Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
5-3 , 2-2
Bowling Green
2-6 , 0-4
Football Dominates All Three Phases in 55-24 Rout of Bowling Green
10/23/2021 3:53:00 PM | Football
A season-high seven different players scored touchdowns for EMU
Photo Gallery | Video Highlights
Postgame Audio: Creighton. Dooley. Getzinger. Oakes.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- Seven different players reached the end zone as the Eastern Michigan University football team routed Mid-American Conference East Division opponent, Bowling Green State University, 55-24, Saturday afternoon, Oct. 23, at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
The Eagles improved to 5-3 on the year and 2-2 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Falcons fell to 2-6 and 0-4.
Senior quarterback Ben Bryant (La Grange, Ill.-Lyons Twp. (Cincinnati)) led Eastern Michigan's passing attack with 286 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns without throwing an interception. The signal caller also added one touchdown on the ground.
Sophomore running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge (Iowa)) paced the Eagles rushing attack by accumulating 42 yards over the course of the game, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Fellow underclassman Darius Boone Jr. (Tulsa, Okla.-Union) also added 37 yards and one touchdown on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Junior tight end Gunnar Oakes (Swanton, Ohio-Swanton) pulled in four catches for 79 yards and one score. Meanwhile, junior wideout Dylan Drummond (Cleveland, Ohio-Cuyahoga Heights) made his presence felt in the passing game, recording six receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles also added 56 yards receiving and one touchdown from senior tight end Bryson Cannon (Columbia, S.C.-Dutch Fork (Independence)) in the game.
Junior safety Russell Vaden (Louisville, Ky.-Moore) showed out for the Eastern Michigan defense, collecting one interception. Sophomore Robert Daniel Jr. (Oak Park, Mich.-Oak Park) added four tackles and one recovered fumble and fellow sophomore Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale (Riverside City)) had 1.0 TFL, one sack, and two pass breakups in the win.
The Eagles won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing two turnovers while losing the ball up one time, with Eastern Michigan turning those takeaways into seven points. Eastern Michigan converted on 58.3 percent of third-down attempts on the day.
Defensively, Eastern Michigan held up well against the Bowling Green rushing attack, holding the Falcons to 130 yards on the ground.
Eastern Michigan took care of business in the red zone, scoring five times on five trips inside Bowling Green's 20-yard line, picking up touchdowns on four of those trips.
Eastern Michigan put points on the board on eight different occasions on their way to scoring 55 points. The Eagles got on the board first, taking a 7-3 lead with 14:16 left in the second quarter. Bryant hit Cannon for a 31-yard touchdown reception to finish off a six-play, 80-yard drive.
After Bowling Green rallied to take the lead, Eastern Michigan got back on top with a touchdown to take control for good at 14-10 with 6:07 left in the second quarter. Bryant carried it for a one-yard touchdown run to end an eight-play, 61-yard drive. The Eagles then rode that lead to victory, increasing their advantage by 27 points along the way.
» Eastern Michigan outgained Bowling Green 455-374, including a 325-244 advantage through the air.
» Eastern Michigan won the turnover battle 2-1 after intercepting one pass and recovering one fumble.
» Eastern Michigan converted 7-of-12 third downs while Bowling Green was successful on 6-of -14.
» Eastern Michigan went 1-for-2 on fourth down, converting on 50 percent of attempts.
» Eastern Michigan won the time of possession battle 31:29 to 28:31.
» Bryant completed 76.9% of his passes on the day, going 20-for-26 while averaging 11 yards per attempt.
» With his 31-yard touchdown reception with 14:16 remaining in the second quarter, Cannon recorded his third score of the season, a new career-high
» Cannon was the target in EMU's very next offensive play following his touchdown. This time, Bryant found him on a 25-yard strike, a catch which put Cannon at 225 yards receiving for the season, a new career-high.
» Bryant's one-yard touchdown run with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter was his second of the season, and first since he exploded on a 39-yard TD sprint against Texas State, Sept. 25.
» The EMU offense put up a season-best 24 single-quarter points in the second frame of today's contest.
» Bryant completed 76.9% (20-of-26) of his passes against the Falcons. That number is a new EMU-career-high for Byrant.
» Oakes recorded his first touchdown of the season when Bryant found him on a 37-dart early in the third quarter. The reception marks Oakes' first score in better than three calendar years; prior to the game, his last score came on Oct. 6, 2018, against Western Michigan. The 37-yard catch is the third-longest of his career.
» Oakes recorded a career-high four catches for a career-high 79 yards against the Falcons. His previous high in receptions and yards (3, for 48) came in a game against Toledo, Oct. 26, 2019.
» Vaden recorded his second interception of the season when he picked off BGSU's quarterback during the Falcon's first possession of the second half.
» Evans rushed for a season-best 42 yards on eight attempts against the Falcons. His effort also included a season-best 19 yard burst.
» In addition to his strong game rushing, Evans also showed his passing ability against BGSU. In addition to his 2-for-2 effort in the game (both on deception plays), he was able to record his first-ever passing touchdown when he hit Drummond on a 16-yard strike in the third quarter. In doing so, he became the first non-quarterback to throw for a TD for EMU since Drummond himself did it against Texas State, Sept. 25.
» Freshman running back Bryson Moss (Newnan, Ga.-Newnan) put up a career-best 15 yards rushing on seven attempts for the Green and White against BGSU.
» Boone scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. That number is second on the team, one behind Evans (7).
» Drummond recorded his team-leading fourth receiving touchdown in the game.
Historical Notes
» EMU's 55 points are the most it has ever scored against Bowling Green. EMU's previous best against the Falcons came more than a century ago, when it scored 45 against BG, Oct. 12, 1920.
» EMU scored 20+ points in back-to-back quarters (24- 2nd, 23 – 3rd) in today's game, something it has never accomplished in the modern statistical era (1999-Pres.). Prior to the contest against BGSU, EMU had not scored 20+ in two quarters in a game since 2016, when it did so against Mississippi Valley State (21- 1st, 26- 3rd), Sept. 2.
» Eastern's 31-point margin of victory is the most for the team over a MAC opponent since it defeated Northern Illinois by a margin of 28 points, 45-17, in the 2019 contest between the two teams, Nov. 19. The 31-point margin is the second-largest against a fellow MAC school under eighth-year Head Coach Chris Creighton (42 vs. Ball State, Nov. 2, 2017)
» Freshman tight end Jere Getzinger Jr. (West Branch, Mich.-Ogemaw Heights) became the first EMU player to block a punt since Sept. 21, 2019 when he did so with 3:35 left in the second quarter against the Falcons. His teammate and fellow freshman, David Carter Jr. (Ecorse Mich.-River Rouge) was able to secure the kick and return it 42 yards for an EMU touchdown. Carter is the first Eagle to return a blocked punt since Mathew Sexton did it against Central Connecticut State on his own punt block on the same date in 2019.
» EMU has now blocked 17 total kicks (punt, FG, extra point) since the start of the 2014 season. Carter Jr.'s punt block-TD is the fourth for EMU during that span.
» EMU's 24 second-quarter points are the most for the team in a 15-minute block since it put up the same number in its game against Northern Illinois, Nov. 19.
» EMU is off to a 5-3 start for the first time since 2016. EMU has won five of its first eight games two times under Creighton. Prior to Creighton's arrival, the Green and White had not accomplished the feat since the 1995 season.
» With it's 55-24 win over Bowling Green, EMU has now taken three consecutive contests against the Falcons, dating back to 2016. Prior to its current stretch, EMU had not bested BGSU in three straight games since it did so in consecutive seasons between 1987-89.
» With its victory over BGSU, EMU has started with five wins in its first eight games for the 36th time in its 130-season history. Just seven of those hot starts have come since Eastern began play as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 1976. In its time as a MAC member, just 11 EMU teams have reached five-or-more wins for the entirety of a season. Creighton has led five of those teams, including this year's squad.
» EMU has forced 10 turnovers in 2021, and has scored points off of each (7 touchdowns, 3 field goals). EMU has scored 58 points off those turnovers, once as a direct result of the play (98-yard interception-for-touchdown at Wisconsin), and nine times in its subsequent offensive possession. EMU put together a four-play, 53-yard touchdown drive after Vaden's interception, and a two-play, 16-yard scoring push after BGSU's fumbled kick off.
Quotes
Head Coach Chris Creighton
On having success in passing game:
"I think we had a good plan. We got into a bunch of two tight end sets and felt as though that we had some runs we felt good about, and then had some passes we felt good about. Again, just a lot of taking what people were giving us."
On Gunnar Oakes having a successful homecoming:
"Oh, I love it. Football is such a powerful game and you put so much into it. Guys care so deeply. You only play 12 guaranteed games a year, you don't play 162. Each of those matters and sometimes I want to call it magical but when something like that happens just awesome you know when the stars align, God is good. Gunnar the thing is that no one is surprised. That's who he is, and he is an awesome weapon and is just going to get better."
Offensive Lineman Brian Dooley
On offensive success:
"Last week we weren't really able to get the ball going in the run game, so we wanted to bear down and run the ball this week."
Tight End Gunnar Oaks
On first touchdown since 2018:
"It was amazing, I saw the safety roll down and I knew I had a shot at it, so it was a really great feeling."
On being used more in the passing game:
"It's great, the last offseason I worked really hard on dropping my weight down to be used more of a threat on the receiving end, and it paid off."
Up Next
» EMU heads back to the Buckeye State for a Tuesday night, #MACtion matchup against the University of Toledo, Nov. 2. A win over Toledo would give Eastern Michigan bowl eligibility for the fourth time in the previous five (full) seasons, and just the sixth time in program history. A win would also give EMU bowl eligibility in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season).
Team Stats
EMU 0, BGSU 3
BGSU - Needham,Nate 25 yd field goal 13 plays, 70 yards, TOP 5:44
EMU 7, BGSU 3
EMU - CANNON, Bryson 31 yd pass from BRYANT, Ben (RYLAND, Chad kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:04
EMU 7, BGSU 10
BGSU - Stewart,Terion 5 yd run (Needham,Nate kick), 1 plays, 10 yards, TOP 0:22
EMU 14, BGSU 10
EMU - BRYANT, Ben 1 yd run (RYLAND, Chad kick), 8 plays, 61 yards, TOP 3:19
EMU 21, BGSU 10
EMU - CARTER, David 42 yd blocked punt return (RYLAND, Chad kick)
EMU 24, BGSU 10
EMU - RYLAND, Chad 40 yd field goal 8 plays, 38 yards, TOP 2:06
EMU 31, BGSU 10
EMU - OAKES, Gunnar 37 yd pass from BRYANT, Ben (RYLAND, Chad kick) 3 plays, 53 yards, TOP 1:13
EMU 31, BGSU 17
BGSU - Patterson,Jaiso 1 yd run (Needham,Nate kick), 6 plays, 69 yards, TOP 2:51
EMU 38, BGSU 17
EMU - BOONE, Darius 5 yd run (RYLAND, Chad kick), 8 plays, 77 yards, TOP 2:55
EMU 45, BGSU 17
EMU - DRUMMOND, Dylan 16 yd pass from EVANS, Samson (RYLAND, Chad kick) 1 plays, 16 yards, TOP 0:06
EMU 48, BGSU 17
EMU - RYLAND, Chad 47 yd field goal 11 plays, 51 yards, TOP 5:45
EMU 55, BGSU 17
EMU - ODUKOYA, Thomas 5 yd pass from HUTCHINSON, P. (RYLAND, Chad kick) 8 plays, 45 yards, TOP 3:53
EMU 55, BGSU 24
BGSU - Mosley,Nick 9 yd run (Needham,Nate kick), 9 plays, 81 yards, TOP 3:09
