Trailing 27-26 with 1:51 left in . . .
Senior Shaq Vann crossed midfield with a four-yard carry before Drummond and senior Arthur Jackson III made catches of eight and seven yards, respectively, to move the ball to the WMU (4-4, 2-2 MAC) 34.
EAGLES WIN JUMP BALL
One play later, Hutchinson reached Sexton with a jump ball at the right edge of the end zone to put the Green and White back in front, 32-27, with 36 seconds to go. The Eagles then elected to attempt a two-point conversion, which proved to be successful when sophomore Jairus Grissom took the snap and front-flipped into the end zone to extend the lead to 34-27.
On WMU's next play from scrimmage, EMU all but iced the game when junior defensive back Jeff Hubbard intercepted Jon Wassink's pass near midfield. Although the Eagles were forced to punt with 12 seconds remaining, junior Jake Julien's kick rolled out of bounds at the WMU three-yard line as time expired.
HUTCHISON STEPS UP - AND THEN SOME!
Without the services of senior quarterback Mike Glass III, Hutchinson completed 31-of-36 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a rushing touchdown in his first start for the Green and White.
Hutchinson's 86.1 completion percentage is the second-highest by an EMU quarterback since the 1999 campaign. Additionally, Grissom finished 4-for-5 through the air for 50 yards, and carried the ball four times for 17 yards.
Vann paced the Eagles' ground game with 17 carries for a season-high 97 yards, while Jackson set season-highs with seven receptions and 98 yards. Drummond made eight catches for 69 yards and one touchdown, while sophomore Quian Williams caught the ball six times for 60 yards and a score.
EMU PLUS-188 IN TOTAL OFFENSE
The Eagles outgained the Broncos through the air, 407-192, and finished with 547 total yards compared to WMU's total of 359. EMU was able to extend drives throughout the night, finishing 9-for-16 on third-down conversions, while succeeding on its only fourth-down attempt.
Although a personal foul forced the Green and White to start their first series at their own 12-yard-line, Hutchinson quickly completed a 13-yard pass to senior Breck Turner before the latter gained seven yards on a toss to the left side to advance to the EMU 32. Hutchinson then threw the ball to Jackson and Drummond for gains of eight and seven yards, respectively, as the hosts quickly approached the Broncos' territory.
GRISSOM FILLS IN
Grissom briefly took over under center as he connected with Vann for an eight-yard catch, before keeping the ball for a five-yard run to reach the WMU 36. Crucially, EMU converted on back-to-back third downs – including a 3rd-and-5 from the visitors' 21 – to get into the red zone, but a holding penalty pushed the hosts back to the 26-yard-line.
Hutchinson reunited with Turner for a 15-yard gain, which helped set up sophomore kicker Chad Ryland for a successful 31-yard field goal attempt to trim the deficit to 7-3 with 4:52 left in the first frame. In all, the Eagles needed 17 plays to march 75 yards and take 6:31 off the clock.
WMU responded with a grueling drive of its own, adding another touchdown on a 19-play, 79-yard series lasting more than nine minutes. Senior running back LeVante Bellamy used four consecutive carries to gain the final 10 yards as the Broncos extended the lead to 14-3 with 10:38 to go in the second stanza.
The Eagles looked to counter on their next possession, as Grissom escaped pressure and completed a 34-yard pass to sophomore Hassan Beydoun to reach the WMU 41.
After a sack and an incompletion forced a third-and-16 from the Broncos' 47, Hutchinson delivered a 13-yard pass to Beydoun, before converting on fourth-and-3 with a five-yard strike to Williams.
Eastern eventually got to Western's 10-yard-line, but came away empty-handed as Ryland was unable to convert a 28-yard attempt with 6:04 remaining in the first half.
Still behind by a 14-3 count, EMU forced a quick three-and-out and regained possession at its own 37-yard line with 4:34 left in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, junior tight end Bryson Cannon logged a 15-yard reception to get to the other side of midfield, and back-to-back runs from Vann put the Eagles inside the opposing 40-yard-line.
After five consecutive runs put the hosts one yard away from the goal line, Hutchinson found Drummond on the right side of the end zone to cut WMU's lead to 14-10 with 20 ticks left in the first half.
TAKING A LEAD
The Eagles captured their first lead of the night on the opening series of the second half. Hutchinson notched a 37-yard completion to Jackson, before finding Drummond for a 19-yard catch that was confirmed following a short review. Hutchinson then kept the ball himself as he ran six yards to put EMU in front, 17-14, with 11:35 left in the third period.
Both teams traded defensive stops, but the Broncos eventually went ahead by a 21-17 count with 4:39 to go in the third quarter. However, the Eagles tacked on three points before the end of the frame.
On third-and-6 from the EMU 46, Beydoun gained a vital first down with an 18-yard reception, and 12 men on the field couldn't stop senior Line Latu from making a 20-yard catch to advance to the WMU 18. Two plays later, Hutchinson set up Williams for an 11-yard completion, and Ryland nailed a 28-yard field goal to close the gap to 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
EMU went back in front with a nine-play, 83-yard drive just past the midway point of the final quarter. The hosts ground their way into WMU's half of the field, as Jackson made a 19-yard catch to put the ball at the WMU 46. Two plays later, Drummond made an 11-yard reception, before Hutchinson and Williams combined on a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Eastern ahead, 26-21. The two-point try was incomplete, keeping the Eagles' lead at five with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter.
BRONCOS BATTLE BACK
The Broncos regained the lead on their next drive courtesy of Bellamy's third rushing touchdown of the night with fewer than two minutes remaining in the contest, but their advantage remained at 27-26 when the visitors failed to score on the ensuing two-point conversion.