Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-3 , 3-2
Toledo
4-5 , 2-3
Party Like it's 1999: EMU is Bowl Eligible With Road Win at Toledo
11/3/2021 12:51:00 AM | Football
The Eagles had not beaten UT at the Glass Bowl since 1999
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TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University football team fought back from a four-point halftime deficit to take down the University of Toledo, 52-49, inside UT's Glass Bowl tonight, Nov. 2. The win gives EMU bowl eligibility for the fourth time under Head Coach Chris Creighton and the sixth time in its history.
The Eagles improved to 6-3 on the year and 3-2 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Rockets fell to 4-5 and 2-3.
Senior quarterback Ben Bryant (La Grange, Ill.-Lyons Twp. (Cincinnati)) led Eastern Michigan's passing attack with 354 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns and one interception.
Fellow upperclassman, running back Jawon Hamilton (Miami, Fla.-South Dade (James Madison)) led all Eagles rushers with 64 yards and one touchdown in the contest, picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Freshman runner Darius Boone Jr. (Tulsa, Okla.-Union) also added 63 yards on the ground, averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
Bryant's most prolific target in the ballgame was junior wide out Hassan Beydoun (Dearborn, Mich.-Dearborn), who caught 12 passes for 197 yards and two scores. Sophomore wide receiver Tanner Knue (Mason, Ohio-Mason) got in on the action in the passing game as well, hauling in six balls for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Junior defensive back Russell Vaden (Louisville, Ky.-Moore) paced the Eastern Michigan defensive effort, collecting one interception. Senior linebacker Terry Myrick (Austell, Ga.-Woodward Academy) added nine tackles and one recovered fumble and defensive end Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale (Riverside C.C.)) had 10 tackles, 3.0 TFL, two sacks, and one forced fumble in the win.
The Eagles won the turnover battle in Tuesday's game, forcing three turnovers while coughing the ball up one time, with Eastern Michigan turning those takeaways into 14 points. Eastern Michigan converted on 46.7 percent of third-down attempts on the day.
The Eagles defense took up residence in Toledo's backfield all game, collecting five sacks.
Eastern Michigan put points on the board on eight different occasions on their way to scoring 52 points. The Eagles took their first lead with 4:02 left in the second quarter, opening up a 24-21 advantage. carried it for a two-yard touchdown run to finish an eight-play, 90-yard scoring drive.
Seconds after Toledo rallied to take the lead, Eastern Michigan got back on top with a touchdown to take control for good at 31-28 with 13:16 remaining in the third quarter. Bryant found Beydoun on a 64-yard touchdown catch to finish off a four-play, 75-yard drive. The Eagles then rode that lead to victory, cruising the rest of the way.
» Eastern Michigan won the turnover battle 3-1 after intercepting one pass and recovering two fumbles.
» Eastern Michigan had its highest scoring quarter in the third period, when it put up 21 points.
» Eastern Michigan converted 7-of-15 third downs while Toledo was successful on 6-of-12.
» The Eagles had four players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Ramirez, who had 10.
» Eastern Michigan scored three touchdowns in the third quarter.
» Eastern Michigan won the time of possession battle 33:51 to 26:09.
» The Eagles offense came out of halftime firing on all cylinders, scoring 21 unanswered until the Rockets got on the board again.
» Bryant completed 70.7% of his passes on the day, going 29-for-41 while averaging 8.6 yards per attempt.
» Knue returned to the EMU lineup for the first time in 2021 (injury) against the Rockets. The Mason, Ohio native made his presence felt immediately, as he hauled in an 18-yard touchdown reception with 10:53 on the clock in the first quarter. The score was Knue's first since Dec. 12, 2020 against Northern Illinois.
» Bryant was outstanding in EMU's first drive of the game. Bryant completed five of his seven pass attempts for 63 yards and a touchdown.
» EMU's game-opening drive saw the team take the ball at the 13:33 mark and score with 10:53 on the clock. The 2:40 drive is the fastest game-opening scoring drive of the season for the team this season.
» Senior punter Jake Julien (Barrie, Ontario-North Collegiate) continued to prove his special team's worth in the first quarter against the Rockets. Julien booted a 57-yard punt, his fourth-longest of the season with 3:30 on the clock. The kick was then muffed by Toledo and recovered by EMU at the Toledo 13-yard line.
» EMU junior defensive back Blake Bogan (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc) made the most of his special teams opportunities against the Rockets, Nov. 2. With 3:30 on the clock, Bogan recovered a muffed punt by Toledo. The fumble recovery was the first for Bogan since the 2020 campaign, when he picked up a loose ball against the same Rockets, Nov. 18 in Ypsilanti.
» Beydoun hauled in a season-long 64 yard touchdown in EMU's opening drive of the second half. The reception was the second-longest of Beydoun's career, just two yards shy of the 66-yard catch he recorded at Western Michigan, Dec. 5, 2020.
» After trailing at halftime, 28-24, the Green and White's Offense recorded three third-quarter touchdowns while holding UT to just eight points. Additionally, the scoring surge in the third period was EMU's sixth-straight quarter putting up double-digits, the longest streak of the season so far.
» Hamilton burst through the UT defense for a 32-yard touchdown to put EMU up 52-36 with 10:34 left in the fourth quarter. The scamper marked a new career-high for the Miami, Fla. native.
» Hamilton and Boone both eclipsed the 50-yard mark on the ground with 64 and 63, respectively. For Eastern, this was the first time it saw two rushers reach the 50-yard plateau in the same game since week four against Texas State, Sept. 25.
» Ramirez was instrumental in putting pressure on the quarterback, registering two sacks on the night. The two sacks ties his career-high, which he set at Western Michigan (Dec. 5, 2020). The Lake Alfred, Fla. native now has five sacks on the season.
» Evans rushed for 18 yards on six attempts and scored two touchdowns on the ground at Toledo. The game is Evans' third with multiple scores this season.
» Bryant threw for a career-high 354 yards on 29 completions (29-for-41). The 354 yards ranks tied-for 29th all-time in EMU single-game history. Additionally, his 64-yard strike to Beydoun is the longest completion of his career.
» EMU's nine-play, 90-yard scoring drive late in the second quarter was the team's second-longest of the season.
Historical Notes
» EMU is off to a 6-3 start for the first time in the Chris Creighton era (2016-Pres.). Prior to the 2021 season, EMU had not won six of its first nine games since the 1989 campaign, when the Green and White began the season 6-2-1 en route to a 7-3-1 overall record and a 6-2 Mid-American Conference mark.
» With its win over Toledo, Eastern Michigan is bowl eligible for the fourth time in the previous five (full) seasons, and just the sixth time in program history. EMU has now claimed bowl eligibility in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season).
» EMU now has six wins for just the 29th time in the 130-year program history, and just the 10th time since the team began MAC play in 1976. Chris Creighton has led four of those teams since 2016.
» With the 52-49 decision over the Rockets, EMU secured its first victory inside the Glass Bowl (UT's home stadium) since the 1999 season. Coming into the game, Eastern had lost 10 consecutive road games to Toledo.
» EMU's win over Toledo was the 13th for the program over the Rockets (13-36). Coming into the contest, the Green and White
» With over 50 points against the Rockets, Eastern has now hung 50+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2008 when the Eagles fell to Temple, 55-52 (Nov. 22), and defeated Central Michigan, 56-52 (Nov. 29).
» EMU's 52-point performance against Toledo marks the highest scoring total against the Rockets in the 49-game history between the two schools. Eastern's previous high came in 2012, when the Eagles put up 47 points. The 52 points ties for the seventh most in a single game by any team in the MAC this season.
» In scoring 30+ points against the Rockets, Nov. 2, EMU has now scored 30+ points in three straight games for the first time since the 2004 season. EMU put up 41 against Idaho, 31 at Ball State, and 35 on the road at Western Michigan in weeks four-seven, respectively.
» EMU has forced 13 turnovers in 2021, and has scored points off of 12 (9 touchdowns, 3 field goals). EMU has scored 65 points off those turnovers, twice as a direct result of the play, and 11 times in its subsequent offensive possession. The Eagles turned one turnover into a touchdown against Toledo, Nov. 2.
» Beydoun recorded his third game of the 2021 season with 10+ catches. He is currently one of only three players in the NCAA to have three-or-more such games (Jerreth Sterns - Western Ky.; Drake London - Southern California)
» Beydoun finished the game with a career-high 197 reception yards on 12 catches. Additionally, Beydoun's effort is the 14th best by any player in the NCAA this season. The single-game high belongs to Texas' Xavier Worthy (261 vs. Oklahoma). The 197 yards is the most by any Eagle receiver in a game this year, and the second-best effort by any player in the MAC.
» With his 197-yard effort, Beydoun has now recorded his seventh-career game with 100+ receiving yards.
Team Stats
EMU 0, TOL 7
TOL - Koback,Bryant 22 yd run (Cluckey,Thomas kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:27
EMU 7, TOL 7
EMU - KNUE, Tanner 18 yd pass from BRYANT, Ben (RYLAND, Chad kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:40
EMU 7, TOL 14
TOL - Koback,Bryant 67 yd run (Cluckey,Thomas kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:49
EMU 14, TOL 14
EMU - BEYDOUN, Hassan 6 yd pass from EVANS, Samson (RYLAND, Chad kick) 3 plays, 13 yards, TOP 0:59
EMU 14, TOL 21
TOL - Landers,Matt 80 yd pass from Finn,Dequan (Cluckey,Thomas kick) 1 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:11
EMU 17, TOL 21
EMU - RYLAND, Chad 34 yd field goal 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:09
EMU 24, TOL 21
EMU - EVANS, Samson 2 yd run (RYLAND, Chad kick), 8 plays, 90 yards, TOP 3:07
EMU 24, TOL 28
TOL - Stuart,Jacquez 97 yd kickoff return (Cluckey,Thomas kick)
EMU 31, TOL 28
EMU - BEYDOUN, Hassan 64 yd pass from BRYANT, Ben (RYLAND, Chad kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:44
EMU 38, TOL 28
EMU - EVANS, Samson 2 yd run (RYLAND, Chad kick), 6 plays, 43 yards, TOP 2:45
EMU 45, TOL 28
EMU - DRUMMOND, Dylan 11 yd pass from BRYANT, Ben (RYLAND, Chad kick) 2 plays, 18 yards, TOP 0:45
EMU 45, TOL 36
TOL - Landers,Matt 26 yd pass from Finn,Dequan (Koback,Bryant pass) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:44
EMU 52, TOL 36
EMU - HAMILTON, Jawon 32 yd run (RYLAND, Chad kick), 1 plays, 32 yards, TOP 0:06
EMU 52, TOL 42
TOL - Newton,Jerjuan 5 yd pass from Finn,Dequan (Winstead,Isaiah passfailed) 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:41
EMU 52, TOL 49
TOL - Kelly,Micah 10 yd run (Cluckey,Thomas kick), 10 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:39
