Eastern Michigan headed west to Potato Bowl for 1987 California Bowl rematch vs. SJSU
For most teams, the grass is always greener with a bowl bid in hand. But for Eastern Michigan, it will be bluer.
EMU, which plays its home games on the gray turf at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, will head west to the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, to take on San Jose State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 20. The game will be televised on ESPN.
"We couldn't be more excited to bring San José State and Eastern Michigan to Boise," Danielle Brazil, executive director of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, said in a release. "We know our community will embrace these student-athletes and provide unmatched hospitality — like we have for the last 25 years. This will be a great matchup for our fans and a true celebration of college football in Boise."
The Eagles could have 1987 on their mind as they face the Spartans; EMU will be looking for its first bowl victory since winning the 1987 California Bowl. That season, the Eagles also took down San Jose State, 30-27. That was also the last time EMU won at least nine games, with the win over the Spartans giving the Eagles the only 10-win season in program history. A win over the Spartans in Boise would leave EMU at 9-4 this season.
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2022 has been a landmark season for the Eagles, who beat Central Michigan and Western Michigan to claim the Michigan MAC Trophy for the first time since — no, not 1987 — 2012. EMU also claimed a share of the MAC West Division title — the first share of a division title in school history. The success included a nonconference win over Arizona State, the first regular-season win by a MAC school over a Power Five team in conference history. (Central Michigan beat Washington State of the Pac-12 in last season's Sun Bowl.)
The Eagles’ attack was powered by running back Samson Evans, who rushed 224 times for 1,084 yards and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback Taylor Powell, a transfer form Troy who was formerly at Missouri, completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,813 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Powell spread the ball around, with five Eagles catching at least 25 passes; they were led by Hassan Beydoun with 47 catches for 451 yards and four TDs.
It has been a difficult season for the Spartans: After narrowly beating FCS-level Portland State in their opener and losing by eight to Auburn on the road, and then going 3-1 in Mountain West play, San Jose State suffered a tragedy when freshman running back Camdan McWright was killed by a school bus while riding on a scooter on Oct. 21, a day before a scheduled game against New Mexico State.
The game between the Spartans and Aggies was canceled, with New Mexico State later finding a replacement against Valparaiso to become bowl-eligible. (New Mexico State is headed to the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit to face Bowling Greene on Dec. 26.) San Jose State, meanwhile, returned from the week off to beat Nevada and Colorado State to become eligible in early November before losing to San Diego State and Utah State. SJSU beat Hawaii on Nov. 26 to finish the regular season at 7-4.
The Spartans are led by QB Chevan Cordeiro, who transferred in from Hawaii. Cordeiro completed 60.8% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. More than a third of those yards went to sixth-year senior Elijah Cooks, a transfer from Nevada who had 63 catches for 983 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
But EMU will try to disrupt that connection with their not-so-secret weapon, defensive end Jose Ramirez. The senior had 12 sacks this season in just 11 games, with three multi-sack performances that included a four-sack game against WMU.
Tickets go on sale at 8:30 a.m. Monday through EMU’s ticket office, reachable at EMUEagles.com/tickets or by calling 734-487-3669.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eastern Michigan headed west to Potato Bowl to face San Jose State
