YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan Eagles (5-7, 3-5 MAC) finished out their home slate with a 34-31 win over Bowling Green (2-10, 2-6 MAC) Tuesday inside Rynearson Stadium.
With their fifth victory of the season, the Eagles totaled 12 wins over the past two seasons to notch the best two-year stretch since winning 13 from 1988-89.
It was the ninth time . . .
With their fifth victory of the season, the Eagles totaled 12 wins over the past two seasons to notch the best two-year stretch since winning 13 from 1988-89.
It was the ninth time . . .
. . . this season that EMU had a game decided by three points or less. With the win, EMU moved to 3-6 on the season in games decided by one possession.
Senior quarterback Brogan Roback was lost to injury near the end of the first quarter, and with that, EMU relied heavily on the rushing attack the rest of the way.
Senior quarterback Brogan Roback was lost to injury near the end of the first quarter, and with that, EMU relied heavily on the rushing attack the rest of the way.
Roback finished his EMU career as the program's all-time leader in touchdown passes (57), and total offense (8,876), while also coming in second in completions (745) and passing yards (8,653). For the game, Roback tossed a touchdown pass to go along with 75 yards. His 2,895 yards on the season was the third-most in program history.
Juniors Shaq Vann and Ian Eriksen finished with 117 and 104 rushing yards, respectively, as EMU out-rushed BGSU, 266-209. It was the first time the team had two 100-yard rushers in a game since Reggie Bell (133) and Ryan Brumfield (112) against Northern Illinois, Oct. 25, 2014.
Additionally, Eriksen scored three touchdowns, which was a career-high, as well as the fifth multi-touchdown game of his career. It was also the first time an Eagle has accomplished the feat since Bell did so against Buffalo, Oct. 11, 2014.
Stepping up for the injured Roback, freshman Isaac Stiebeling completed eight passes for 49 yards, while also adding 48 yards on the ground, for an offensive total of 97 yards.
Roback's final touchdown pass went to his favorite target, senior Sergio Bailey II, who notched his ninth of the season and 16th of his career. He finished as the leading receiver, catching four passes for 37 yards.
Defensively, the Green and White came up big in crucial moments. Sophomore Brody Hoying led the way, accounting for 10 tackles, two for loss, as well as his fourth forced fumble and recovery of the season. That takeaway was his team-leading sixth of the season.
As a whole, the defensive squad held Bowling Green to only four successful attempts on third downs. It also came up with a key stop on fourth down, which ultimately led to EMU draining the clock for the win.
Eastern was eager to get the rushing game going early, handing Eriksen the rock for the first three plays of the game, gaining 16 yards and a first down.
EMU continued to move the chains, making its way into Bowling Green territory with a balanced offensive attack, before Roback's pass was intercepted and returned to the Bowling Green 28-yard line to put an abrupt halt to the Eagles' drive. On the ensuing play BGSU's Josh Cleveland broke through the center and found nothing but open space for a 72-yard touchdown run.
Down 7-0 early, junior Blake Banham was determined to set the Eagles up with solid field position, finding a crease and bouncing to the outside on the kickoff for a 53-yard return, which was advanced even farther due to a Bowling Green unsportsmanlike conduct, ultimately placing the Green and White on the Falcons' 25-yard line.
On the second play of the drive, EMU ran the play-action pass to perfection as Roback found Bailey on the back-shoulder pass for an 18-yard touchdown, tying the game back up at seven apiece with 9:06 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles had a strong defensive effort on their next time out, forcing Bowling Green to punt from its own 34-yard line. EMU then caught the Falcons' defense sleeping, as Roback aired it out on first down, finding Mathew Sexton deep down field for a 34-yard pick up.
Vann showed nice patience a couple plays later, waiting behind his blockers and rushing for nine yards and an Eastern first down at the BGSU 18.
Unable to take advantage of the short field, the Eagles settled for a 30-yard field goal from sophomore Paulie Fricano to give them their first lead of the game, 10-7, with 5:39 left in the first quarter.
The next kickoff saw BGSU's return man take it to the house, only to be brought back on a penalty, setting the Falcons up on their own 8-yard line.
EMU quickly created a turnover as Hoying stripped the ball and jumped on it, setting the Eagles up on the BGSU 13. Once again, however, the Green and White was unable to take advantage of outstanding field position. Eastern settled for a 39-yard field goal by Fricano to extend the lead, 13-7.
After allowing BGSU to march 62 yards down the field, EMU dug deep to put together three consecutive stops to force a 30-yard field goal. With the Falcons putting it through the uprights, EMU's lead was cut down to three, 13-10.
Roback was carted off to the locker room following the last play of the previous drive, so Stiebeling took the field as the first quarter came to an end. Returning from the short break, the Green and White could not move the chains, resulting in a three-and-out.
Following two passing plays that ate up 44 yards, the Falcons' QB capped off a seven-play 66-yard drive by faking the handoff and keeping it himself for a two-yard touchdown scramble. BGSU regained the lead, 17-13, with 10:57 left in the first half.
EMU put the ball back into BGSU's hands after failing to pick up a first down. However, the Eagles quickly took it back as senior Juan Giraldo came up with his first pick of his career at the Eagles' 39-yard line.
After an offensive lull from both teams, Vann provided a much-needed spark with a 35-yard rushing play, bringing the Eagles to the BGSU 33.
After running six straight rushing plays, Eastern took advantage of the defense keying in on the ground game, executing a screen pass to set up with a first and goal on the six. On the 10th play of the drive, Eriksen pounded it in from one yard out for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. That put EMU back in the lead, 20-17 at halftime.
With the help of a pair of BGSU offensive penalties, one of which spoiled a 32-yard rushing touchdown, the Falcons started the second half with an empty possession. Bowling Green came up short on a 51-yard field goal attempt to give EMU the ball on its own 34.
With 11:23 left in the third, Stiebeling picked up 36 yards on the keeper for the longest rushing attempt of his career, giving EMU a first and 10 on the BGSU 30. A handful of plays later, Eriksen added to his already impressive day, scoring his second touchdown of the game on a 17-yard scamper to cap off a six-play 66-yard drive to extend Eastern's lead, 27-17, with 8:49 left in the third.
On the ensuing BGSU possession, the Falcons needed just six plays, capped off by a 20-yard jump ball in the corner of the end zone, to chip away at EMU's lead, 27-24.
The Falcons were able to recapture the lead. Shortly after forcing the Eagles to a three-and-out. Bowling Green connected on a 62-yard pass to take the lead, 31-27, with 4:31 left in the third.
EMU stayed strong in the run game in its next offensive possession as Vann gained 36 yards on three carries to get the Eagles into Bowling Green's half. After Stiebeling delivered a strike to senior Dan Buschman (Brighton, Mich.-Brighton) on 3rd and 6 to pick up the first, a substitution infraction gave EMU a 1st and 5 on the Falcons' seven. From there it was all Eriksen, as he crossed the plain for his third rushing touchdown of the game to put the Eagles up 34-31 at the end of the third.
The Falcons managed to drive down to EMU's 12-yard line, traveling 51 yards on 10 plays before having to attempt a 29-yard field goal. The Eagles' defensive efforts paid off as the kick went wide, giving the Green and White the ball back with 9:33 left in the game with a 34-31 lead.
Eastern Michigan kept the drive going on a crucial third and three, as Stiebeling stepped into his throw and connected with Bailey along the sideline for seven yards. After chewing off over three minutes of clock time, EMU was forced to punt, placing BGSU on its own 25-yard line with 6:21 remaining.
With a fourth and one on their own 41, the Falcons decided to go for it but were hit behind the line of scrimmage. The 5-yard tackle for loss caused a turnover on downs, giving EMU the ball on the Falcons' 38 with 4:47 left in the game. After picking up a pair of pivotal first downs, the Green and White was able to head into victory formation, draining the clock to pick up the 34-31 win on Senior Night.
Juniors Shaq Vann and Ian Eriksen finished with 117 and 104 rushing yards, respectively, as EMU out-rushed BGSU, 266-209. It was the first time the team had two 100-yard rushers in a game since Reggie Bell (133) and Ryan Brumfield (112) against Northern Illinois, Oct. 25, 2014.
Additionally, Eriksen scored three touchdowns, which was a career-high, as well as the fifth multi-touchdown game of his career. It was also the first time an Eagle has accomplished the feat since Bell did so against Buffalo, Oct. 11, 2014.
Stepping up for the injured Roback, freshman Isaac Stiebeling completed eight passes for 49 yards, while also adding 48 yards on the ground, for an offensive total of 97 yards.
Roback's final touchdown pass went to his favorite target, senior Sergio Bailey II, who notched his ninth of the season and 16th of his career. He finished as the leading receiver, catching four passes for 37 yards.
Defensively, the Green and White came up big in crucial moments. Sophomore Brody Hoying led the way, accounting for 10 tackles, two for loss, as well as his fourth forced fumble and recovery of the season. That takeaway was his team-leading sixth of the season.
As a whole, the defensive squad held Bowling Green to only four successful attempts on third downs. It also came up with a key stop on fourth down, which ultimately led to EMU draining the clock for the win.
Eastern was eager to get the rushing game going early, handing Eriksen the rock for the first three plays of the game, gaining 16 yards and a first down.
EMU continued to move the chains, making its way into Bowling Green territory with a balanced offensive attack, before Roback's pass was intercepted and returned to the Bowling Green 28-yard line to put an abrupt halt to the Eagles' drive. On the ensuing play BGSU's Josh Cleveland broke through the center and found nothing but open space for a 72-yard touchdown run.
Down 7-0 early, junior Blake Banham was determined to set the Eagles up with solid field position, finding a crease and bouncing to the outside on the kickoff for a 53-yard return, which was advanced even farther due to a Bowling Green unsportsmanlike conduct, ultimately placing the Green and White on the Falcons' 25-yard line.
On the second play of the drive, EMU ran the play-action pass to perfection as Roback found Bailey on the back-shoulder pass for an 18-yard touchdown, tying the game back up at seven apiece with 9:06 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles had a strong defensive effort on their next time out, forcing Bowling Green to punt from its own 34-yard line. EMU then caught the Falcons' defense sleeping, as Roback aired it out on first down, finding Mathew Sexton deep down field for a 34-yard pick up.
Vann showed nice patience a couple plays later, waiting behind his blockers and rushing for nine yards and an Eastern first down at the BGSU 18.
Unable to take advantage of the short field, the Eagles settled for a 30-yard field goal from sophomore Paulie Fricano to give them their first lead of the game, 10-7, with 5:39 left in the first quarter.
The next kickoff saw BGSU's return man take it to the house, only to be brought back on a penalty, setting the Falcons up on their own 8-yard line.
EMU quickly created a turnover as Hoying stripped the ball and jumped on it, setting the Eagles up on the BGSU 13. Once again, however, the Green and White was unable to take advantage of outstanding field position. Eastern settled for a 39-yard field goal by Fricano to extend the lead, 13-7.
After allowing BGSU to march 62 yards down the field, EMU dug deep to put together three consecutive stops to force a 30-yard field goal. With the Falcons putting it through the uprights, EMU's lead was cut down to three, 13-10.
Roback was carted off to the locker room following the last play of the previous drive, so Stiebeling took the field as the first quarter came to an end. Returning from the short break, the Green and White could not move the chains, resulting in a three-and-out.
Following two passing plays that ate up 44 yards, the Falcons' QB capped off a seven-play 66-yard drive by faking the handoff and keeping it himself for a two-yard touchdown scramble. BGSU regained the lead, 17-13, with 10:57 left in the first half.
EMU put the ball back into BGSU's hands after failing to pick up a first down. However, the Eagles quickly took it back as senior Juan Giraldo came up with his first pick of his career at the Eagles' 39-yard line.
After an offensive lull from both teams, Vann provided a much-needed spark with a 35-yard rushing play, bringing the Eagles to the BGSU 33.
After running six straight rushing plays, Eastern took advantage of the defense keying in on the ground game, executing a screen pass to set up with a first and goal on the six. On the 10th play of the drive, Eriksen pounded it in from one yard out for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. That put EMU back in the lead, 20-17 at halftime.
With the help of a pair of BGSU offensive penalties, one of which spoiled a 32-yard rushing touchdown, the Falcons started the second half with an empty possession. Bowling Green came up short on a 51-yard field goal attempt to give EMU the ball on its own 34.
With 11:23 left in the third, Stiebeling picked up 36 yards on the keeper for the longest rushing attempt of his career, giving EMU a first and 10 on the BGSU 30. A handful of plays later, Eriksen added to his already impressive day, scoring his second touchdown of the game on a 17-yard scamper to cap off a six-play 66-yard drive to extend Eastern's lead, 27-17, with 8:49 left in the third.
On the ensuing BGSU possession, the Falcons needed just six plays, capped off by a 20-yard jump ball in the corner of the end zone, to chip away at EMU's lead, 27-24.
The Falcons were able to recapture the lead. Shortly after forcing the Eagles to a three-and-out. Bowling Green connected on a 62-yard pass to take the lead, 31-27, with 4:31 left in the third.
EMU stayed strong in the run game in its next offensive possession as Vann gained 36 yards on three carries to get the Eagles into Bowling Green's half. After Stiebeling delivered a strike to senior Dan Buschman (Brighton, Mich.-Brighton) on 3rd and 6 to pick up the first, a substitution infraction gave EMU a 1st and 5 on the Falcons' seven. From there it was all Eriksen, as he crossed the plain for his third rushing touchdown of the game to put the Eagles up 34-31 at the end of the third.
The Falcons managed to drive down to EMU's 12-yard line, traveling 51 yards on 10 plays before having to attempt a 29-yard field goal. The Eagles' defensive efforts paid off as the kick went wide, giving the Green and White the ball back with 9:33 left in the game with a 34-31 lead.
Eastern Michigan kept the drive going on a crucial third and three, as Stiebeling stepped into his throw and connected with Bailey along the sideline for seven yards. After chewing off over three minutes of clock time, EMU was forced to punt, placing BGSU on its own 25-yard line with 6:21 remaining.
With a fourth and one on their own 41, the Falcons decided to go for it but were hit behind the line of scrimmage. The 5-yard tackle for loss caused a turnover on downs, giving EMU the ball on the Falcons' 38 with 4:47 left in the game. After picking up a pair of pivotal first downs, the Green and White was able to head into victory formation, draining the clock to pick up the 34-31 win on Senior Night.
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