Senior running back for Eastern Michigan. 2026: 57 rushing yards, 7 catches.
6′0″ · 192 lb · Hartland, MI · Hartland
The numbers
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
Best game: 36 rush yds, at Wisconsin
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Eastern Michigan. 2026: 57 rushing yards, 7 catches.
Joey Mattord
This is his third year in the same backfield at Eastern Michigan. One game to point at: 36 rush yds against Wisconsin — Week 3, 2026.
57 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 18 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Chris Creighton.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Eastern Michigan | 18 | 57 | 3.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Eastern Michigan | 6 | 48 | 8.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Eastern Michigan | 29 | 118 | 4.1 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 53 | 223 | 4.2 | 2 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Eastern Michigan | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Eastern Michigan | 4 | 33 | 8.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Eastern Michigan | 10 | 115 | 11.5 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 21 | 171 | 8.1 | 0 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 4 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-17vs Sacramento State | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 1 | L 21-27vs San José State | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-35@ Michigan State | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-54@ Wisconsin | 9 | 36 | 4.0 | 0 | 10 | Season-high 36 yds |
| Total | 18 | 57 | 2.9 | 0 | 10 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 28–17
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +36 rushing yards.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Chris Creighton — 10-18 over that span.
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 9.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 19.5 | 2.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 14.2 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chris Creighton
Pass share
56.1%
137 pass / 107 run
Plays / game
61.0
4 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
154 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
EMU: 2025: Played in 11 games with one start…Rushed six times for 48 yards…Posted a season-best five carries for 38 yards against Texas State (Aug. 30)…Longest rush of the season was 24 yards in the same game…Added a seven-yard rushing touchdown versus Texas State…2024: Appeared in 10…
2 more on the roster · Eastern Michigan team page