Eastern Michigan Athletics
Remembering Tales from the Gridiron: Week 5
10/1/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
EMU’s Greg Steiner is taking a weekly lookback at top games from the past 20 seasons
Written by Greg Steiner, EMU Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Rather than a massive celebration of Eastern Michigan’s 100th Homecoming this week, we instead count down to the return of football in 34 days. However, the show must go on, and “EMU Homecoming 2020: The Remix” is how it will be accomplished in the year of COVID-19.
There is nothing like being together with fellow Eastern graduates, recounting your fondest memories. Those times will come again, and the University will be ready to welcome you back to campus when it is safe and allowable.
As a graduate of EMU myself, I have plenty of fond homecoming memories and favorite traditions. Nothing beats the buzz that surrounds campus throughout the week with numerous events including the pep rally at University Park. Others may find the tailgating scene more to their liking, unfortunately I would not know as I’m usually in the press box long before the first cars start filling up the parking lots.
Although we are physically distant, this doesn’t mean we have to be "socially distant". Wherever you are in the world, make plans this week to come home virtually and celebrate EMU Homecoming.
EMU’s Homecoming was created in 1920, but the football game was not actually added to the festivities until the 1926 season. EMU has celebrated Homecoming every year since with the exception of 1943 and 1944 during World War II.
For this week’s selection of games, those that love defense will want to skip the four games we look back at. Offense was the name of the game as we look back at a career-day by former Heisman Trophy finalist Joey Harrington’s brother as well as the day EMU ran “Philly Special” before it became famous three years later in Super Bowl LII.
Did I overlook your favorite EMU week five memory? Let me hear about it and you just might find your moment added to the list. To submit a memory, click here and tell me why it was so special.
This will be the 129th year for the EMU football team when it attempts to play in November after initially being postponed due to COVID-19. The first year of intercollegiate football in Ypsilanti was 1891, when the team, then known as the Michigan Normal College Normalites, posted a 0-2 record. EMU has fielded a team every year since 1891 with one exception, when the 1944 season was canceled because of World War II.
Double-Overtime Thriller Against SIU - Sept. 28, 2002 – W2OT, 48-45 vs. Southern Illinois
Eastern Michigan rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, where it eventually beat Southern Illinois, 48-45, in a wild game that featured 1,139 yards of total offense.
Southern Illinois appeared to have the game in hand when quarterback Joel Sambursky scored the second of his three touchdowns on an 11-yard run to put the Salukis up 35-21 late in the third quarter.
However, Eastern Michigan scored on a 47-yard pass from Troy Edwards to Kevin Walter with 6:25 to go in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 35-28.
The Eagles then forced Southern to punt and got the ball back at their own 15 with 2:33 remaining. Faced with 4th-and-10 at their own 15, EMU had no choice but to go for it on fourth down, and Chris Talley moved the chains as he caught a 13-yard pass from Edwards that was deflected by a Saluki defender.
On the next play, Edwards completed a 62-yard pass to Walter to put the ball at the Saluki 10.Two plays later, Eastern scored on a five-yard run by Ime Akpan to tie the game.
Southern got the ball back with 1:18 left and no timeouts and had a chance to win the game in regulation. Running back Muhammad Abdulqaadir ripped off gains of 12 and 14 yards, and Sambursky rushed for 10 yards to advance the ball to the EMU 30 with 20 seconds remaining.
Abdulqaadir was then dropped for a three-yard loss and the clock almost expired. As Abdulqaadir got up, the ball was knocked away from the official, and Sambursky retrieved it and hurriedly lined up his team. He spiked the ball with one-second left, however Southern was flagged for illegal procedure, moving the ball back to the 38.
Scott Everhart's 55-yard field goal attempt came up just shy, and the game went into overtime.
In OT, Eastern got on the board first with a 23-yard pass from Edwards to Kevin Zurecki to take a 42-35 lead.
However, SIU would not buckle, responding with a nine-yard touchdown run by Sambursky to tie the game at 42-42. The Salukis' drive included a key fourth down conversion in which Sambursky hit Kellen Allen with a 13-yard pass on 4th-and-9.
Southern had the ball first in the second overtime and could not get a first down. However, Everhart connected on a 41-yard field goal to give the Salukis a momentary 45-42 lead.
Eastern, aided by a pass interference penalty in the endzone on SIU, scored from two yards out on a run by Akpan to win the game, 48-45.
The Salukis lost despite a phenomenal effort by Abdulqaadir, who carried 43 times for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He finished eight yards shy of the school's single-game rushing record. Sambursky added 129 yards rushing.
Postgame, then-SIU Head Coach Jerry Kill said "We'll linger on it all night long and on the plane flight home, and it'll hurt like heck tomorrow. We'll look at the film and see all the things we didn't do to win the game. It's going to hurt, and like I told the team, it should hurt. Losing hurts."
EMU Comes Up Short in a Shootout Against Idaho - Oct. 2, 2004 – L, 41-45 vs. Idaho
Idaho, which fell behind by two touchdowns early at Rynearson Stadium, rallied for a two TD lead and finally thwarted a last ditch Eastern Michigan effort for the 45-41 non-conference victory.
Idaho quarterback Michael Harrington had his best outing as a collegian with his brother and then-Detroit Lions star Joey Harrington watching on from the press box.
Less than five minutes into the game, the Vandals trailed 14-0 after a length-of-the-field drive on the Eagles' first possession and then on a short-field possession set up by a fumble off of the kickoff return.
The Vandals responded with three-successive scores to grab the lead and the oh-so-precious psyche boost.
The Eagles came back to tie the game but the Vandals were settling into a rhythm that led to Harrington completing 77.8 percent of his passes - 12 to the sure-handed Bernal-Wood - and running back Jayson Bird churning his way to a 125-yard rushing game.
The Vandals added to that and built a 35-21 halftime edge on Bird's 34-yard run with 3:13 to go in the second.
EMU countered with two TDs and one field goal to tie the game at 38-all with 1:46 to go in the third quarter.
The Eagles regained the lead four seconds into the fourth when Andrew Wellock connected on a 36-yard field goal.
Rolly Lumbala, who like Bird scored three times, surged through the line from the one with 8:57 left in the game for what would be the final score - albeit not the final dramatics - of the game.
EMU was driving on its final possession of the game but an incomplete pass on fourth-down-and-seven at the UI 27 ended their hopes and ignited the celebration on the UI sideline.
Valiant Effort on the Bayou Against #9/8 LSU - Oct. 3, 2015 – L, 22-44 at #9/8 LSU
Despite a valiant effort put forth, the Eagles fell 44-22 to the No. 9/8 ranked LSU Tigers in non-conference action at Tiger Stadium, Oct. 3. EMU held tough throughout the game despite entering it as major underdogs. The Eagles only trailed by six points at the half and by eight to start of the fourth quarter.
Both the offense and defense put forth notable performances against the dynamic offense and defense of the Tigers.
The EMU offense finished with 255 yards on the day, including 161 through the air and 94 on the ground. They controlled the tempo all-day, with the 31:31 to 28:29 advantage in the time of possession battle. They were also efficient in the red zone once again, converting all three opportunities. The defense matched the physicality of the Tigers, and were constantly in the backfield all game, finishing with five tackles for loss and two sacks. The Green and White were especially physical in the passing game, as they held the Tigers to just 80 yards through the air and broke up three passes.
"The heart and passion we played with, I'll take that every day," Head Coach Chris Creighton said. "I just told my guys in the locker room that I'm proud of them, and I really am. It's sometimes hard to say after a loss."
Meanwhile, LSU's running back Leonard Fournette was most expressive postgame when discussing his disappointment over how difficult it was for LSU, a six-touchdown favorite, to put the Eagles away.
"We took them lightly because of their record, because they never did anything," Fournette said. "That's on the leaders. That is our fault. We didn't stop the laughing that was going on in practice, so we have to pick it up this week."
The Tigers scored on their first two possessions of the game to jump out to a quick 14-0 lead. They would take the lead into the second quarter, but the Eagles would begin to rally.
On the drive following the second touchdown, the Eagles pieced together a promising drive before they were halted by an LSU interception. LSU would not capitalize on the turnover as the EMU defense forced a three and out, highlighted by the sack by Deion Dawson.
The Green and White would continue to control the second quarter however, as on a burgeoning LSU drive, it held the Tigers to a field goal after a nice pass breakup in the end zone by Juan Giraldo. Following a field goal, LSU took a 17-0 lead.
Then the Eagle offense came to life. The Green and White would put together an eight play, 58-yard drive to get on the board. The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard pass to Sam Browning to put EMU in the red zone. The drive was finished off by running back Shaq Vann on a six-yard rush to the outside. It was the Eagles' first rushing touchdown against an SEC opponent since 2009.
The Eagles were not done yet, as on the ensuing LSU drive, the defense got in on the action when on a sack opportunity, the ball was popped in the air and picked-off by defensive end Luke Maclean, who returned it 13-yards to the LSU three yard-line. It was the first turnover committed by the Tigers on the 2015 season.
The Eagles capitalized quickly on the excellent field position as two plays later, Jackson piled his way into the end zone and cut the Tiger lead to 17-14.
The Tigers responded before the half with a field goal and took the 20-14 lead into halftime.
LSU jump started the second half as on the first play from scrimmage, they scored on a 75-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead, 27-14.
The Eagles continued to battle after the long score, holding the Tigers to only one more field goal in the third quarter before embarking on another impressive scoring drive.
Highlighted by long plays on a 33-yard screen pass to Vann, as well as a 13-yard pass to Cody Tuttle, the Eagles capitalized on a 12-yard touchdown pass to senior Dustin Creel. The Eagles went for two on the point after touchdown and were successful on a trick play where Eddie Daugherty threw a strike to Roback to cut the lead to 30-22 just before the fourth quarter. The play would later become known as “Philly Special” when Philadelphia Eagles players Corey Clement, Trey Burton and Nick Foles pulled off the trick play on fourth-down-and-goal toward the end of the second quarter of Super Bowl LII, Feb. 4, 2018.
The Tigers attack proved to be too much for the Eagles in the fourth quarter as they pulled away with a pair of touchdowns including one on a pick six, to complete the 22-point victory.
EMU Knocks Off Defending MAC Champion BGSU - Oct. 1, 2016 – W, 28-25 at Bowling Green
Eastern Michigan rattled off its third consecutive win with a 28-25 victory over Bowling Green to open Mid-American Conference play 1-0. EMU defeated the defending MAC champion Falcons for the first time since 2008 and moved to 4-1 for the first time since 1995.
It was a tale of two halves, as both teams combined for 14 points in the first and 39 in the second. It was also that way for the EMU quarterbacks, as junior Todd Porter led the offense in the first, while redshirt junior Brogan Roback guided the offense in the second frame.
Porter finished the game with 107 yards on 11 completions, while Roback finished with just under the century mark (91), but had three key touchdown passes. It was Roback's first three-touchdown performance since Sept. 12, 2015, against Wyoming.
As a whole offense, EMU had 474 total yards, including 212 on the ground and 262 through the air. Leading the ground assault Breck Turner, who paced the Eagles with a career-high 107 yards on 17 carries. In addition to breaking the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career, Turner scored his second touchdown as an Eagle. Splitting carries with Turner, Ian Eriksen added 69 yards on 20 rushes.
Jake Suder drilled a 32-yard field goal for Bowling Green which broke a 7-7 tie midway through the third. However the Eagles seized control from there, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives to take a two-possession lead. Roback found Isaac Holder from 8-yards out for the first score, followed by a 7-yard TD pass to Nigel Kilby.
A Fred Coppet 2-yard touchdown run for the Falcons cut the deficit to 28-25 late, but a 10-play Eagles' drive killed the clock.
Steiner’s Week 5 Slate of Games
Oct. 5, 2019 – L, 16-42 at Central Michigan
Sept. 29, 2018 – LOT, 23-26 vs. Northern Illinois
Oct. 7, 2017 – L, 15-20 at Toledo
Oct. 1, 2016 – W, 28-25 at Bowling Green
Oct. 3, 2015 – L, 22-44 at #9/8 LSU
Oct. 4, 2014 – L, 6-31 at Akron
Oct. 5, 2013 – L, 14-42 at Buffalo
Oct. 6, 2012 – L, 14-41 vs. Kent State
Oct. 1, 2011 – W, 31-23 vs. Akron
Oct. 2, 2010 – L, 17-30 vs. Ohio
Oct. 10, 2009 – L, 8-56 at Central Michigan
Sept. 27, 2008 – L, 0-37 vs. Northern Illinois
Sept. 29, 2007 – L, 7-30 at Vanderbilt
Sept. 30, 2006 – L, 14-33 at Louisiana
Oct. 1, 2005 – W, 27-20 vs. Kent State
Oct. 2, 2004 – L, 41-45 vs. Idaho
Sept. 27, 2003 – L, 13-37 vs. Maryland
Sept. 28, 2002 – W2OT, 48-45 vs. Southern Illinois
Oct. 6, 2001 – L, 0-19 at Connecticut
Sept. 30, 2000 – L, 10-31 vs. UCF
Oct. 9, 1999 – LOT, 37-40 vs. Western Michigan
Greg Steiner is in his 19th year with the Eastern Michigan University Athletic Media Relations Office and his fifth as the Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations. From Dec. 2004 until Oct. 2012, he was the office’s assistant director before serving as the assistant athletic director from 2012-16. He serves as the primary contact for the football and golf teams, while aiding in game-day help with nearly all 19 sports.
Steiner also oversees the EMU-ESPN initiative and production unit, in which EMU students receive valuable hands-on experience working with professional equipment and producing content for a national audience on ESPN3/ESPN+. Since its launch in 2015, EMU has produced 185 games for ESPN to go along with dozens more in-house productions.
Favorite Eastern Memories
This will be the 129th year for the EMU football team when it attempts to play in the spring following the fall postponement due to COVID-19. The first year of intercollegiate football in Ypsilanti was 1891, when the team, then known as the Michigan Normal College Normalites, posted an 0-2 record. EMU has fielded a team every year since 1891 with one exception, when the 1944 season was canceled because of World War II.
