The Eastern Michigan Eagles have added the Mercyhurst Lakers to their football schedule for both the 2027 and 2030 seasons, the school announced Friday.
Eastern Michigan will welcome the Mercyhurst Lakers to Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Sept. 11, 2027. The two schools will then meet again three seasons later in 2030, with the game set for either Thursday, Aug. 29 or Friday, Aug. 30.
The Eastern Michigan-Mercyhurst matchup in 2027 will mark the first-ever gridiron meeting between the two schools.
Mercyhurst moved up from Division II to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2024 and now competes in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Lakers are led by head coach Ryan Riemedio, who holds a 13-31 overall record (4-3 NEC) in four seasons at the school.
With the addition of Mercyhurst, Eastern Michigan has tentatively completed the non-conference portion of its schedule for 2027. The Eagles are scheduled to open the season at home against the San Diego Aztecs on Friday, Sept. 3. After hosting Mercyhurst, the Eagles will visit the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 18 and the Georgia Southern Eagles on Sept. 25.
The 2030 slate for EMU is also complete with the addition of Mercyhurst. Other contests include Michigan on the road on Sept. 7, Coastal Carolina at home on Sept. 14, and Army on the road on Sept. 21.
Eastern Michigan is the first known non-conference opponent for Mercyhurst for both the 2027 and 2030 seasons.
The addition of two future games against Mercyhurst was made in conjunction with an announcement that EMU will travel to face Wisconsin on Sept. 19, 2026.
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