Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 27
Rynearson Stadium
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-5 , 2-3
22
vs
37
Army West Point
6-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Army
3
13
7
14
37
Eastern Michigan
0
0
14
8
22
Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Second Half Comeback Not Enough as Football Falls to Army
10/27/2018 3:49:00 PM | Football
The Eagles posted 22 points in the second half but it was not enough to push past the Black Knights
Photo Gallery | Postgame Audio
Game Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University football team dropped its 2018 Homecoming clash with Army West Point Saturday, Oct. 27, in non-conference action inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium. EMU trailed by 16 points at the half, but battled back within two before falling, 37-22.
Overall, the Black Knights (6-2), the nation's leader in time of possession, held the ball for nearly 46 minutes of game time to limit EMU's (4-5, 2-3 MAC) offense to just nine drives on the afternoon.
Defensively, four Eagles racked up double-digit tackles. Senior Kyle Rachwal (Lapeer, Mich.-Lapeer East) led the way with a game-high 14 stops, including the 300th of his career. Fellow senior Jeremiah Harris (Lambertville, Mich.-Bedford Senior) added a dozen, while senior Tyler LaBarbera (Elk Grove Village, Ill.-James B. Conant-DuPage) and junior Maxx Crosby (Colleyville, Texas-Colleyville Heritage) chipped in 11 and 10, respectively. All three defenders posted career-bests.
After being shutout in the first half, graduate transfer quarterback Tyler Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich.-Detroit Country Day-Iowa) paced Eastern's pass-heavy offense after the intermission. He racked up 201 yards through the air, while completing 19-of-29 attempts. Wiegers founded senior Blake Banham (St. Paul, Minn.-Cretin-Derham Hall) for a 58-yard TD strike as part of a 104-yard receiving day, while junior Mathew Sexton (Clinton, Mich.-Clinton) hauled in Wiegers' other touchdown toss. On the ground, Banham added a one-yard rush for a score.
Army's offense was led by quarterback Kevin Hopkins Jr., who tallied 231 of Army's 415 total yards of offense. He was 7-for-8 for 126 yards and two score through the air to go along with 105 yards on the ground. He returned after missing last week's double-overtime win against Miami (Ohio) with a hip injury. Darnell Woolfolk had a nine-yard touchdown run in the game's final minute to finish with 89 yards on 24 carries.
A slow offensive start kept the Eagles from scoring in the first half, however, Eastern's defense kept them in the game. The nation's seventh-best redzone defense held the Black Knights to just three field goals and a touchdown in the first half. A big stop from juniors Crosby and Ty Eddington (Bakersfield, Calif.-East) held Army on its first offensive series of the matchup to a 23-yard field goal, while Harris' quarterback hurry stopped the Black Knights' touchdown hopes on their second try down the field. Army added an additional field goal and touchdown before the end of the first half to make it 16-0 at the break.
An electrified offense defined the third quarter for the Eagles, as they added two scores within the first six minutes of the period. The defense kicked the half off strong, forcing Army to its first offensive three-and-out series of the day. On the following EMU drive, the offense used the great field position given to them from a bad Army punt for its first touchdown of the game. The Green and White elected to go for two points after the score, converting on receiver Isaac Holder's (Tampa, Fla-Sickles) pass to Wiegers to cut Army's lead in half, 16-8.
After another three-and-out drive by the Black Knights, a 58-yard dart from Wiegers to Banham cut Eastern's deficit to just two points, 16-14. Eastern once again elected to go for two points, but failed to convert.
Army responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive down the length of the gridiron, capped off by a 26-yard catch by Jordan Ashberry, to up its lead to 23-14. EMU's next offensive drive ended with a fumble turnover, and the Black Knights used the turnover to take 6:49 off the clock and add seven more ticks to the board. With 11:26 left in the game, Army led 30-14.
The Eagles made one more scoring drive down the field, capped off by Banham's one-yard rush for a score, as well as adding a two point conversion catch, bringing the score to 30-22. Army came right back down the field, eating up almost seven minutes of time on a 12-play, 84-yard drive to boost its lead back to 15, 37-22.
The Eagles continue their three-game homestand next Saturday, Nov. 3, taking on in-state rival Central Michigan University in a Mid-American Conference -bout. The Chippewas and Eagles will meet for the 96th time in program history. The tilt is set to start at 12 p.m. at "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium.
Game Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University football team dropped its 2018 Homecoming clash with Army West Point Saturday, Oct. 27, in non-conference action inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium. EMU trailed by 16 points at the half, but battled back within two before falling, 37-22.
Overall, the Black Knights (6-2), the nation's leader in time of possession, held the ball for nearly 46 minutes of game time to limit EMU's (4-5, 2-3 MAC) offense to just nine drives on the afternoon.
Defensively, four Eagles racked up double-digit tackles. Senior Kyle Rachwal (Lapeer, Mich.-Lapeer East) led the way with a game-high 14 stops, including the 300th of his career. Fellow senior Jeremiah Harris (Lambertville, Mich.-Bedford Senior) added a dozen, while senior Tyler LaBarbera (Elk Grove Village, Ill.-James B. Conant-DuPage) and junior Maxx Crosby (Colleyville, Texas-Colleyville Heritage) chipped in 11 and 10, respectively. All three defenders posted career-bests.
After being shutout in the first half, graduate transfer quarterback Tyler Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich.-Detroit Country Day-Iowa) paced Eastern's pass-heavy offense after the intermission. He racked up 201 yards through the air, while completing 19-of-29 attempts. Wiegers founded senior Blake Banham (St. Paul, Minn.-Cretin-Derham Hall) for a 58-yard TD strike as part of a 104-yard receiving day, while junior Mathew Sexton (Clinton, Mich.-Clinton) hauled in Wiegers' other touchdown toss. On the ground, Banham added a one-yard rush for a score.
Army's offense was led by quarterback Kevin Hopkins Jr., who tallied 231 of Army's 415 total yards of offense. He was 7-for-8 for 126 yards and two score through the air to go along with 105 yards on the ground. He returned after missing last week's double-overtime win against Miami (Ohio) with a hip injury. Darnell Woolfolk had a nine-yard touchdown run in the game's final minute to finish with 89 yards on 24 carries.
A slow offensive start kept the Eagles from scoring in the first half, however, Eastern's defense kept them in the game. The nation's seventh-best redzone defense held the Black Knights to just three field goals and a touchdown in the first half. A big stop from juniors Crosby and Ty Eddington (Bakersfield, Calif.-East) held Army on its first offensive series of the matchup to a 23-yard field goal, while Harris' quarterback hurry stopped the Black Knights' touchdown hopes on their second try down the field. Army added an additional field goal and touchdown before the end of the first half to make it 16-0 at the break.
An electrified offense defined the third quarter for the Eagles, as they added two scores within the first six minutes of the period. The defense kicked the half off strong, forcing Army to its first offensive three-and-out series of the day. On the following EMU drive, the offense used the great field position given to them from a bad Army punt for its first touchdown of the game. The Green and White elected to go for two points after the score, converting on receiver Isaac Holder's (Tampa, Fla-Sickles) pass to Wiegers to cut Army's lead in half, 16-8.
After another three-and-out drive by the Black Knights, a 58-yard dart from Wiegers to Banham cut Eastern's deficit to just two points, 16-14. Eastern once again elected to go for two points, but failed to convert.
Army responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive down the length of the gridiron, capped off by a 26-yard catch by Jordan Ashberry, to up its lead to 23-14. EMU's next offensive drive ended with a fumble turnover, and the Black Knights used the turnover to take 6:49 off the clock and add seven more ticks to the board. With 11:26 left in the game, Army led 30-14.
The Eagles made one more scoring drive down the field, capped off by Banham's one-yard rush for a score, as well as adding a two point conversion catch, bringing the score to 30-22. Army came right back down the field, eating up almost seven minutes of time on a 12-play, 84-yard drive to boost its lead back to 15, 37-22.
The Eagles continue their three-game homestand next Saturday, Nov. 3, taking on in-state rival Central Michigan University in a Mid-American Conference -bout. The Chippewas and Eagles will meet for the 96th time in program history. The tilt is set to start at 12 p.m. at "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium.
Team Stats
ARMY
EMU
Total Yards
415
235
Pass Yards
126
201
Rushing Yards
289
34
Penalty Yards
25
75
1st Downs
27
10
3rd Downs
10
1
4th Downs
4
1
TOP
45:42
14:18
1st Quarter
ARMY 3, EMU 0
ARMY - Abercrombie, J. 24 yd field goal 19 plays, 64 yards, TOP 10:28
2nd Quarter
ARMY 6, EMU 0
ARMY - Abercrombie, J. 23 yd field goal 12 plays, 74 yards, TOP 6:43
ARMY 9, EMU 0
ARMY - Abercrombie, J. 27 yd field goal 8 plays, 48 yards, TOP 4:40
ARMY 16, EMU 0
ARMY - Asberry, Jordan 3 yd run (Abercrombie, J. kick), 5 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:17
3rd Quarter
ARMY 16, EMU 8
EMU - SEXTON, Mathew 4 yd pass from WIEGERS, Tyler (WIEGERS, Tyler pass) 6 plays, 46 yards, TOP 1:44
ARMY 16, EMU 14
EMU - BANHAM, Blake 58 yd pass from WIEGERS, Tyler (WIEGERS, Tyler passfailed) 3 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:20
ARMY 23, EMU 14
ARMY - Asberry, Jordan 26 yd pass from Hopkins Jr., K. (Abercrombie, J. kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:20
4th Quarter
ARMY 30, EMU 14
ARMY - Walker, Kell 2 yd pass from Hopkins Jr., K. (Abercrombie, J. kick) 11 plays, 43 yards, TOP 6:49
ARMY 30, EMU 22
EMU - BANHAM, Blake 1 yd run (BANHAM, Blake pass), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:23
ARMY 37, EMU 22
ARMY - Woolfolk, D. 9 yd run (Abercrombie, J. kick), 12 plays, 84 yards, TOP 6:18
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
19
TD
2
YDS
201
INT
0
Players Mentioned
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