Michigan
Opponent Q&A: Eastern Michigan Eagles
It’s week 2 and it’ll be another home game for the Dawgs as they host the Eagles of Eastern Michigan (affectionately referred to by our own Andrew Berg as “The Boys from Ypsilanti”). James Jimenez of SB Nation’s MAC blog Hustle Belt joined me this week to answer a few questions I had about the Eagles.
MS: This is currently year 11 for Eagles Head Coach Chris Creighton. In those 11 seasons, he has led EMU to six bowl games, something that many considered impossible when he was hired. What do you think of Creighton’s tenure in Ypsilanti?
JJ: I’ve been around at HB since Creighton was hired and do remember the roller-coaster that was the Ron English era prior to his arrival. (He was fired mid-season for offensive remarks after going 11-46 over five seasons, but has since cleaned up his act and had a nice coaching career for himself as an assistant.) Creighton was brought in at a time where faith in EMU football was at an all-time low; there were discussions of dropping the program for several years even after his arrival on campus. He had a lot to prove, starting from a cultural standpoint and working his way into the on-field aspects. The famous grey field, the wall of bricks in their pre-game entry, the sledgehammer on the sidelines and the #2 memorial jersey were all his idea, and they’ve all come to be embraced by EMU as unique parts of their history.
He could well have left for better waters once he proved he could turn EMU around in those first couple bowl appearances, but he stayed true to EMU instead. Ypsilanti has come to embrace Creighton and his calm, earnest form of coaching ever since. He’s a very nice guy who is active in the community and also happens to be one of the best coaches in the conference. He has singlehandedly made EMU— the butt of decades of jokes— relevant in the college football atmosphere, which really isn’t easy to do when you’re a short drive away from Ann Arbor. He’ll have a statue in front of the program’s brand new performance center when he chooses to retire, for sure.
MS: The offense is coordinated by Mike Piatkowski and quarterbacked by Cole Snyder. The offense also features Delbert Mims, who had 8 touchdowns last year, and Oran Singleton, who had a touchdown last week in the win against UMass. What is the identity of this team on offense and who are the other playmakers?
JJ: This is a team that has extremely old-school philosophies on both sides of the ball. On offense, it’s all about ball control and finding chunk plays in the appropriate moments, with the idea of sitting on the ball as much as possible Cole Snyder will bring two years of starting experience with him from Buffalo, where he was a solid dual-threat QB. He didn’t show off the legs a lot last week vs. UMass, but he’s capable of escaping the pocket and extending drives when necessary. Oran Singleton presents a unique receiver EMU hasn’t had in a while, a super small but quick route runner who should give them some flexibility at receiver. Delbert Mimms showed some power running chops last week as well, and I think EMU will lean upon him a lot vs. Washington given his experience at an Autonomous program. Other guys to look out for on offense are JB Mitchell, who is the team’s main deep threat, and Jere Getzinger, a balanced tight end who’s good for chain-moving plays.
MS: On defense, the Eagles are coordinated by second year man Ben Needham. What is the identity of this defense, and who does the Husky offense need to look out for?
JJ: As I said earlier, this is a very old-school team. The defense is looking to stop the run first and find the ball second, with stout run-stopping linebackers, staunch DTs up front and ballhawking secondary players who can also tackle. This unit is in a bit of a transitory state due to a slew of graduations, but there were a few names that stood out last week.
James Djonkham, a former Arizona State linebacker, had an electric debut for EMU with 13 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a sack, while Coastal Carolina transfer JT Killen (great LB name, right?) collected nine tackles. Justin Jefferson (no relation to the Vikings receiver) is the highlight man on the defensive line after leading the team in TFLs last season (7.5.) Quentavius Scandrett is the man to watch for in the secondary after collecting 59 tackles and two interceptions in 2023.
EMU was one of the MAC’s worst total defenses last year, but were about average in scoring defense, which is intriguing in its own right. We’ll see if a second year under a new coordinator helps.
MS: In your opinion, what does the rest of the year look like for the Eagles?
JJ: I think this is a solid 6-8 win team if they hit their best potential. Having steady leadership at QB with Cole Snyder should absolutely be a boon after the nightmare rotation they had last season which lost them many more games than they should have done, in my opinion. The key with the Eagles will be if their defense can move from the dredges and into the middle of the table. It would be especially helpful if someone on the defensive line opposite Jefferson could step up to provide more of a pass rush. If they can do that, it’ll go a long way towards helping them find on-field success.
MS: It’s time for a score prediction! What do you think the score is going to be in this MAC/Big Ten game?
JJ: I really don’t like doing score predictions because football is such a random game of chance no matter how much we try to deny such a fact. Alas, gambling considerations tend to be a good reference for this type of prognostication— as much as I hate to admit such a fact. (Don’t gamble, kids.) EMU has been known to jump up and bite some noses of opponents who aren’t careful, and I think a program under a first-year head coach with a lot of departing talent might be in a hangover situation, making them ripe for the taking.
That said, I just don’t see it happening right now. Washington should be able to take care of business, though I don’t think it’ll be the 24-or-more point kind of taking care of business.
Thank you James, and good luck to the Eagles (and indeed the whole of the Mid-Atlantic Conference) the rest of the way! And if you want to follow the MAC-Tion throughout the year (and who wouldn’t?), be sure to follow Hustle Belt on Twitter and check out the site!
Spring in Michigan comes alive with one thing: tulip season, with millions of tulips blooming across the state.
Anyone who’s experienced the Tulip Time Festival in Holland knows it’s more than just fields of flowers— it’s a lively mix of parades, Dutch heritage, concerts, magic shows and a weeklong celebration built around one of Michigan’s most beloved traditions.
Whether you’re heading there this year or just want to celebrate spring at home, official merchandise from The Holland Sentinel offers an easy way to do exactly that. From meaningful keepsakes to everyday essentials, these pieces help keep the tulip season alive long after the last petals fall.
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When is the Tulip Time Festival?
The Tulip Time Festival is taking place now through May 10, 2026. It’s a world famous tulip festival that makes for a perfect spring getaway.
Where is the Tulip Time Festival?
The Tulip Time Festival is in Holland, Mich. which transforms a charming Lake Michigan destination into a sea of vibrant color every spring.
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How many flowers are at the Tulip Time Festival
There are expected to be five million tulips at this year’s Tulip Time Festival.
How old is the Tulip Time Festival
This year will be the 97th edition of the Tulip Time Festival, with the first show dating back to 1929.
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Orders typically are processed and shipped within two to five business days. However, this doesn’t include pre-order items, which will have their shipping estimates listed in the product description.
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President Donald Trump’s campaign to politically punish Republicans who stand in his way moves through Indiana on Tuesday, when seven state senators face Trump-backed primary challengers.
In neighboring Ohio, primaries for U.S. Senate and governor will lock in the candidates for two major races with national implications.
And in Michigan, voters in a bellwether district will fill a vacancy in the state Senate, a race with implications for the balance of power in a battleground state.
Here’s what to watch for.
How strong is Trump’s grip on the Republican Party?
Trump is taking aim at seven Republican state senators in Indiana who opposed his plan to redraw congressional district boundaries to help the party gain seats in the U.S. House.
Groups allied with the president have spent millions on advertising, an extraordinary flood of cash and attention into races that are typically low profile.
The races are a test of Trump’s enduring grip over his party as Republicans grow increasingly anxious about the midterm elections in November.
The results will signal to Republicans everywhere about how big a price they’ll pay with their voters if they distance themselves from Trump even as his popularity fades. And it will show the president whether he can still credibly threaten consequences for Republicans who cross him.
The Trump-targeted state senators all represent districts he carried in 2024, mostly by 20 percentage points or more.
The key races to watch are districts 1, 11, 19, 21, 23, 38 and 41.
Ohio races get started in earnest
The state’s primary is the wind up to the big show. Although Ohio has become increasingly conservative, Democrats believe their path back to a U.S. Senate majority runs through the state.
They’re putting their hopes behind former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost Ohio’s other Senate seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024.
He’s expected to face off with Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed last year to fill the vacancy created when JD Vance became vice president.
The race is a special election to fill the last two years of Vance’s term.
In the campaign for governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with Trump into a record fundraising haul. He’s largely ignoring Republican rival Casey Putsch, focusing his rallies and television ads on the general election.
An engineer and vehicle designer who calls himself “The Car Guy,” Putsch has attracted fans with provocative YouTube videos that troll Ramaswamy and criticize national Republicans over their handling of the Epstein files, positions on energy-guzzling data centers and support for Israel.
Amy Acton, Ohio’s former public health director, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. She played a key role in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Will Democrats sweep another special election?
The special election for a state Senate seat in central Michigan carries outsized importance.
It’s another test of enthusiasm in a series of special elections that have swung almost universally toward Democrats since Trump returned to the White House. It also could affect the balance of power in the Michigan State Capitol. A Democratic victory would give the party a firm majority in the state Senate, while a Republican win would deadlock the chamber in a 19-19 tie.
The district is closely matched. Democrat Kamala Harris beat Trump there by less than 1 point in the 2024 presidential election.
The seat has been vacant for more than a year, since Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet resigned to take a seat in Congress.
Democrats are showing surprising strength in special elections and off-year contests across the country, winning races in unexpected places and significantly narrowing the gap, even when they fall short.
There’s no guarantee the trend will continue through the midterms, when turnout will be much higher, but it has nonetheless energized Democrats and spooked Republicans worried about keeping their congressional majorities.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
- Four early-career journalists have joined Bridge Michigan for the summer
- The internship program is now in its eighth consecutive year
- Alumni have worked at major national and regional news outlets
Four emerging reporters will spend the summer working with Bridge Michigan.
This marks the eighth year of summer internships at Bridge. Alumni have gone on to careers at outlets like The New York Times, USA TODAY, MLive, the Petoskey News-Review and WKAR, as well as paths including Harvard Law School and a Fulbright scholarship. One former intern, Asha Lewis, now serves as Bridge’s full-time digital marketing associate.
“At Bridge, we’re dedicated to helping make Michigan a better state and part of that mission is growing the next generation of great journalists,” said Joel Kurth, Bridge Michigan executive editor for impact. “We’re excited to welcome them to our newsroom.”
Isabella Figueroa Nogueira is a junior studying journalism and economics at Michigan State University. During the school year, she is a writer for Great Lakes Echo, which covers stories about the environment and sustainability.
She is passionate about using journalism to explore the connection between people, policy and the natural world. Outside of writing, she loves to travel, watch movies, spend time with friends and walk her dogs, Oso and Polo.
Figueroa Nogueira will be reporting on Michigan’s environment through Aug. 21.
Nate Miller is from Berrien Springs, Michigan. He will be a senior at the University of Michigan, where he studies English.
Miller will be a general assignment reporter for Bridge through June 19.
Blace Carpenter is a rising senior at Central Michigan University, studying journalism with a minor in multimedia design. Since starting his career in the news industry in 2022, Carpenter has worked for publications such as the Grand Haven Tribune, Alpena News and Greenville Daily News.
Carpenter has also had some work published in statewide and national publications. For the past year, he has served as the managing editor of CMU’s student publication, Central Michigan Life.
Carpenter will report on northern and rural Michigan for Bridge through Aug. 14.
Ella Miller is Bridge Michigan’s photojournalism intern. A metro Detroit native and recent graduate of Central Michigan University, she studied photojournalism and multimedia design.
She was a staff photographer and photo editor at Central Michigan Life during her time in college, where she discovered her love for visual storytelling and community-centered journalism.
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