Eastern Michigan Athletics
Remembering Tales from the Gridiron: Week 4
9/24/2020 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) – Luck - either you have it or you don’t.
Lucille Ball once said “I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work - and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't.”
For this week’s Tales from the Gridiron, I take a look at three games that saw Eastern Michigan use some luck to pull off a win and another that saw an opportunity just slip away.
Over time, I've come to realize that the football comes down to six basic things: explosiveness, efficiency, field position, finishing drives, turnovers, and the one thing you cannot control with a pointy ball - luck.
You want to be efficient when you've got the ball, you want to eat up chunks of yardage with big plays, you want to score, and you want to make your opponent have to go as far as possible. Even if you do all of those things right, sometimes the ball needs to bounce your way in a game to come out on top.
Did I overlook your favorite EMU week four 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 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 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.
Wellock’s Gives EMU a Leg Up Over CMU In Overtime - Sept. 24, 2005 – WOT, 23-20 at Central Michigan
Andrew Wellock's 36-yard field goal in overtime lifted Eastern Michigan to a 23-20 win over Central Michigan at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Wellock kicked three field goals in the final 8:40 and overtime to rally the Eagles from a 20-14 deficit.
After the EMU defense held on a fourth-and-two from the 22-yard line with 4:09 remaining, the offense marched 76 yards in 19 plays to set up a Wellock 19-yarder as time expired. Matt Bohnet extended the drive three times for EMU, converting a third and fourth down rushing and hitting Travis Lewis on a third-and-10 from the EMU 45.
The Chippewas had the ball first in overtime, but a sack of Kent Smith and a fumble forced CMU into a fourth-and-27. An incompletion ended the possession.
Following a first down incompletion, Bohnet hit Trumaine Riley for seven yards and Wellock came on to kick the game-winner on third down.
The overtime contest continued a trend of tightly contested games between EMU and CMU. In total, 11 of the past 16 meetings has either been decided by seven points-or-less or gone to overtime. The two teams had gone to overtime each of the past two seasons, with EMU claiming a 61-58, four-overtime win at Ford Field in Detroit a year earlier.
A pair of highly-touted offenses struggled out of the gate, as Rick Albreski's 35-yard field goal represented the only points of the first quarter and gave CMU a 3-0 lead.
Kent Smith scored on a one-yard run to cap an 11-play, 68-yard drive early in the second quarter. Just 3:31 later, Bohnet threw the first of two scoring toss to A.J. Bennett, a 12-yarder to get EMU on the board.
An Albreski 36-yard field goal extended the Chippewa lead to 13-7 with 4:26 left in the half, but Bohnet hit Bennett from nine yards with 1:56 remaining to send EMU into the locker room up 14-13.
After the Eagle defense stopped CMU on a fourth-and-eight, Bohnet hit Lewis for 44 yards on fourth-and-eight to set the Eagles up at the three-yard line with 1.2 seconds left. EMU rushed Wellock onto the field, but could not snap the ball before time expired.
Ontario Sneed scored on third down from the one-yard line to put CMU in front, 20-14, midway through the third, but Wellock's three field goals down the stretch rallied the Eagles.
For EMU, Bohnet was 36-for-56 for 380 yards and two scores. He hit Eric Deslauriers 10 times for 135 yards.
Eriksen’s TD Scamper Pushes Eastern Past Wyoming - Sept. 23, 2016 – W, 27-24 vs. Wyoming
Protesters gathered near an end zone and marched on the field after Eastern Michigan's 27-24 victory over Wyoming, three days after racial graffiti was found spray painted on a campus building.
The students sat peacefully and talked to EMU President James Smith late in the third quarter. They moved outside the end zone area in the closing moments before walking onto the field chanting, "No justice! No peace!" A Wyoming player joined them for a few moments.
EMU’s Chris Creighton said the protesters didn't seem "aggressive" but were just "inching closer" near the end of the game. He spoke with the referees, and they told him they trusted security to handle the crowd.
Creighton and the Eagles walked onto the field linking arms Friday after meeting Thursday night to discuss "the things that are going on in our country and on our campus.
"And it was a very positive, very deep, very meaningful, respect-filled conversation among our team," he said. "I was super proud of the dialogue we had."
Eastern rallied to win, taking the lead on Ian Eriksen's 15-yard run with 1:35 left.
Brogan Roback, last year's starting quarterback, guided the winning four-play, 47-yard drive in his first action after being suspended for the start of the season. Eriksen, who had 120 yards on 27 carries, scored untouched on a draw play.
Wyoming held the lead most of the game, opening the scoring when Marcus Epps intercepted Todd Porter's pass and returned it 66 yards midway through the first quarter. The Cowboys took a 24-20 lead with 12:45 to go when Logan Wilson returned Porter's interception 27 yards.
After the Cowboys built a 17-3 lead, the Eagles, off to their best start since going 3-1 in 1995, tied it at 17 by the half. Breck Turner went 50 yards for his first career score, and Porter found John Niupalau for a 7-yard score 18 seconds before intermission.
Jeremiah Harris also blocked a Wyoming field goal attempt in the final minute of the third quarter.
Late-Night Heroics Not Enough in San Diego - Sept. 22, 2018 – LOT, 20-23 at San Diego State
John Baron made three field goals, including the winning 38-yarder in overtime, to help San Diego State beat Eastern Michigan 23-20, at SDCCU Stadium
Baron made a 50-yard field goal to make it 20-all with 1:16 left in regulation and, after Darren Hall picked off a pass from Eastern Michigan's Mike Glass on the second play of overtime, hit a 38-yarder to clinch it. His 34-yard kick opened the scoring in the first quarter.
In his postgame interview Head Coach Chris Creighton said “There's bitter disappointment in our locker room right now. I asked our guys to bring energy tonight and I asked them to play very physical and to do that for three and a half hours and I believe our guys did. We came up short."
Meanwhile, in the opposing press conference, SDSU’s Head Coach Rocky Long’s thoughts on the win was simply “uh, we won.”
Glass scored on a 2-yard run late in the first half and then hit Arthur Jackson for a 37-yard touchdown before Chad Ryland's 24-yard field goal with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter gave EMU (2-2) its first lead. On the first play of San Diego State's ensuing drive, Agnew hit Ethan Dedeaux for an 11-yard gain near midfield and, two plays later, a pass interference penalty moved the Aztecs into Eagles territory, setting up Baron's tying kick.
Glass was 9-of-16 passing for 153 yards and a touchdown with one interception and Tyler Wiegers, a graduate transfer from Iowa, was 8-of-11 for 83 yards for EMU.
Sexton Saves the Day With Blocked Punt in Closing Seconds - Sept. 21, 2019 – W, 34-29 vs. Central Connecticut State
Eastern Michigan appeared to be down and out on in the closing moments against Central Connecticut State inside Rynearson Stadium.
Fresh off a win against Illinois a week earlier, Eastern was trailing 29-28 with less than 30 seconds left in the game. It looked like EMU was in store for a disappointing loss.
Then, though, came wide receiver Mathew Sexton to the rescue.
After EMU forced a fourth down, CCSU went to punt it away with just 18 seconds left in the game. Sexton, who was lined up on the outside edge, burst into the backfield completely untouched with a perfect line to Central Connecticut State’s punter.
With nobody there to stop him, Sexton blocked the punt. He then scooped the ball up with ease and ran it 30 yards into the end zone, sending Eastern Michigan to an improbable 34-29 win.
"It's adversity. Without adversity, it (EMU) doesn't make a great team," said Sexton, adding "It comes down to execution."
Mike Glass III passed for 279 yards and four touchdowns for the Eagles. A lightning strike in the area delayed the game for 47 minutes after Glass threw his fourth TD pass to make it 28-15 early in the fourth quarter.
When play resumed, the Blue Devils (3-1) drove 75 yards to cut the deficit to six on Keonte Lucas' 1-yard run. Central Connecticut then took a 29-28 lead with 2:05 to go on Aaron Winchester's 68-yard TD pass to Tyshaun James.
The Blue Devils retook possession when Tre Jones intercepted Glass' pass with 1:23 left, but the Eastern Michigan defense forced a three-and-out to set up Sexton's big play.
Steiner’s Week 4 Slate of Games
Sept. 21, 2019 – W, 34-29 vs. Central Connecticut State
Sept. 22, 2018 – LOT, 20-23 at San Diego State
Sept. 30, 2017 – L, 20-24 at Kentucky
Sept. 23, 2016 – W, 27-24 vs. Wyoming
Sept. 26, 2015 – L, 36-58 vs. Army
Sept. 20, 2014 – L 14-73 at #11 Michigan State
Sept. 21, 2013 – L, 20-51 vs. Ball State
Sept. 22, 2012 – L, 7-23 at Michigan State
Sept. 24, 2011 – L, 6-34 at Penn State
Sept. 25, 2010 – L, 20-72 at Ohio State
Oct. 3, 2009 – L, 12-24 vs. Temple
Sept. 20, 2008 – L, 24-51 at Maryland
Sept. 22, 2007 – W, 38-15 vs. Howard
Sept. 23, 2006 – L, 17-24 vs. Central Michigan
Sept. 24, 2005 – WOT, 23-20 at Central Michigan
Sept. 25, 2004 – L, 28-31 vs. Eastern Illinois
Sept. 20, 2003 – L, 7-39 at Navy
Sept. 21, 2002 – L, 3-45 at Maryland
Sept. 29, 2001 – L, 10-31 vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 23, 2000 – L, 40-49 at Temple
Oct. 2, 1999 – L, 10-45 at Louisville
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 18 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.
