Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, November 17
Kalamazoo, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
2-9-0 , 1-6
29
at
23
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Western Michigan
4-8-0 , 2-6
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Eastern Michigan
14
3
9
3
29
Western Michigan
0
14
3
6
23
EMU Football Downs WMU, 29-23, to Retain Michigan MAC Trophy
11/17/2012 5:48:00 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Eagles defeat rival in consecutive seasons for first time since 1991
Postgame Audio.
Kalamazoo, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Behind a career-high three field goals from Dylan Mulder (Saline, Mich.-Saline) and 142 total yards from Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde), the Eastern Michigan University football team retained the Michigan MAC trophy by downing Western Michigan, 29-23, Saturday afternoon, Nov. 17, at Waldo Stadium.
Gillett ran nine times for 60 yards, caught five passes for 45 yards that included a touchdown grab, and threw a 37-yard pass to lead the Eagles to victory. Tyler Benz (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine Township South) was 13-21 for 137 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Catholic Central) rushed 17 times for 77 yards.
Despite losing the offensive yardage battle 369-443 and giving up 328 passing yards, the EMU defense battled all afternoon to force three WMU field goals and two WMU turnovers in Eastern territory.
The Green and White picked up its first MAC victory of the season, moving to 1-6 in conference play and 2-9 overall. With the loss, Western Michigan ends its season at 4-8 (2-6 MAC).
With the victory, EMU defeated WMU in consecutive seasons for the first time since the Eagles rattled off three straight victories against the Broncos from 1989-1991.
Due to Eastern, Central, and Western all going 1-1 against each other this season, EMU retains the Michigan MAC Trophy for at least another year, the fourth time to be exact which is more than any other school. By defeating both Central Michigan and Western Michigan last season, the Eagles claimed the Michigan MAC Trophy for football.
EMU started off the contest with great field position after Tyler Allen (Lansing, Mich.-Eastern) took the opening kickoff to the EMU 47-yard line. Three straight penalties opened the contest with an Eastern delay-of-game penalty followed by two offside penalties on Western, putting the Eagles in Bronco territory. Benz took advantage of the field position by converting two crucial third downs before it was capped off by a Dominique Sherrer (Cincinnati, Ohio-Colerain) three-yard touchdown run. The 11-play, 53-yard opening drive put the Eagles up 7-0 with 9:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Western Michigan responded by marching quickly down the field going 50 yards in six plays. However, with the Broncos on the EMU 22-yard line, defensive tackle Travis Linser (Glendale, Ariz.-Phoenix NW Christian) forced WMU quarterback Alex Carder to fumble, and free safety Alex Bellfy (Brooklyn, Mich.-Lumen Christi) came up with the recovery.
Following the WMU turnover and a short loss on first down, the Eastern continued to shine as Gillett took a quarterback draw 42 yards down the field. The following play, Benz found Hill for a 19-yard pass completion setting up first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. After WMU held strong on two rushing plays, Benz dropped back to pass, finding Donald Scott (Apoka, Fla.-Apoka) in the middle of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass and reception. The offense marched 64 yards in only six plays to put the Eagles up 14-0 with 3:46 remaining in the opening quarter.
WMU countered the EMU scoring drive with one of its own as the Broncos drove 65 yards in 10 plays taking only 3:51 off of the game clock. On the first play of the second quarter, Carder found WMU wide receiver Blake Hammond in the corner of the end zone from one yard out to make it a 14-7 ballgame in favor of the Green and White.
The Eastern Michigan offense looked efficient once again as a 13-play, 75-yard drive led to a Mulder 22-yard field goal to increased the EMU lead to 10 points, 17-7 with 8:21 remaining in the first half.
After the EMU defense forced Western Michigan to punt, the Eastern offense stalled as well. On fourth-and-four from their own 25 yard-line, the Eagles lined up to punt; however, the special teams changed the formation as Sherrer took a direct snap to fake the punt. The Broncos were not fooled as Sherrer was stopped for no gain, giving WMU great field position at the EMU 25-yard line. The very next play, Carder found receiver Justin Collins on a 25-yard hook-up to make it a 17-14 game with 2:48 to go in the second quarter. Following punts by both teams, the Green and White headed to the locker room with a 17-14 advantage.
WMU opened the second half with the ball, driving 46 yards in six plays leading to a 37-yard field goal from Andrew Haldeman. With the Eastern defense holding the Broncos to three points, the game saw its first tie at 17-17 with 13:11 to go in the third quarter.
On the Eagles' first offensive play of the second half, Hill rumbled 24 yards into Western territory to the 44-yard line. Seven plays later, Mulder kicked a career-long 43-yard field goal, his second of the afternoon, to give the lead back to the Green and White at the 9:06 mark in the third quarter.
With the Eastern Michigan defense holding strong and forcing another Broncos punt, the EMU offense drove down the field again. During the drive, Gillett took a snap and completed a pass to Hill down the sideline for 37 yards, setting up first-and-goal from the WMU 9-yard line. Facing third-and-goal, Gillett was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass from Benz, the first touchdown reception of the senior's career, with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter. However, Mulder missed the extra point to keep the score at 26-17.
On the next WMU drive, Marcell Rose (Orlando, Fla.-Cypress Creek) intercepted Carder at the EMU 28-yard line to give the Eagles the ball back and retain a nine point lead heading into the final 15 minutes of the game.
Eastern was forced to punt, giving the ball back to Western. Carder marched his team down the field and, on third-and-goal from the EMU 8-yard line, appeared to have connected on a touchdown pass to Antoin Scriven. However, replays showed that Scriven was down short of the goal line, and the Broncos settled for a 19-yard field goal to make the score 26-20 in favor of Eastern Michigan with 7:59 remaining in the contest.
Looking to hold on to the lead, the EMU offense succeeded, setting up Mulder for a 34-yard field goal with only 2:33 remaining in the game. The nine-play, 52-yard drive drained 5:26 off of the clock, and the three points made it a two possession ballgame 29-20.
Western Michigan did not give up as the Broncos quickly worked their way into the EMU red zone in just over one minute on the game clock. Nonetheless, the Eastern defense forced WMU to settle for yet another field goal. Haldeman's 28-yard field goal, his third of the day, made the score 29-23 with just 49 seconds remaining.
With such little time remaining and only one timeout left, Western Michigan attempted an onside kick. EMU sent out its hands team who completed the job recovering the football. Two plays later from victory formation, the clock ran out to give the Green and White a 29-23 victory.
The Eagles will be back in action at home for the final game of the 2012 season Friday, Nov. 23 against Northern Illinois. It will be Senior Day as EMU will honor its 18 seniors with a pregame ceremony down on the field. Kickoff from Rynearson Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. as ESPN3 will provide the telecast.
Kalamazoo, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Behind a career-high three field goals from Dylan Mulder (Saline, Mich.-Saline) and 142 total yards from Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde), the Eastern Michigan University football team retained the Michigan MAC trophy by downing Western Michigan, 29-23, Saturday afternoon, Nov. 17, at Waldo Stadium.
Gillett ran nine times for 60 yards, caught five passes for 45 yards that included a touchdown grab, and threw a 37-yard pass to lead the Eagles to victory. Tyler Benz (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine Township South) was 13-21 for 137 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Catholic Central) rushed 17 times for 77 yards.
Despite losing the offensive yardage battle 369-443 and giving up 328 passing yards, the EMU defense battled all afternoon to force three WMU field goals and two WMU turnovers in Eastern territory.
The Green and White picked up its first MAC victory of the season, moving to 1-6 in conference play and 2-9 overall. With the loss, Western Michigan ends its season at 4-8 (2-6 MAC).
With the victory, EMU defeated WMU in consecutive seasons for the first time since the Eagles rattled off three straight victories against the Broncos from 1989-1991.
Due to Eastern, Central, and Western all going 1-1 against each other this season, EMU retains the Michigan MAC Trophy for at least another year, the fourth time to be exact which is more than any other school. By defeating both Central Michigan and Western Michigan last season, the Eagles claimed the Michigan MAC Trophy for football.
EMU started off the contest with great field position after Tyler Allen (Lansing, Mich.-Eastern) took the opening kickoff to the EMU 47-yard line. Three straight penalties opened the contest with an Eastern delay-of-game penalty followed by two offside penalties on Western, putting the Eagles in Bronco territory. Benz took advantage of the field position by converting two crucial third downs before it was capped off by a Dominique Sherrer (Cincinnati, Ohio-Colerain) three-yard touchdown run. The 11-play, 53-yard opening drive put the Eagles up 7-0 with 9:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Western Michigan responded by marching quickly down the field going 50 yards in six plays. However, with the Broncos on the EMU 22-yard line, defensive tackle Travis Linser (Glendale, Ariz.-Phoenix NW Christian) forced WMU quarterback Alex Carder to fumble, and free safety Alex Bellfy (Brooklyn, Mich.-Lumen Christi) came up with the recovery.
Following the WMU turnover and a short loss on first down, the Eastern continued to shine as Gillett took a quarterback draw 42 yards down the field. The following play, Benz found Hill for a 19-yard pass completion setting up first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. After WMU held strong on two rushing plays, Benz dropped back to pass, finding Donald Scott (Apoka, Fla.-Apoka) in the middle of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass and reception. The offense marched 64 yards in only six plays to put the Eagles up 14-0 with 3:46 remaining in the opening quarter.
WMU countered the EMU scoring drive with one of its own as the Broncos drove 65 yards in 10 plays taking only 3:51 off of the game clock. On the first play of the second quarter, Carder found WMU wide receiver Blake Hammond in the corner of the end zone from one yard out to make it a 14-7 ballgame in favor of the Green and White.
The Eastern Michigan offense looked efficient once again as a 13-play, 75-yard drive led to a Mulder 22-yard field goal to increased the EMU lead to 10 points, 17-7 with 8:21 remaining in the first half.
After the EMU defense forced Western Michigan to punt, the Eastern offense stalled as well. On fourth-and-four from their own 25 yard-line, the Eagles lined up to punt; however, the special teams changed the formation as Sherrer took a direct snap to fake the punt. The Broncos were not fooled as Sherrer was stopped for no gain, giving WMU great field position at the EMU 25-yard line. The very next play, Carder found receiver Justin Collins on a 25-yard hook-up to make it a 17-14 game with 2:48 to go in the second quarter. Following punts by both teams, the Green and White headed to the locker room with a 17-14 advantage.
WMU opened the second half with the ball, driving 46 yards in six plays leading to a 37-yard field goal from Andrew Haldeman. With the Eastern defense holding the Broncos to three points, the game saw its first tie at 17-17 with 13:11 to go in the third quarter.
On the Eagles' first offensive play of the second half, Hill rumbled 24 yards into Western territory to the 44-yard line. Seven plays later, Mulder kicked a career-long 43-yard field goal, his second of the afternoon, to give the lead back to the Green and White at the 9:06 mark in the third quarter.
With the Eastern Michigan defense holding strong and forcing another Broncos punt, the EMU offense drove down the field again. During the drive, Gillett took a snap and completed a pass to Hill down the sideline for 37 yards, setting up first-and-goal from the WMU 9-yard line. Facing third-and-goal, Gillett was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass from Benz, the first touchdown reception of the senior's career, with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter. However, Mulder missed the extra point to keep the score at 26-17.
On the next WMU drive, Marcell Rose (Orlando, Fla.-Cypress Creek) intercepted Carder at the EMU 28-yard line to give the Eagles the ball back and retain a nine point lead heading into the final 15 minutes of the game.
Eastern was forced to punt, giving the ball back to Western. Carder marched his team down the field and, on third-and-goal from the EMU 8-yard line, appeared to have connected on a touchdown pass to Antoin Scriven. However, replays showed that Scriven was down short of the goal line, and the Broncos settled for a 19-yard field goal to make the score 26-20 in favor of Eastern Michigan with 7:59 remaining in the contest.
Looking to hold on to the lead, the EMU offense succeeded, setting up Mulder for a 34-yard field goal with only 2:33 remaining in the game. The nine-play, 52-yard drive drained 5:26 off of the clock, and the three points made it a two possession ballgame 29-20.
Western Michigan did not give up as the Broncos quickly worked their way into the EMU red zone in just over one minute on the game clock. Nonetheless, the Eastern defense forced WMU to settle for yet another field goal. Haldeman's 28-yard field goal, his third of the day, made the score 29-23 with just 49 seconds remaining.
With such little time remaining and only one timeout left, Western Michigan attempted an onside kick. EMU sent out its hands team who completed the job recovering the football. Two plays later from victory formation, the clock ran out to give the Green and White a 29-23 victory.
The Eagles will be back in action at home for the final game of the 2012 season Friday, Nov. 23 against Northern Illinois. It will be Senior Day as EMU will honor its 18 seniors with a pregame ceremony down on the field. Kickoff from Rynearson Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. as ESPN3 will provide the telecast.
Team Stats
EMU
WMU
Total Yards
369
443
Pass Yards
174
328
Rushing Yards
195
115
Penalty Yards
34
46
1st Downs
20
24
3rd Downs
9
8
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
36:56
23:04
1st Quarter
EMU 7, WMU 0
EMU - SHERRER, D. 3 yd run (MULDER, Dylan kick), 11 plays, 53 yards, TOP 5:38
EMU 14, WMU 0
EMU - SCOTT, Donald 5 yd pass from BENZ, Tyler (MULDER, Dylan kick) 6 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:22
2nd Quarter
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EMU 14, WMU 7
WMU - HAMMOND, Blake 1 yd pass from CARDER, Alex (HALDEMAN, A. kick) 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:51
EMU 17, WMU 7
EMU - MULDER, Dylan 22 yd field goal 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:34
EMU 17, WMU 14
WMU - COLLINS, Justin 25 yd pass from CARDER, Alex (HALDEMAN, A. kick) 1 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:07
3rd Quarter
EMU 17, WMU 17
WMU - HALDEMAN, A. 37 yd field goal 6 plays, 46 yards, TOP 1:49
EMU 20, WMU 17
EMU - MULDER, Dylan 43 yd field goal 8 plays, 43 yards, TOP 4:05
EMU 26, WMU 17
EMU - GILLETT, Alex 8 yd pass from BENZ, Tyler (MULDER, Dylan kickfailed) 11 plays, 67 yards, TOP 5:58
4th Quarter
EMU 26, WMU 20
WMU - HALDEMAN, A. 19 yd field goal 16 plays, 81 yards, TOP 5:41
EMU 29, WMU 20
EMU - MULDER, Dylan 34 yd field goal 9 plays, 52 yards, TOP 5:26
EMU 29, WMU 23
WMU - HALDEMAN, A. 28 yd field goal 10 plays, 78 yards, TOP 1:44
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
13
TD
2
YDS
137
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
37
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
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PK
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