Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
3-2 , 0-1
Massachusetts
1-4
Eagles Rally, Score 20 Unanswered Points to Earn Homecoming Win Over UMass
10/1/2022 5:36:00 PM | Football
Eastern's defense stopped the Minutemen on seven-straight third-down tries to close the game
Photo Gallery
Postgame Recap Video
Postgame Press Conference
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University football team fought back from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the University of Massachusetts, 20-13, inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium, Saturday afternoon, Oct. 1.
The win improved Eastern Michigan's (3-2, 0-1 MAC) overall ledger to 3-2 on the season, while the Minutemen fell to 1-4.
Sophomore quarterback Austin Smith (Ellewood, Ga.-Cedar Grove) led Eastern Michigan's passing attack with 122 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns on the afternoon.
Senior Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) paced the EMU rushing attack by rushing for 122 yards over the course of the game, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Junior Jaylon Jackson (Burleson, Texas-Centennial-Lamar) also added 60 yards on the ground, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Graduate student Tanner Knue (Mason, Ohio-Mason) hauled in five catches for 72 yards and one score.
Junior Mark Lee Jr. (Columbus, Ohio-Northland) paced the Eastern Michigan defensive effort, recording one interception. Graduate student Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale-Arizona-Riverside City) added eight tackles, 3.0 TFL, and one sack in the win.
The Eagles had a big outing on the ground, racking up 217 rushing yards while averaging five yards per carry and out-rushing UMass by 49 total yards.
The Green and White defense held up well against the UMass offensive attack, holding the Minutemen to 255 total yards over the course of the game.
After UMass took a 13-0 lead in the first half, a TD from junior Darius Lassiter (Chandler, Ariz.-Lawrence Free State (Kan.)-Butler C.C.) got Eastern Michigan on the board with 8:56 left in the third quarter to narrow the margin to 13-7. EMU then took the lead on a 39-yard touchdown reception from to Knue, putting the Eagles ahead 14-13.
Eastern Michigan continued to build its lead, scoring again with 9:38 left on an eight-yard touchdown from junior Darius Boone Jr. (Tulsa, Okla.-Union) in the fourth quarter to go ahead 20-13. Neither team scored again in the game.
» The Eagles outgained UMass 339-255 in total yardage, including a 217-168 advantage on the ground. Today's win marks the second time EMU has outrushed its opponents this season, the previous being at Arizona State University, Sept. 17.
» The Eastern Michigan defense notched a "first" in 2022 in today's game against UMass by holding the Minutemen to under 100 yards of total offense in four consecutive quarters. EMU saved its best for last, holding its visitor to just 48 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter. That number is the fourth-best single-game mark for the team this season. The Eagles have held their opposition under 40 yards of total offense in three separate quarters this season, including a season-best 35 yards allowed to Arizona State University in the first quarter of the team's game in Tempe, Sept. 17.
» Sophomore Quentavius Scandrett (Hampton, Ga.-Lovejoy) set a new career high in tackles with 10. The defensive back smashed his previous career high of five set against the University at Buffalo last week. Scandrett, who was second on the team in total tackles for the game, finished with a team-best seven solo tackles to go along with three assists.
» The EMU defense dominated third down in the second half of today's game against UMass. The Eagles kept the Minutemen from converting a third-down try, stopping their competition on each of their seven attempts. It marks the first time in the 2022 campaign in which an EMU opponent has failed to convert a single third-down attempt.
» Ramirez tied his career high in tackles for loss with 3.0 this afternoon. It matches the number he set in EMU's game at the University of Toledo, Nov. 2, 2021. Additionally, it is Ramirez's fifth career outing with multiple TFLs. This season, the defensive end has tallied 4.5 of the Eagles' 16.0 TFLs. Ramirez also recorded the sole sack of the afternoon, grabbing five yards from the Minutemen in the first quarter. It was his first sack since Nov. 16, 2021 against Western Michigan.
» Eastern Michigan's offense has scored 20+ points in six consecutive games dating back to Dec. 18, 2021 against Liberty University in the LendingTree Bowl. The stretch is the fourth of the sort under Creighton. The best stretch of consecutive 20+-point games came between Oct. 26, 2017-Nov. 3, 2018, when the Eagles accomplished the feat in 14 straight games during that span.
» Lassiter notched the first score of the game for the Eagles, recording an eight yard touchdown reception with 8:56 left in the third quarter. The TD was the first in Lassiter's career at EMU.
» The Eagles' defense set a season high in tackles for loss this afternoon with 7.0 and accumulated a season high 21 yards on those TFLs. The Green and White also had season best outing in QB hurries (7) and pass break-ups (5). EMU's last game with 7.0 or more tackles for loss came during the 2021 season, when the Eagles recorded 9.0 in their game against Texas State University, Sept. 25.
» On a handoff from S. Evans, Boone Jr. recorded the third TD of the game with 9:30 left in regulation. The score was Boone Jr.'s third of the season.
» Lee Jr. picked off the first pass of his career at the Minutemen's 36-yard line in the fourth quarter, the sole turnover forced by the Eagles this afternoon. This is the second consecutive matchup against UMass that an Eagle has tallied an interception, with David Carter Jr. snagging an interception in the Sept. 18, 2021, tilt. Lee's interception was the first by an Eastern cornerback since 2018 when Kevin McGill had an interception, Nov. 10 versus the University of Akron at Rynearson Stadium.
» Junior Chase Kline (Chardon, Ohio-Chardon-Michigan State) notched 12 tackles this afternoon, leading the Eagles. The Michigan State University transfer has now double digit tackles for the second time in his collegiate career after setting a career high last week against Buffalo (14). Chase leads all Eagles with 47 stops this season.
» The Eagles went a perfect two-for-two on red zone scoring chances against UMass. The Green and White are now 19-for-19 in its red zone trips, with 16 touchdowns and three field goals, remaining tied for first nationally in the category.
»The Minutemen kept the Eagles off the scoreboard for the entirety of the first half. The last time Eastern Michigan did not score in the first 30 minutes of play was on Sept. 11, 2021, when the University of Wisconsin defeated EMU, 34-7.
» Twice this year, the Eagles have trailed the game and come back to win. In both games, a Knue touchdown reception put Eastern ahead for good. Against Eastern Kentucky, Sept. 2, Knue hauled in a 15-yard strike from graduate student Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.-Fayetteville-Missouri-Troy) to put the Eagles up 7-3. Today, a 39-yard bomb from A. Smith gave Eastern a 14-13 lead.
» S. Evans toted the rock for 122 yards today, his second career 100 yard rushing effort after gashing the Arizona State defense earlier this season for 258 yards, Sept. 17. Evans hit his rushing yards per game average today, entering the tilt against UMass averaging 122.5 yards each game.
» This is the Eagle's second straight game against the Minutemen where the Green and White top rusher netted 122 yards. Last year, Jawon Hamiliton hit that mark in the 42-28 road win over UMass on Sept. 18, 2021.
» With 105 all-purpose yards, J. Jackson posted his second consecutive game with over 100 all-purpose yards. Today, Jackson tallied 63 yards on the ground, 26 through the air, and 19 on kick returns.
Historical Notes
» Eastern Michigan improves to 47-45-2 all-time in Homecoming games, and has won its last two games on Homecoming Weekend. The last time the Eagles won two straight Homecoming games was in the 2006-07 seasons, when the Green and White knocked off Western Michigan University and Toledo.
» With his 122 yards today, S. Evans became the first 1,000 yard career rusher since Shaq Vann in 2019 with 1,058 career yards on the ground. Heading into 2022, Evans had 518 yards on the ground in his career, and has added 418. The Illinois native is 149 yards away from cracking the top-22 in career rushing yards in EMU history.
» Head Coach Chris Creighton is now just one win away from tying Jim Harkema (41 wins), for the fourth-best total by any head coach in program history. If he is victorious in his next game, Creighton would tie Harkema in his 100th game at EMU.
» Following this afternoon's victory, Eastern Michigan has now won three non-conference games this season. It is the third year in a row that the Green and White have tallied at least three non-conference wins and is the fourth in Creighton era (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022). Since 1976, there are only two other seasons in which EMU has three or more non-conference victories (1977, 1987).
» With two home, non-conference victories this season, today's win marks the seventh time Eastern has accomplished the feat since 1976. Dating back to the 2016 season, it also marks the eighth consecutive non-conference win at home for the Eagles.
» With the win, the all time series between the Eagles and the Minutemen now sits even at 2-2. This is the Green and White's second consecutive win over UMass.
» EMU has recorded a non-conference victory in every eligible campaign since the 2011 season. That is the longest streak for the program since the statistic began being tracked in 1976.
» Eastern Michigan trailed 13-0 at the half against the Minutemen. With the comeback, the Eagles erased their first deficit of 10 or more points to come back and win a game since Nov 16. 2021, when the Green and White trailed, 21-9, in the third quarter vs. Western Michigan.
» The last time the Eagles overcame a halftime deficit to win was a 48-45 victory over Central Michigan University, Nov. 16, 2007.
» The Eagles have overcome eight 10-point deficits in the Creighton-era. Moreover, it is the first time that EMU came back to win under Creighton when trailing by double-digits at halftime.
» EMU scored all 20 of its points today unanswered to claim the victory. The last time the Eagles scored 20 unanswered points was in a 52-49 win at Toledo, Nov. 2, 2021.
» The Eagles now move to 3-11 against Independent opponents. The last time EMU defeated an Independent Football Bowl Subdivision opponent was last year's 42-28 victory over the Minutemen on Sept. 18, 2021, in Amherst, Mass.
» Creighton's teams have won 19-of-50 total non-conference triumphs for the program since 1976.
Up Next
The Eagles will fly west to take on conference opponents Western Michigan University next Saturday, Oct. 8 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Kickoff is slated for noon.
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Team Stats
UMASS 7, EMU 0
UMASS - Campiotti,Gino 14 yd run (Carson,Cameron kick), 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 3:39
UMASS 10, EMU 0
UMASS - Carson,Cameron 30 yd field goal 15 plays, 69 yards, TOP 8:09
UMASS 13, EMU 0
UMASS - Carson,Cameron 47 yd field goal 6 plays, 49 yards, TOP 2:20
UMASS 13, EMU 7
EMU - LASSITER, D. 8 yd pass from SMITH, Austin (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:39
UMASS 13, EMU 14
EMU - KNUE, Tanner 39 yd pass from SMITH, Austin (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 3 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:16
UMASS 13, EMU 20
EMU - BOONE, Darius 8 yd run (KNUE, Tanner passfailed), 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 5:07
