Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 1
Rynearson Stadium
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
3-2 , 1-0
31
vs
23
Akron
1-4 , 0-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Akron
0
10
6
7
23
Eastern Michigan
7
10
7
7
31
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eastern Opens MAC Season With 31-23 Win Over Akron
10/1/2011 4:44:00 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Eagles rush for 228 yards on way to 31-23 victory
Box score.
Photo Gallery.
English Postgame Audio.
White Postgame Audio.
Re-Watch the Game.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team opened its 2011 Mid-American Conference football schedule with a 31-23 victory over the University of Akron here Saturday, Oct. 1, in the annual Band Day game in Rynearson Stadium.
EMU, now 3-2 overall and 1-0 in MAC action, entered the game with the top-ranked rushing offense in the MAC and the Eagles lived up to that lofty rating, gaining 228 yards on 56 rushes, including four touchdowns on the ground.
Junior running back Dominique White (Detroit, Mich.-Orchard Lake St. Mary's) turned in a career-best 164 yards rushing on 28 carries and tallied three touchdown runs, the first time an EMU player rushed for three scores in a game since Dwayne Priest pulled off the feat in the 2010 season finale at Buffalo, Nov. 20, a game won by the Eagles, 21-17.
The Eagles rolled up 322 yards of offense on 65 plays with White turning in the bulk of the work. Junior quarterback Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) completed just 4-of-9 passes for 94 yards while rushing 18 times for 62 yards and one score.
Defensively, the Eagles were led by Blake Poole (Yorba Linda, Calif.-Esperanza-Santa Ana C.C.) with 10 tackles while Willie Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.-Dorsey-Glendale J.C.) added eight stops.
Akron, now 1-4 overall and 0-2 in MAC action, was paced by the running of redshirt freshman Jawon Chisholm who gained 122 yards on 25 carries with one touchdown.
Akron quarterback Clayton Moore went 14-of-28 for 155 yards and one score and also scored himself on a halfback pass from Chisholm.
The Eagles posted the game's first score when White rumbled 14 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown at the 4:56 mark of the first quarter. Kody Fulkerson (Zanesville, Ohio-Maysville) added the PAT for the 7-0 EMU lead.
Eastern closed out the last seconds of the second quarter and the early stages of the second quarter with an impressive 84-yard drive in nine plays, culminating on a one-yard rush off the right tackle by White. Fulkerson once again added the PAT for a 14-0 EMU lead with 13:41 left in the second stanza.
The Zips took advantage of Eastern's first turnover to get on the board.
After a fumble by Gillett at the EMU 36-yard line, Akron quarterback Moore connected with wide receiver Keith Sconiers for a 36-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage after the fumble. T.J. Marchese added the PAT kick to cut the EMU lead to 14-7 with just 5:24 left in the first half.
The visitors took advantage of a short nine-yard punt by the Eagles to tack on a 29-yard Marchese field goal with just 1:57 left in the second quarter to further cut into EMU's lead at 14-10.
White energized the EMU offense on the first play from scrimmage after the Akron field goal, racing 41 yards down the left sideline to give the Eagles the ball at the Akron 32-yard line.
That long run paid big dividends as the Eagles were able to convert on a 26-yard Fulkerson field goal for a 17-10 lead as time expired in the first half.
The Eagles kept that offensive momentum going into the start of the second half, scoring on their first possession of the third quarter, capping a 57-yard drive on five plays with White rushing for a two-yard touchdown run. Fulkerson added the PAT for a 24-10 EMU lead.
The Green and White then dodged a bullet, with senior middle linebacker Marcus English (Dayton, Ohio-Trotwood-Madison) recovering an Akron fumble at the EMU two-yard line, halting a Zip scoring chance.
When the Eagles could not make that turnover pay off, junior punter Jay Karutz (North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia-Holy Cross College) bailed out the offense with a 62-yard punt from his own end zone. That 62-yarder was the fifth best for an EMU player in Rynearson Stadium history.
Akron went to a trick play to score on its next possession, with running back Jawon Chisholm throwing an eight-yard throwback pass to quarterback Moore with 3:09 left in the third. The PAT kick was no good, however, making it 24-16 in favor of EMU.
Eastern answered that Akron score with one of its own, going 56 yards on 10 plays, with Gillett bulling his way to a four-yard touchdown run. Fulkerson added the PAT kick to make it 31-16 with 12:43 left in the game.
Akron then tightened things up, scoring on a one-yard run by Chisholm with 3:18 left in the game. A T.J. Marchese PAT cut the Eagles' lead to 31-23.
When the Eagles could not move the ball on its next possession, the Zips took a short punt and advanced to the EMU 34-yard line before the defense stiffened and shut out the last-gasp attack on an incomplete pass.
The Eagles will take their 3-2 overall record and perfect 1-0 MAC mark into a 3 p.m. game Saturday, Oct. 8, against West Division rival Toledo in a game scheduled for the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio.
Photo Gallery.
English Postgame Audio.
White Postgame Audio.
Re-Watch the Game.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team opened its 2011 Mid-American Conference football schedule with a 31-23 victory over the University of Akron here Saturday, Oct. 1, in the annual Band Day game in Rynearson Stadium.
EMU, now 3-2 overall and 1-0 in MAC action, entered the game with the top-ranked rushing offense in the MAC and the Eagles lived up to that lofty rating, gaining 228 yards on 56 rushes, including four touchdowns on the ground.
Junior running back Dominique White (Detroit, Mich.-Orchard Lake St. Mary's) turned in a career-best 164 yards rushing on 28 carries and tallied three touchdown runs, the first time an EMU player rushed for three scores in a game since Dwayne Priest pulled off the feat in the 2010 season finale at Buffalo, Nov. 20, a game won by the Eagles, 21-17.
The Eagles rolled up 322 yards of offense on 65 plays with White turning in the bulk of the work. Junior quarterback Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) completed just 4-of-9 passes for 94 yards while rushing 18 times for 62 yards and one score.
Defensively, the Eagles were led by Blake Poole (Yorba Linda, Calif.-Esperanza-Santa Ana C.C.) with 10 tackles while Willie Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.-Dorsey-Glendale J.C.) added eight stops.
Akron, now 1-4 overall and 0-2 in MAC action, was paced by the running of redshirt freshman Jawon Chisholm who gained 122 yards on 25 carries with one touchdown.
Akron quarterback Clayton Moore went 14-of-28 for 155 yards and one score and also scored himself on a halfback pass from Chisholm.
The Eagles posted the game's first score when White rumbled 14 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown at the 4:56 mark of the first quarter. Kody Fulkerson (Zanesville, Ohio-Maysville) added the PAT for the 7-0 EMU lead.
Eastern closed out the last seconds of the second quarter and the early stages of the second quarter with an impressive 84-yard drive in nine plays, culminating on a one-yard rush off the right tackle by White. Fulkerson once again added the PAT for a 14-0 EMU lead with 13:41 left in the second stanza.
The Zips took advantage of Eastern's first turnover to get on the board.
After a fumble by Gillett at the EMU 36-yard line, Akron quarterback Moore connected with wide receiver Keith Sconiers for a 36-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage after the fumble. T.J. Marchese added the PAT kick to cut the EMU lead to 14-7 with just 5:24 left in the first half.
The visitors took advantage of a short nine-yard punt by the Eagles to tack on a 29-yard Marchese field goal with just 1:57 left in the second quarter to further cut into EMU's lead at 14-10.
White energized the EMU offense on the first play from scrimmage after the Akron field goal, racing 41 yards down the left sideline to give the Eagles the ball at the Akron 32-yard line.
That long run paid big dividends as the Eagles were able to convert on a 26-yard Fulkerson field goal for a 17-10 lead as time expired in the first half.
The Eagles kept that offensive momentum going into the start of the second half, scoring on their first possession of the third quarter, capping a 57-yard drive on five plays with White rushing for a two-yard touchdown run. Fulkerson added the PAT for a 24-10 EMU lead.
The Green and White then dodged a bullet, with senior middle linebacker Marcus English (Dayton, Ohio-Trotwood-Madison) recovering an Akron fumble at the EMU two-yard line, halting a Zip scoring chance.
When the Eagles could not make that turnover pay off, junior punter Jay Karutz (North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia-Holy Cross College) bailed out the offense with a 62-yard punt from his own end zone. That 62-yarder was the fifth best for an EMU player in Rynearson Stadium history.
Akron went to a trick play to score on its next possession, with running back Jawon Chisholm throwing an eight-yard throwback pass to quarterback Moore with 3:09 left in the third. The PAT kick was no good, however, making it 24-16 in favor of EMU.
Eastern answered that Akron score with one of its own, going 56 yards on 10 plays, with Gillett bulling his way to a four-yard touchdown run. Fulkerson added the PAT kick to make it 31-16 with 12:43 left in the game.
Akron then tightened things up, scoring on a one-yard run by Chisholm with 3:18 left in the game. A T.J. Marchese PAT cut the Eagles' lead to 31-23.
When the Eagles could not move the ball on its next possession, the Zips took a short punt and advanced to the EMU 34-yard line before the defense stiffened and shut out the last-gasp attack on an incomplete pass.
The Eagles will take their 3-2 overall record and perfect 1-0 MAC mark into a 3 p.m. game Saturday, Oct. 8, against West Division rival Toledo in a game scheduled for the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio.
Team Stats
AKRON
EMU
Total Yards
302
322
Pass Yards
163
94
Rushing Yards
139
228
Penalty Yards
47
47
1st Downs
17
18
3rd Downs
3
5
4th Downs
3
2
TOP
26:55
33:05
1st Quarter
AKRON 0, EMU 7
EMU - WHITE, D. 14 yd run (FULKERSON, Kody kick), 9 plays, 50 yards, TOP 4:47
2nd Quarter
AKRON 0, EMU 14
EMU - WHITE, D. 1 yd run (FULKERSON, Kody kick), 9 plays, 84 yards, TOP 4:09
AKRON 7, EMU 14
AKRON - SCONIERS, Keith 36 yd pass from MOORE, Clayton (MARCHESE, T.J. kick) 1 plays, 36 yards, TOP 0:08
AKRON 10, EMU 14
AKRON - MARCHESE, T.J. 29 yd field goal 6 plays, 24 yards, TOP 2:17
AKRON 10, EMU 17
EMU - FULKERSON, Kody 26 yd field goal 10 plays, 64 yards, TOP 1:49
3rd Quarter
AKRON 10, EMU 24
EMU - WHITE, D. 2 yd run (FULKERSON, Kody kick), 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:09
AKRON 16, EMU 24
AKRON - MOORE, Clayton 8 yd pass from CHISHOLM, Jawon (MARCHESE, T.J. kickfailed) 11 plays, 54 yards, TOP 4:57
4th Quarter
AKRON 16, EMU 31
EMU - GILLETT, Alex 4 yd run (FULKERSON, Kody kick), 10 plays, 56 yards, TOP 5:20
AKRON 23, EMU 31
AKRON - CHISHOLM, Jawon 1 yd run (FOX, A.J. kick), 11 plays, 55 yards, TOP 5:11
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
4
TD
0
YDS
94
INT
0
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
PK
/ FootballQB
/ Football
P
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DB
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