Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-4 , 1-1
Michigan
4-2 , 2-0
Football Falls to Michigan, 33-22
10/6/2007 3:59:00 PM | Football
EMU’s Ryan Downard becomes the first-ever player to return a defensive PAT against U-M
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University football team put up a valiant fight against cross-county rival Michigan, falling 33-23 in non-conference action here in front of 108,415 fans at Michigan Stadium. The 22 points are the most points ever put up by the Eagles versus the Wolverines, surpassing the 20 points put on the board back on Sept. 19, 1998 when U-M posted a 59-20 victory.
With the victory, Michigan improves to 4-2 on the season and 8-0 all-time versus Eastern. On the other side of the field Eastern Michigan drops to 2-4 on the campaign.
Redshirt sophomore Andy Schmitt (St. John's, Mich.-St. John's) was 15-of-28 for 108 yards through the air to go along with nine carries for 41 yards and touchdown on the ground. "True freshman" Kyle McMahon (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Pontiac Notre Dame Prep) was also 3-of-8 for 68 yards and a score via the air.
Defensively for EMU, Darran Matthews (Redford, Mich.-Thurston) turned in 11 stops to go along with sophomore Derrick Hunter's (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield) nine tackles. Redshirt freshman Ryan Downard (Lima, Ohio-Shawnee) collected an interception and a defensive PAT on the afternoon. Doward's return marked the first-ever defensive return for a score against Michigan in the 128-year history of the football program.
Michigan cracked the scoreboard first with 8:55 to play in the first quarter, as K.C. Lopata connected on a 31-yard field goal to make it 3-0. The kick followed a solid defensive stand by the Eagles defense that included a pair of tackles for loss by senior defensive end Jason Jones (Southfield, Mich-Lathrup). The drive was setup by a Jamar Adams interception that was returned to the EMU 30 yard-line.
Following an EMU drive that stalled just past mid-field, redshirt sophomore Zach Johnson (Springboro, Ohio-Springboro) put a punt the was downed inside the U-M 1-yard line. The Wolverines needed just eight plays though to go the 99 yards, capped off with a 31-yard touchdown strike from Chad Henne to Adrian Arrington with 1:53 left in the first quarter. The Lopata PAT followed to make it 10-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, redshirt sophomore Dontayo Gage (Pontiac, Mich.-Northern) returned the kickoff 86 yards to the U-M 14 yard-line. However, the EMU offense was unable to convert as Johnson was needed to kick the 25-yard field goal to pull the Green and White back within seven, 10-3, with :11 seconds left in the period.
Michigan would tack on another score with 6:56 left before halftime, as Mike Hart scored from four yards out. The extra point was blocked by Jones and returned by Downard for the defensive extra point to make it 16-5. The return marks the first time since Matthews returned a fumbled PAT for a score against Toledo, Oct. 21, 2006, and just the third defensive PAT return in school-history.
After the score the Eagles would drive 56 yards in 11 plays before Johnson was called upon to connect on a career-long 41-yard field goal with 1:35 left in the period to make it 16-8 heading into the lockerroom.
Following the intermission the Eagles were able to catch the Wolverines off guard, as Johnson recovered the on-side kick at his own 43 yard-line to begin the half. The Eagles drove 57 yards in 4:29, finished off with a 10-yard TD scamper by Schmitt with 10:31 left in the third. Johnson's PAT try was blocked to keep the score 16-14.
The next four minutes would belong entirely to the Wolverines and change the whole momentum of the game, as Michigan scored 17 during the span. A 24-yard Hart touchdown run at the 6:59 mark made it, 23-14. U-M would take on another score just four minutes later, as Lapata drilled a 36-yard field goal to push the lead to 26-14. Then on the ensuing kickoff Michigan recovered the football, as Gage fumbled the ball at the 17 yard-line. Hart would make the 17-yard drive to paydirt on the very next play to make it 33-14.
McMahon tossed his first-career touchdown pass with :47 seconds left in the game, hooking up with Tyrone Burke (Syracuse, N.Y.-Corcoran) for the 18-yard strike. McMahon rushed for the two-point conversion to make it 33-22.
EMU would recover the onside kick but it would not be enough as Michigan claimed the 33-22 decision.
Eastern returns to Mid-American Conference play Saturday, Oct. 13, traveling to Athens, Ohio for a cross-divisional battle against Ohio University. Kick off is set for noon with television coverage on ESPN+ and WXYZ ABC 7 in the Detroit area.
Post Game Quotes
Eastern Michigan Head Coach Jeff Genyk
On the game ... "We emphasized all week just having the ability to come in here and fight. We did not talk at all about Michigan, at all about the personnel. We didn't come here on Friday, did not talk at all about the Big House and Hail to the Victors. We talked about fighting and I really felt like for a vast majority of the game, if not all of it, our kids came and they fought every single play. And obviously we were overmatched physically, but certainly not from a heart perspective."
On treating this game as it was any other game ... "I think what helped is having better players and having stronger players, better coaching and more players that have completely bought into the program. That is what has happened, not any psychological ploy."
On the team's recent progress ... "Well, obviously from a defensive perspective, we are pretty formidable up front, especially from a Mid-American Conference perspective. There were times during that game where Michigan had a tough time running the ball and had to go exclusively to the pass which was what our objective was. They have great receivers and our defensive backs were a little bit mismatched. Offensive we really performed well at certain feats and I think we had some growth today similar to the growth I feel our defense had in the second half against Northern Illinois and the whole game against Vanderbilt. If we could piece all those things together for six in a row, that would be a very positive thing for us."
On seeing progression ... "Yes, I believe so. I believe unfortunately we've played two really good defenses. The front four for Michigan and the back seven for Vanderbilt, you got yourself one of the best defenses in America. Unfortunately that is the plate of our scheduling right now, is that we are on the road at Pitt, we are on the road at Vanderbilt, we are on the road at Michigan."
On consistent improvement ... "I think being a more physical, stronger defense, executing better on offense, better work ethic when the coaches are not around in the summer in the weight room. There is a continuation of 45 months without an off-field problem, that is kind of amazing, knowing you have a hundred teenagers and 20-year-olds. All that stuff kind of leads into community service, we do 5,000 hours of community service. All that stuff kind of leads into guys buying what you're selling. Tyrone Burke caught a touchdown pass, and he was a young man that was really off on a tangent; bad grades, not doing the right thing, but all of a sudden a light came on in the summer, and now all of a sudden he caught two touchdown passes already this season. Other players see that and think 'I want to do the right thing and go to class, do community service, lift weights.'"
EMU Defensive Back Ryan Downard
On the effort they put in to keep the game close for three quarters ... "We really don't care who's out there. We always give one hundred percent effort. Like Coach always says, all that changes is the color of the jerseys and the numbers on those jerseys."
On what encouraged them the most about their defense ... "Our offense is made up of heart, so we're going to come one hundred percent every game."
On return he made after the blocked kick ... "I caught it and I haven't seen it on film, but I think a got a couple of great blocks on the outside."
On how the momentum shifts after a big play ... "The momentum shifts a lot. It really raises the defense for the next drive."
On whether they were nervous coming in ... "Nothing really changes. The only thing that changes is the crowd around you and how many seats there are around you. It still is a football field that's one hundred yards long. You jst have to throw all that out and be focused and ready."
EMU Running Back Dwayne Priest
On what positives they can take out of this game ... "We fought and played hard as a team. We just got to take the momentum we had here this week and take it to a higher level next week."
On how it felt to be able to get yards and movement offensively ... "It felt good. I know the whole line was going to show up and when they did, we were going to run good."
On what the offensive line showed him against Michigan's defense today ... "They held their own. They held their own."
On how quickly were you able to get confidence today coming into the game ... "We were confident coming into this game. The line showed p, moved them, and we run."
On how difficult it was to play in The Big House ... "It's just like we're at practice. There's nobody there. It's just us. "
Team Stats
EMU 0, MICH 3
MICH - Lopata, K.C. 31 yd field goal 7 plays, 16 yards, TOP 3:24
EMU 0, MICH 10
MICH - Arrington, A. 31 yd pass from Henne, Chad (Lopata, K.C. kick) 8 plays, 99 yards, TOP 3:30
EMU 3, MICH 10
EMU - JOHNSON, Zach 25 yd field goal 4 plays, 7 yards, TOP 1:42
EMU 3, MICH 16
MICH - Hart, Mike 4 yd run (Lopata, K.C. kickblocked), 8 plays, 74 yards, TOP 3:16
EMU 5, MICH 16
EMU - DOWNARD, Ryan 98 yd PAT return
EMU 8, MICH 16
EMU - JOHNSON, Zach 41 yd field goal 11 plays, 56 yards, TOP 5:21
EMU 14, MICH 16
EMU - SCHMITT, Andy 10 yd run (JOHNSON, Zach kickblocked), 11 plays, 57 yards, TOP 4:29
EMU 14, MICH 23
MICH - Hart, Mike 24 yd run (Lopata, K.C. kick), 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:32
EMU 14, MICH 26
MICH - Lopata, K.C. 36 yd field goal 5 plays, 53 yards, TOP 2:12
EMU 14, MICH 33
MICH - Hart, Mike 17 yd run (Lopata, K.C. kick), 1 plays, 17 yards, TOP 0:05
EMU 22, MICH 33
EMU - BURKE, Tyrone 18 yd pass from MCMAHON, Kyle (MCMAHON, Kyle rush) 8 plays, 81 yards, TOP 2:39
