2016 POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL
Eastern Michigan (7-5, 4-4 MAC) vs. Old Dominion (9-3, 7-1 Conference USA)
Friday, December 23, 2016 • 1:00 pm ET
Nassau, Bahamas • Thomas A. Robinson Stadium (15,000)
ESPN: Steve Levy (play-by-play), Mack Brown (analyst), Kaylee Hartung (sideline)
Watch Live
Eastern Michigan Notes; MAC Notes
Eastern Michigan will come into the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl following one of the most successful seasons in its 125-year history. Eastern Michigan finished with a winning record for the first time since 1995, most wins (seven) since 1989, and its first bowl appearance since 1987 when Eastern Michigan defeated San Jose State 30-27 in the California Bowl. The Eagles tied the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) mark for biggest turnarounds in 2016, improving on its win total from one win in 2015, to seven this season.
Eastern is led on offense by redshirt junior quarterback Brogan Roback, who has put up gaudy numbers in his nine appearances this season, totaling six starts. He finished the regular season with 193 completions for 2,394 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had five 300+ yard games and a season-high of 468 yards. For his efforts, he was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week three times. The offense gets its start up front from the experienced offensive line, which has 161 combined starts under its belt. The group has combined to allow the 13th fewest sacks in the nation, as well as the second fewest tackles for loss. On the ground, redshirt sophomore Ian Eriksen led the rushing attack with 741 yards on 175 carries and nine scores. Junior Sergio Bailey II was the leading pass catcher with 55 receptions for 799 yards and six touchdowns.
Defensively, the Eagles forced 24 turnovers, good for 29th in the nation and second in the MAC. Redshirt sophomore Kyle Rachwal led Eastern Michigan in tackles with 101 stops, while redshirt senior Pat O’Connor had 8.0 sacks, good for 38th in the nation and fourth in the MAC.
Tracking The Miles:
The voyage from Ypsilanti, Mich. to Nassau, Bahamas is a whopping 1,240- mile journey. For comparison’s sake, Eastern Michigan traveled 1,911 total miles in six road games this season, including just 659 for the four road trips within the Mid-American Conference.
Roback Rising:
Redshirt junior Brogan Roback has put up gaudy numbers in his nine appearances this season, totaling six starts. He finished the regular season with 193 completions for 2,394 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had five 300+ yard games and a season-high of 468 yards. For his efforts, he was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week three times. For his career, he has 5,463 yards and 36 passing touchdowns, which ranks fourth and third all-time in program history, respectively, while his 474 completions rank fourth as well.
Historic Offensive Season:
The Eastern Michigan offense attained one of the biggest offensive seasons in its history in 2016. The team set the single season record for total offense (5,447), passing offense (3,549), total points (365), touchdown passes (23), and extra points (40), while finishing second in total plays (914), completions (283), and first downs (275) and third in total touchdowns (45).
O’Connor The Sack King:
Senior Pat O’Connor finished the regular season at 19.5 sacks for his career, making him the program leader since 1998. Former Eagle Kevin Howe previously set the record with 17.5 from 2003-06. O’Connor’s eight sacks rank 38th in the nation and fourth in the MAC.
Road Graders:
The offense gets its start up front from the experienced offensive line, which has 166 combined starts. The group has combined to allow the 12th-fewest sacks in the nation, as well as the second fewest tackles for loss. Anchoring the line are four redshirt seniors who have combined to make 141 of the starts, including Andrew Wylie (45), Jake Hurcombe (36), Cole Gardner (31), and Darien Terrell (29).
