The win gives . . .
The victory is Eastern's (6-4, 3-4 MAC) first against NIU (4-7, 3-4 MAC) since the 2007 season, while it was the Eagles' most points scored against the Huskies on their home field since 1997. Additionally, the game was only the ninth since 2000 in which Eastern has hung 45-plus points on a conference opponent.
Eastern overpowered the Huskies in every aspect of the game. Offensively, senior quarterback Mike Glass III was electric, completing 20-of-24 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
In total, five different players scored a touchdown, while senior receiver Arthur Jackson III hauled in five passes, for 78 yards, scoring two touchdowns in his effort.
Defensively, EMU provided one of its best performances of the year, forcing three interceptions while holding NIU under 350 total yards. Senior defensive back Brody Hoying collected two interceptions, making him the first Eagle to record two INTs in a game since DaQuan Pace did so at Ball State, Nov. 8, 2016.
On defense to begin the game, Hoying provided an early spark when he corralled his third interception of the season. However, the ball was fumbled during the return, giving possession back to the Huskies. Despite the unique series of events, Hoying and the rest of the defensive unit regrouped to force an NIU punt.
With the ball, Glass and the EMU scoring unit picked up where it left off one week ago, when it scored a then-season-best 42 points against Akron, Nov. 12. The Eagles put together an eight-play, 62-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard Glass touchdown run. Sophomore kicker Chad Ryland knocked in the extra point to give Eastern the lead, 7-0, with 6:56 remaining in the first quarter.
After a punt-for-punt exchange gave the ball back to EMU, Glass again led a nearly-perfect drive. This time, the seven-play, 86-yard stanza was capped in the air, as Jackson collected a 36-yard dime, scoring his fifth touchdown of the season and first since Oct. 26, at Toledo. The extra point gave the Eagles a 14-0 advantage.
Although NIU added a second quarter touchdown to bring the score within seven at the break, 14-7, EMU was the dominant team. Glass finished the half with a 10-for-12 passing mark, including going 8-for-9 in the second quarter, for 112 yards in the air, while the EMU defense held the Huskies to just 146 yards of total offense.
The offensive clinic continued out of the break. With the ball to start the third quarter, Aaron Keen's unit strung together a nine-play, 75 yard drive to extend its lead, 21-7. After a perfect 5-for-5 passing effort from Glass put the ball inside the NIU 10-yard line, senior running back Shaq Vann punched it in, his fifth score in two weeks.
In their next possession, the Eagles needed just two plays to drive 75 yards and score. After a 24-yard Vann rush and an NIU personal foul, Glass completed a 36-yard pass to senior Line Latu in the back of the end zone, giving EMU its fourth touchdown of the night. Ryland chipped in the extra point to make it 28-10.
The onslaught continued as EMU needed just six offensive snaps to add two additional scores in the third frame. Ryland hit a 27-yard field goal before Hoying's second interception of game set EMU up in NIU territory. From there, Glass found Jackson on a 22-yard strike, giving the pair two scores on the night, and putting EMU ahead, 38-10.
Refusing to let up in the fourth, the EMU defense continued to harass the NIU quarterback. With 13:33 on the clock, senior defensive back Vince Calhoun intercepted his first pass of the season, EMU's third of the game.
Again starting with a short field, sophomore play-maker Jairus Grissom ran it in from three yards out, giving Eastern its sixth touchdown of the game, a 45-10 lead, and all-but-ending the Huskies' comeback hopes.