Bio Blast: Eastern Michigan Eagles

Kentucky is quickly shifting back into non-conference play after the season’s first real test in Week 2. The Cats went toe-to-toe with ranked Ole Miss at Kroger Field but fell short in a game where they held a plus-two turnover margin. Now it’s time to reset, make corrections, and get ready for the next conference test that is arriving at the end of the month.

Another MAC team will be rolling into Lexington this weekend. Unlike the Week 1 opponent, Eastern Michigan is currently expected to finish towards the bottom of the conference in 2025. All signs point to a get-right spot for the Wildcats on Saturday night at Kroger Field in the first game under the lights this season.

Eastern Michigan is struggling through eight quarters of football.

A program faced with tough task in transfer portal era

Chris Creighton is now in year 12 at Eastern Michigan. The former NAIA and Division II head coach has taken this downtrodden program to six bowl games and won nine games back in 2022. The Eagles have found an identity, play on a gray field, and are one of the best underdogs in college football.

But has this program reached its ceiling? There’s a chance the ugly 0-2 start in 2025 where EMU gave up 392 rushing yards to Texas State and lost outright to an FCS LIU program that has posted five consecutive losing seasons leads to a long year in 2025.

Creighton is still looking for his first MAC title to bring home to Ypsilanti but the transfer portal era has truly hurt this development program. EMU made a living off landing and developing under the radar high school and junior college recruits under Creighton. Unfortunately, that development is now being finished at other schools after players leave the program. EMU lost 15 players from last year’s team and nine landed at power conference programs. Starters at tight end (Mississippi State), wide receiver (Mississippi State and West Virginia), offensive guard (Mississippi State), linebacker (Virginia Tech), safety (Arkansas), cornerback (Georgia Tech), and kicker (Arizona State) are all playing somewhere else now.

This is a team that has a reputation of being well-coached and playing extremely hard. Finding the talent to win games has been difficult. The Eagles enter Week 3 ranked No. 127 overall in ESPN’s SP+ rankings. There are 136 teams in the FBS this season. Talent appears to be a problem this fall.

Michigan State transfers lead the offense

Coastal Carolina transfer Noah Kim is the new starter in Ypsilanti. Kim started five games at Michigan State in 2023 and played 100-plus snaps at Coastal Carolina in 2024. The former three-star recruit passed for 1,500 yards in his career before winning this job in fall camp.

Through two starts at EMU, the class of 2020 recruit has thrown for 437 yards (65.1% completion rate, 6.9 yards per attempt) with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The veteran quarterback is taking care of the football and playing some efficient football for an offense that ranks top-50 in EPA/play. However, the run game is struggling (No. 103 in rushing success rate). Kim could have a lot on his plate this season.

Expect the quarterback to target veteran receiver Terry Lockett Jr. early and often on Saturday night. Another former Michigan State transfer, Lockett earned third-team All-MAC honors last season when he recorded 46 receptions for 660 yards. Lockett was in the same Michigan State signing class as Kim and the two have built quite the connection early in the season. Lockett has 13 receptions on 18 targets for 140 yards through eight quarters of football.

The offensive line was set to be a position of strength for this offense but the ground game is struggling early in the year outside of Dontae McMillan (17 carries, 136 yards). That means that Kim and Lockett are having to produce for this group to move the chains and score points.

Another bad defense

Creating consistent results on defense has been a chore for this program. EMU has had seven sub-100 finishes under Chris Creighton and are coming off another one in 2024. It certainly looks like yet another one is on the way this fall under defensive coordinator Ben Needham.

The Eagles have been woeful through eight quarters of football.

• EPA/play: 0.36 (No. 133 overall)
• Success Rate: 45.7% (No. 118 overall)
• Yards Per Play: 8.04 (No. 135 overall)

Texas State and LIU each rushed for over 230 yards and three-plus touchdowns against this defense. EMU’s pass defense is allowing 9.1 yards per attempt. Opposing offenses have a 66.7 percent third down conversion rate that has led to this 4-2-5 defense not being able to get off the field.

Only four players who played 300-plus snaps on this defense returned in 2025. There are plenty of new starters. This unit is struggling.

The best road underdog in college football

Those who read Luckett’s Locks weekly are very familiar with Eastern Michigan football. This program has appeared more than a time or two in our weekly betting column. Why is that the case? Chris Creighton has consistently been the best road underdog in college football.

Since 2015, EMU is 30-12 against the spread as a road underdog. That includes outright wins over Arizona State as a 20-point dog in 2022, Illinois as a nine-point dog in 2019, Purdue as a 16-point dog in 2018, and Rutgers as a five-point dog in 2017. The Eagles are 3-1 ATS since COVID-19 against power conference competition. This program typically plays its best in this spot.

This will be the third time Creighton has faced Kentucky. The Cats failed to cover in a 24-20 win as a 14-point favorite in 2017 in a game where EMU held Benny Snell Jr. to 75 yards on 21 carries and outgained the Wildcats (312-228 | 5.2 yards per play-3.6 yards per play). Two years later, Kentucky covered as a 15-point home favorite with a 38-17 win in a game where UK rolled up over 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards on 6.1 yards per play. That game was remembered for UK losing Terry Wilson to a season-long injury.

The Cats will be hosting a traditionally live road dog but EMU did get blasted 52-27 by Texas State as a 13.5-point road underdog in Week 1.