YPSILANTI, Mich. -- After only seven wins in four years, it seemed the outlook couldnt be much worse for the Eastern Michigan football team.Then came April, when a student and faculty report called on the school to consider dropping the sport altogether -- or perhaps stop playing it at the Division I level.Well, the team is still playing -- and playing well. The Eagles have won four of their first five games for the programs best start since 1995, and players know well where things stood just a few short months ago.It just lights a fire under us, defensive lineman Jeremiah Harris said. It doesnt bother us. We just know that the haters are going to hate.Coach Chris Creightons team has won at home, on the road and even against last years Mid-American Conference champions, and the stage is set for the Eagles to play their homecoming game Saturday against Toledo.Theres definitely a buzz, Creighton said. You get more emails, you get more texts and people are excited.EMU hasnt gone to a bowl since 1987. The Eagles came close in 2011 under Ron English, when they snapped a streak of 15 straight losing seasons by going 6-6, but two of their wins were against FCS teams, so they didnt have enough to become bowl eligible.The program declined again immediately after that, and the April report raised concerns about athletic spending at the school, citing a USA Today database that said 80 percent of EMUs athletic budget was subsidized by the rest of the university in 2015. The figure underscores the financial challenges of playing football in Division I without access to the type of revenue generated by schools like Alabama and Michigan -- and its an issue EMU athletic director Heather Lyke does not take lightly.Our goal is definitely to try to continue to increase revenue so we can become less dependent, said Lyke, who took over the athletic department in 2013. Were never not going to be dependent. I dont know if its 90 percent of the schools in the country are dependent on some level of general support, but I think when you look at the television exposure that our team has had -- playing on national television five times this year, compared to none when I first got here -- when were on an ESPN platform, were in 99 million homes, and that is good for the university.EMU responded quickly to the student and faculty report, releasing an open letter saying the school had no plans to drop football or leave the MAC. Lyke played softball at Michigan and worked for over a decade in the athletic department at Ohio State, so shes experienced Division I sports at both ends of the financial spectrum. She says its important for a school like Eastern Michigan to be realistic about who it is measuring itself against -- and that the Eagles can certainly be competitive within the MAC.Still, it can be hard for EMUs football team to find a niche if it isnt winning, especially since the Eagles play about six miles from Michigan Stadium, where over 110,000 fans regularly show up to watch the Wolverines.A couple years ago, when it was time to replace the turf at EMUs home stadium, the school changed the color of the field to gray, trying to create sort of a Midwestern version of what Boise State has done.To connect with this part of the country, southeast Michigan, where its blue collar, Lyke said. The student-athletes love it. Theyll say, `Gray is the new black.This is Creightons third season at the helm, and it began with a 61-14 victory over Mississippi Valley State, the teams highest scoring output since 2004. After a blowout loss at Missouri, the Eagles won at Charlotte and then returned home to play Wyoming in a game televised by CBS Sports Network.In the week leading up to that game, racist graffiti was found on an EMU building, and after the Eagles beat Wyoming, protesters marched on the field . Creighton said his team had met the night before to discuss what was happening on campus and around the country, and he was happy with the dialogue.It was pretty intense, but it was really good, Creighton said. It was a rich discussion, and some people from really kind of opposing viewpoints, but we were still unified. So it was pretty neat.Last weekend, EMU played at Bowling Green, the defending conference champion. The Eagles held on for a 28-25 win, earning their first 4-1 start in 21 years.Now Eastern Michigan will host a high-scoring Toledo team that is favored to beat the Eagles by over two touchdowns, but no matter what happens this weekend, EMU has a start it can build on. Creighton says he wants the program to succeed on the field and off, citing the fact that his team led the MAC in grade-point average the last two seasons.Its not just to win games, Creighton said. I want our program to become a source of pride for this campus and for Ypsilanti and for this region.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Air Max 97 Undefeated Blanche . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Slip On Femme Pas Cher Noir . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. http://www.basketsliponpascher.fr/air-force-one-special-field-46-if/ . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Af1 Pas Cher . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Nike Special Field Air Force 1 France . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15.Bolton Wanderers bid to avoid administration in the High Court has been adjourned until March 21. The Sky Bet Championship club were in the High Court on Monday over an unpaid tax bill of £2.2m, they failure of which to settle could lead to the club placed into administration and deducted 12 points.Solicitors representing Bolton outlined the current situation involving a buy-out of the club led by former striker Dean Holdsworth and Registrar Clive Jones refused to grand a winding-up petition from HMRC at this stage. Bolton owner Eddie Davies said: Were very grateful to the High Court for giving us an extra 14 days to complete the deal and were hopeful of completing it this week. Itll definitely be this week.When that goes through, Sports Shield (Holdsworths consortium) will be the new owners of the club. We said we would survive and we will survive; the club and the consortium have worked very hard to get this one over the line.Weve had a lot of criticism in the local press but weve worked very hard to do this and itll be done this week. Well have the funds to see it through thhe end of the season.ddddddddddddHoldsworths bid to save Bolton Wanderers from administration remains in the balance, with the Football League yet to ratify the sale of the club.In February, Bolton owner Eddie Davies agreed to sell the club for £7.5m to Holdsworths Sport Shield Group Consortium.However, Sky sources understand the Football League is unhappy with the promise of future payments from the prospective owners to Davies, which are subject to Boltons TV and sponsorship revenue over the next five years. Bolton could be placed into administration - a penalty which would incur a 12-point deduction - if they are unable to agree an extension with HMRC or pay the bill outright.A winding-up petition against the club was refused in February after Boltons lawyers successfully made the case that the club was making an effort to sell shares and raise money. Also See: Bolton video Bolton fixtures Bolton stats Bet ￡5 Get ￡20 Free ' ' '