EMU Closes Season With Tough Loss at NIU

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DeKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) — A late rally fell just short for the Eastern Michigan University football team in an 18-12 loss here Friday, Nov. 25, in Huskie Stadium in a Mid-American West Division game.

Trailing by 12 late in the game, the Eagles cut the deficit to six when junior quarterback Alex Gillett (Green, Springs, Ohio-Clyde) found Nick Olds (Columbus, Ind.-East) for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 6:19 left in the game. The two-point conversion run by Javonti Greene (West Palm Beach, Fla.-Royal Palm Beach) failed, leaving NIU leading by an 18-12 count.

The Eagles' defense would then stop Northern's next offensive possession at the NIU 42, forcing a punt.

Eastern would take over at its own 32-yard line with 3:33 left in the game.

After moving it all the way to the NIU 31-yard line, Gillett suffered two straight sacks that backed the Eagles all the way back to their own 44.

Facing fourth-and-35, Gillett's long throw to Garrett Hoskins (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Creston) was broken up, ending the Eagles' chances with 1:32 on the clock.

The loss ended EMU's season at 6-6 overall, its best season since the 1995 squad recorded a 6-5 record. The Eagles finished 4-4 in MAC play, their best league mark since the 2004 squad went 4-4. The loss also ended EMU's hopes to become post-season bowl eligible as the Eagles needed seven wins for that distinction.

The win gave NIU the MAC West championship and makes the Huskies 9-3 overall and 7-1 in league play.

For the game Gillett completed 11-of-25 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown and also rushed 17 times for 67 yards.

NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish completed 9-of-19 passes for 98 yards and one score while also rushing 17 times for 148 yards and one score.

The EMU defense turned in a superb effort, holding the high-scoring Huskies, who entered the game as the second-leading scoring team in the MAC (41.5 ppg) to just 18 points. The Huskies also entered the game as the leading total offensive team in the MAC at 506.4 yards per game and the Eagles limited the home team to 286 yards on 57 plays.

Leading the defensive charge for the Eagles were senior Latarrius Thomas (Smyrna Beach, Fla.-Symrna Beach) and Bryan Pali (Kihei, Hawaii-Kamehameha-Orange Coast C.C.) with seven stops each.

The Huskies opened the scoring on a 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Harnish to wide receiver Willie Clark. Matthew Sims added the PAT kick for a 7-0 NIU lead at the 10:17 mark of the first quarter.

The Eagles had a chance to tie the game, moving all the way to the NIU two-yard line, but the NIU defense stiffened and EMU settled for a 20-yard Kody Fulkerson (Zanesville, Ohio-Maysville) field goal with just 11 seconds left in the first to make it 7-3.

The NIU defense came up with another big series after pinning EMU on its own one-yard line.

After stopping the EMU offense on a half-yard loss on the first play from scrimmage, the Huskies caught Dominique Sherrer (Cincinnati, Ohio-Colerain) in the end zone for a safety with 8:44 left in the second quarter for a 9-3 NIU lead.

The EMU defense then turned in its own defensive stand after the ensuing free kick.

The Eagles halted NIU's scoring effort at that point and the home team had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Sims for a 12-3 lead with 4:44 left in the second quarter.

The Eagles cranked up their offense in the late stages of the third quarter, taking up 7:18 on the clock on 14 plays to finish with a 23-yard Fulkerson field goal to cut NIU's deficit to six, 12-6, with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter.

NIU went to a quick strike on their next offensive possession with Harnish racing 68 yards round right end for a touchdown on the third play from scrimmage. Harnish's fade pass attempt in the left corner of the end zone on a two-point conversion was knocked down by Marcell Rose (Orlando, Fla.-Cypress Creek) to give NIU an 18-6 lead with 12 ticks left in the third quarter.

The EMU offense cut the deficit to six, 18-12, with 6:19 left in the game when Gillett found Olds for that 24-yard touchdown strike and the two-point conversion run by Greene was stopped.

That final score set up the final drives with the game ending with the 18-12 score.

EMU Head Coach Ron English Postgame Quotes

On what did in EMU today
“I thought it was a good, hard-nosed football game that was played today. It doesn't come down to one play. It is really a culmination of plays. We had a chance on Chandler, we missed a tackle and he scored. That's what happened.”

On whether the offensive line broke down on the two sacks during final drive
“It was a combination of things. I try not to guess because I can't see from where I was standing exactly what happened. There was some coverage there and we didn't block it up.”

On the close loss
“I've been in this for 20 years and I told our kids this: 'We have to be good in November to win and you cannot allow yourself to not take advantage of opportunities.' You saw there were some open guys in there. We dropped passes that were wide open, hit the guy in the hands. Our month of November has been like that. We just did not make the plays we had to make to win at the end of the year.”

On just coming short of going to a bowl
“I've been through this before and I don't look at it like that. For example, today, we had two penalties. We had been penalized a bunch. I continue to look at this thing as progress. It's frustrating, yes, but we have some great seniors in there who didn't quit on us. Our senior class is 16 strong-willed, terrific young men and I am proud of them. I'm just looking forward to continuing to move forward.”

On the final EMU play
“That's a tough catch. The ball's exposed. His back's exposed and it's a bang-bang play. It's a hard catch because where they hit him and how the ball is exposed. A lot of people are never going to make that catch. Garrett Hoskins has some of the best hands on our team. It just so happens he was involved in a couple plays like that.”

On limiting NIU's pass offense and Chandler Harnish
“I think we gave them some looks and stuff, but I don't know if we threw him off. He's a great football player and I really admire the way he plays. I don't know if it is what we did. I know we did tackle well today and didn't give up yards after contact and covered decent. Maybe those things helped.”

Team Stats

Alex Gillett

Players Mentioned

Kody Fulkerson

Alex Gillett

Javonti Greene

Garrett Hoskins

Nick Olds

Bryan Pali

Marcell Rose

Dominique Sherrer

Latarrius Thomas

Players Mentioned

Kody Fulkerson

Alex Gillett

Javonti Greene

Garrett Hoskins

Nick Olds

Bryan Pali

Marcell Rose

Dominique Sherrer

Latarrius Thomas

Eastern Michigan Athletics