ESPN Announcers: Mike Corey (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst), Allison Williams (sideline)
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Eastern Michigann Notes: The Quick Lane Bowl marks the fourth Division I bowl game in program history, and Eastern Michigan’s third in its last four seasons. Eastern Michigan is 1-2 in those games, as it defeated San Jose State, 30-27, in the 1987 California Bowl, fell to Old Dominion, 24-20, in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl, and came up short against Georgia Southern, 23-21, in the 2018 Camellia Bowl. The trip to Detroit marks the first time Eastern Michigan student-athletes have the opportunity to play in three postseason bowls during their careers.
Eastern Michigan At A Glance: Playing in a postseason bowl in consecutive seasons and the fifth time in school history, the Eagles enter the Quick Lane Bowl in one of the best four-year stretches in school history. Eastern’s 25 wins over the past four seasons are the most since winning 25 from 1987-90, while the Eagles 6-6 record gave Eastern Michigan back-to-back non-losing seasons for the first time since 1988-89.
The Eastern offense, led by senior quarterback Mike Glass III, was electric during the 2019 season, amassing 4,833 total yards, 45 touchdowns, and 349 total points. Glass was electric with 3,203 yards of total offense (345 rushing, 2,858 passing) and 29 touchdowns. He led the MAC and ranks 17th nationally in total offense with 291.2 yards per contest. He finished the regular season ranked 14th in the FBS in completion percentage (67.8%), 18th in completions per game (21.64), 18th in points responsible for per game (16.0), and 24th in passing yards per game (259.8).
On the national scale, Eastern is one of the most consistently disciplined squads in the country. The Eagles rank among the nation’s best in both fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game. Eastern Michigan’s 56 total penalties rank 11th-nationally, while its 40.92 penalty yards per game is 13th- best in the country.
Defensively, it was another strong campaign for Neal Neathery’s unit. Strong up-front, Eastern Michigan tallied 20 sacks, while its veteran laden secondary hauled in 11 interceptions, good for third in the MAC. Senior Kobie Beltram paced the team with 116 tackles. His 9.7 stops per game is good for fifth in the conference and 17th in the NCAA, while he is just the fifth Eastern Michigan defender to total 100-more tackles in a season since 2010.
Searching For Seven: The Eagles head into the Quick Lane Bowl in search of its seventh win. If the Eagles emerge victorious, it will mark the third time in the last four seasons that the team accomplished that feat. Additionally, it would mark just the 15th time in the 128-year history of Eastern Michigan football that the team finished with seven-plus wins. Most recently, Eastern notched seven wins in 2018, and 2016. Prior to 2016, 1989 was the last time that an Eagle squad reached that mark.
Postseason Caliber Schedule: The Eagles 2019 regular season included games against eight teams that are eligible for postseason play. Kentucky, Illinois, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Toledo, Buffalo, and Kent State all eclipsed the six-win standard for FBS postseason eligibility, while Central Connecticut State rode an 11-1 record (its only loss was against EMU) to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearance. Eastern’s six losses have come against teams that are a combined 26-22 in conference play and are 39-33 overall (.541). Five of those six teams are bowl eligible.
Series vs. Pitt: The Quick Lane Bowl will mark the third meeting between the Eagles and Panthers (7-5, 4-4 ACC). Pitt and Eastern Michigan have played twice before, most recently in 2007, a 27-3 Pitt victory at Heinz Field. The initial meeting was in 1995, when the Panthers defeated the Eagles, 66-30, in Pitt Stadium.
