San José State 27-21 Eastern Michigan (Sep 4, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: San José State · Eastern Michigan

San José State1-127

Eastern Michigan1-121Final

Fri, Sep 4 · Rynearson Stadium, Ypsilanti, Mich. · Crowd 5,646

San José State beat Eastern Michigan 27-21.

We had Eastern Michigan favored. San José State won.

Next: San José State beat Cal Poly 30-20, Sat Sep 12

Next: Eastern Michigan lost to Michigan State 35-7, Sat Sep 12

Top comment in the game thread

Joey Chestnut, the hero of SJSU!

Q2 6:05 · r/CFB game thread · Fri, Sep 4

How it swung

The turning point: Weaver sacked, fumbles; Llewellyn returns it for a TD, Eastern Michigan goes ahead 21-17 (Q3, 0:53). San José State went from 53% to 24% to win.

Before kickoff, our ratings gave San José State a 27% chance, and the closing betting line (San José State was a 1.5-point underdog) put it at 45%.

A tight one: San José State bottomed out at 17% and won.

Up to 83% in the second quarter, then Eastern Michigan lost it.

TargetingQ3 0:45

FinalSan José State 27-21 Eastern MichiganSan José State wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

The four plays that swung it

1Q3 11:524th and 1Blue 50-yd TD run, Eastern Michigan goes ahead 14-10San José State 52% → 27% (−25)
2Q3 6:08Weaver 10-yd TD pass to Hoch, San José State goes ahead 17-14San José State 32% → 56% (+24)
3Q3 0:53FumbleWeaver sacked, fumbles; Llewellyn returns it for a TD, Eastern Michigan goes ahead 21-17San José State 53% → 24% (−29)
4Q4 11:19Weaver 40-yd TD pass to Hoch, San José State goes ahead 24-21San José State 29% → 57% (+28)

The four plays that swung it

1Q3 11:524th and 1Blue 50-yd TD run, Eastern Michigan goes ahead 14-10Eastern Michigan 48% → 73% (+25)
2Q3 6:08Weaver 10-yd TD pass to Hoch, San José State goes ahead 17-14Eastern Michigan 68% → 44% (−24)
3Q3 0:53FumbleWeaver sacked, fumbles; Llewellyn returns it for a TD, Eastern Michigan goes ahead 21-17Eastern Michigan 47% → 76% (+29)
4Q4 11:19Weaver 40-yd TD pass to Hoch, San José State goes ahead 24-21Eastern Michigan 71% → 43% (−28)

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q1 11:48Fans complain about loud ESPN studio audio during the broadcastWell hello sickosr/CFB game thread
Q1 5:21Fans mock the broadcast's quad box and criticize the cowardly puntThat was last nightr/CFB game thread
Q2 14:14Fans argue Kim to Prosper pass was a catch before review overturns itWait what? That still looks like a catch. I don’t see the ground move it at the endr/CFB game thread
Q2 6:05Fans react to a delay of game penalty on a field goal attemptQuoted at the top of the page.
Q2 1:35SJSU fans celebrate Weaver's touchdown pass to Nix tying the gameDespite our best efforts, we have tied the gamer/CFB game threadPretty crazy how quickly San Jose St. scored after how badly the 1st half had been goingr/CFB game thread
Q2 1:25The field's unusual gray color caused confusion and comments.I'm glad you posted this. I sorta thought there was something wrong with my TV. It's a stunningly hideous color (the field, not my tv).r/CFB game thread

San José State’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Eastern Michigan -1.5), at 38% for San José State (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Eastern Michigan or San José State flair (69 and 75); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show San José State’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

San José State scored on 5 of its 16 drives; Eastern Michigan on 2 of its 14.

San José State’s drives are teal, Eastern Michigan’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

From Eastern Michigan’s side

Eastern Michigan’s best moment: Weaver sacked, fumbles; Llewellyn returns it for a TD, Eastern Michigan goes ahead 21-17 (Q3 0:53). It lifted Eastern Michigan’s win chance by 29 points.

How Eastern Michigan fans took it: “Over the head again, awesome. GG San Jose, good luck on y’all’s seeing, hope yall go bowling!” r/CFB game thread

“I think SJSU is the better team. They need to hold on to this lead.”

A fan of another team

How fans reacted

Steady

The second quarter is when fans got loud.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was steady; the crowd was quiet.

Fans of both teams were loud at once in the bracketed stretch.

“Man I *loathe* trying to get to the edge on 4th and short”

A fan of another team

5 lead changes. Too close to call on 53% of plays. The winner fell to 12%.

What it cost

San José State’s chance to win the conference rose from 2% to 3%.

Win the conference

San José State · won2% → ▲3%

Eastern Michigan · lost5% → ▼4%

Before the game (September 3, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

San José State 27, Eastern Michigan 21

San José State covered +1.5 by 7.5. The total, 48, stayed under 54.5.

Team totals	San José State	Eastern Michigan
Total yards	453	281
Passing	23 of 41, 316 yds	24 of 43, 174 yds
Rushing	36 for 137 yds	25 for 107 yds
First downs	19	13
Third down	5 of 16	3 of 16
Fourth down	1 of 2	1 of 4
Turnovers	2	1
Penalties	13 for 100 yds	4 for 35 yds
Time of possession	29:52	30:08

San José State leaders

Passing Luke Weaver 23 of 39, 316 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Jabari Bates 20 for 119 yds; Viliami Teu 4 for 10 yds
Receiving Cooper Hoch 5 for 115 yds, 2 TD; Carson Clark 5 for 58 yds

Eastern Michigan leaders

Passing Noah Kim 24 of 43, 174 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Amareon Blue 11 for 81 yds, 1 TD; Braydon Bennett 5 for 20 yds
Receiving Harold Mack 7 for 72 yds, 1 TD; Joshua Long 5 for 34 yds

No rain through the game

no rain recorded

September game-day temperatures at Rynearson Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Fourth quarter, 11:19 left9:20 p.m.

San José State 24, Eastern Michigan 21 · Eastern Michigan 43% to win

no rain

Weaver 40-yd TD pass to Hoch, San José State goes ahead 24-21

Measured at Ann Arbor airport, 5.2 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games · 2025 season

San José State · 3-9

Rated 151st in our preseason ratings, 151st now.

Three straight losses, each by 20 or more.

L 14-41 vs Fresno State #102 of 667

lost by 27 as a 3.5-point underdog

L 3-25 @ San Diego State #66 of 667

lost by 22 as a 9.5-point underdog

L 10-55 @ Nevada #172 of 667

lost by 45 as a 9.5-point favorite

L 16-26 vs Air Force #143 of 667

lost by 10 as a 6.5-point favorite

W 45-38 vs Hawai'i #132 of 667

won by 7 as a 2.5-point favorite

L 25-30 @ Utah State #122 of 667

lost by 5 as a 3.5-point underdog

L 28-35 @ Wyoming #125 of 667

lost by 7 as a 1.5-point favorite

W 35-28 vs New Mexico #106 of 667

won by 7 as a 2.5-point favorite

L 29-30 @ Stanford #94 of 667

lost by 1 as a 3.5-point underdog

W 31-28 vs Idaho #151 of 667

won by 3 as a 13.5-point favorite

L 7-38 @ TexasTop 25 #4 of 667

lost by 31 as a 36.5-point underdog

L 14-16 vs Central Michigan #160 of 667

lost by 2 as a 14.5-point favorite

Last three games · 2025 season

Eastern Michigan · 4-8

Rated 92nd in our preseason ratings, 92nd now.

2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

L 21-31 vs Western Michigan #87 of 667

lost by 10 as a 9.5-point underdog

W 24-9 @ Ball State #203 of 667

won by 15 as a 2.5-point favorite

W 27-21 vs Bowling Green #180 of 667

won by 6 as a 3.5-point favorite

L 21-28 vs Ohio #71 of 667

lost by 7 as a 13.5-point underdog

L 30-44 @ Miami (OH) #89 of 667

lost by 14 as an 11.5-point underdog

W 16-10 vs Northern Illinois #139 of 667

won by 6 as a 1.5-point underdog

L 30-31 @ Buffalo #121 of 667

lost by 1 as a 9.5-point underdog

L 13-24 @ Central Michigan #140 of 667

lost by 11 as a 3.5-point underdog

W 34-31 vs Louisiana #99 of 667

won by 3 as a 1.5-point underdog

L 23-48 @ Kentucky #39 of 667

lost by 25 as a 26.5-point underdog

L 23-28 vs Long Island University #173 of 667

lost by 5 as a 21.5-point favorite

L 27-52 @ Texas State #69 of 667

lost by 25 as a 13.5-point underdog

Week by week

Eastern Michigan

Wk 1Wvs Sacramento State28-17

San José State

Wk 1Lat USC26-42

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Eastern Michigan’s explosive plays against San José State, 49 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Eastern Michigan’s explosive plays against San José State’s defense
Eastern Michigan offense, 26th percentile · San José State defense, 75th
San José State’s passing EPA against Eastern Michigan’s defense
San José State offense, 55th percentile · Eastern Michigan defense, 14th
San José State’s EPA/play against Eastern Michigan’s defense
San José State offense, 48th percentile · Eastern Michigan defense, 21st

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

San José StateEastern Michigan

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Eastern Michigan leads the series 2-0

2 meetings since 1987 · Eastern Michigan has won the last 2

2022 · neutral siteEastern Michigan 41-27
1987 · neutral siteEastern Michigan 30-27

Each line is Eastern Michigan’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Eastern Michigan fans are feeling it more than most fanbases this week (91st among FBS fanbases), in line with the numbers.

Eastern Michigan favored by 1.5 · Total 54.5

How games like this usually go

Eastern Michigan by 1.5: the game against the usual path

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 252 games since 2025 with a favorite of under 3.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 2 points toward San José State.

The books’ cut: 4.7%, the margin built into the odds

Home field

Eastern Michigan has had no measurable home edge since 2018 — −0.1 points (±3.4), home against road — 1st percentile of FBS.

49% at home, 44% on the road against FBS opponents (20-21 home, 22-28 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -7.4 at home vs. away over 99 games — outside the ±5.4 noise, one of the few buildings where results say more.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 2,040 miles to get here.

San José State beats Eastern Michigan 27-21