YPSILANTI, Mich.—The Eastern Michigan University Eagles opened their 2007 Mid-American Conference and Rynearson Stadium football season today with a 38-16 loss to a visiting Ball State University team in the Mid-American Conference West Division opener for both clubs.
With the victory, Ball State improves to 1-1, while the Eagles fall to 0-2 on the season. The Cardinals totaled 459 yards of total offense compared to just 262 for the Eagles.
EMU sophomore quarterback
Andy Schmitt (St. John's Mich.-St. John's) completed 16-of-24 passes for 155 yards and senior
Pierre Walker (Detroit, Mich.-Central) led the Eagles rushing attack with 15 carries for 65 yards. The linebacking trio of junior
Daniel Holtzclaw (Enid, Okla.-Enid), sophomore
Andre Hatchett (Indianapolis, Ind. Warren Central) and senior
Darren Matthews (Redford, Mich. - Thurston) led Eastern with nine tackles a piece.
The Cardinals were the first on the board with 10:29 left in the first quarter on a two-yard touchdown pass from Nate Davis to Darius Hill, but the Eagles responded with a 41-yard field goal by redshirt freshman
Sean Dutcher (Owosso, Mich.-Owosso). However, Ball State quickly came back with another touchdown to put the Eagles down 14-3 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles kept the Cardinals at bay for most of the second quarter. Schmidt passed to
DeAnthony White (Kennesaw, Ga. - Kell) for a 67-yard touchdown with 4:45 remaining in the second quarter to revive the EMU offense. Ball State eventually broke through the Eagle defense with Davis passing to Dante Love for another touchdown with 1:34 left in the half.
Eastern Michigan and Ball State continued to go back and fourth in the third quarter, with both teams unable to score.
The Cardinals continued to dominate in the fourth, adding two more touchdowns. The first came from MiQuale Lewis, who rushed for three yards while the second came on a 27-yard pass from Davis to Love.
A glimpse of hope came with 4:01 remaining on the clock as the Eagles'
Dontayo Gage (Pontiac, Mich. - Northern) returned the kickoff for 90 yards cutting the Eagles deficit to 22 points. That return set a new Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium record for the longest kickoff return and was the first kickoff return for a touchdown since EMU's Craig Thompson returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score against Temple, Sept. 9, 1993.
The Eagles will get back in action Saturday, Sept. 15, when they travel to DeKalb, Ill., to take on MAC West Division opponent Northern Illinois.
Eastern Michigan Head Coach Jeff Genyk Quotes
"In the vast majority of games I have participated in we make a big play like that we have a chance to change the momentum but it was so brief."
"It was disappointing because I felt that had we been able to get the stop we would have had the momentum, get the ball back."
Ball State Head Coach Brady Hoke Quotes
"I thought it was great to win obviously. It's awfully important in this whole competition and one of the things that we want to get done."
"Overall defensively they came out and played hard and the run game stepped it up."
