Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-2 , 1-1
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Western Michigan
2-4 , 1-1
EMU Football Dominates, Wins Fourth-Straight Over Western Michigan
10/8/2022 4:40:00 PM | Football
Eastern has beaten WMU four-straight times for the first time in program history
Postgame Audio w/ Coach Creighton.
Photo Gallery | Video Recap.
KALAMAZOO, Mich (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University football team used dominant performances on both sides of the ball en route to a 45-23 dismantling of Mid-American Conference and in-state rival Western Michigan University today, Oct. 8, inside Waldo Stadium. The victory is a program-best fourth straight for the Green and White in the annual "Battle for I-94."
With the outcome, Eastern (4-2, 1-1 MAC) moves back to a pair of games above .500 on the season, and evens its record at 1-1 in MAC play. Additionally, Head Coach Chris Creighton now has 41 as the bench boss at Eastern Michigan. That number ties Jim Harkema for fourth-most all-time at EMU. It took Harkema 10 seasons to accomplish the feat. Creighton is in year nine at the helm of the Green and White.
Senior gunslinger Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.-Fayetteville-Troy) led Eastern Michigan's passing attack with 293 yards through the air, tossing for a career-best (tied) three touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Fellow upperclassman, running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) led all EMU rushers with 90 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. Junior Jaylon Jackson (Burleson, Texas-Centenial-Lamar) also added 32 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Powell's most prolific target in the ballgame was junior Darius Lassiter (Chandler, Ariz.-Lawrence Free State (Kan.)-Butler C.C.) , who caught six passes for 104 yards and one score. Senior wideout Hassan Beydoun (Dearborn, Mich.-Dearborn) got in on the action in the passing game as well, hauling in three balls for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Defensive lineman Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale-Arizona-Riverside City) led the Eastern Michigan defensive effort, collecting six tackles, 4.0 TFL, four sacks, and one forced fumble. Senior Jordan Crawford (Houston, Teas-Pearland-Tyler) added 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, and one recovered fumble.
The Eastern Michigan offense was effective keeping drives alive, converting on 53.8 percent of third-down attempts.
Defensively, Eastern Michigan was stout against the normally high-powered Bronco scoring unit, holding WMU to 299 total yards. The EMU defense took up residence in Western Michigan's backfield all game, collecting seven sacks.
Eastern Michigan took a 7-0 lead over Western Michigan after scoring the game's first points on the opening drive of the game. EMU then increased its lead to 14-0 with another score.
The Eagles added a touchdown with 14:23 left in the second quarter to make it a 21-0 lead. Eastern kept building its lead after Western Michigan closed the gap to 21-7, scoring again to go on top 28-7.
Eastern Michigan continued to increase its advantage, scoring again with 0:29 left in the second quarter to go on top 35-7. WMU rallied, tallying six points before the EMU responded with a touchdown to extend their lead to 42-13.
Eastern Michigan held onto their lead despite allowing three WMU points before scoring for a final time with 9:51 left in the fourth quarter, bringing its lead to 45-16. Western added one more score to close the game, 45-23.
» The Eastern Michigan offense got off to a hot start against the Broncos as it moved the ball 75 yards in just seven plays over 1:58 to go ahead, 7-0. The fourth-fastest touchdown drive of the season for EMU, the Eagles have now scored on their game-opening drive in four games this season, including touchdowns in three of the efforts. EMU scored on its opening drive just four times in the entirety of the 2021 campaign.
» The EMU offense put together three-straight scoring drives to begin the contest at WMU. The game marks just the second this season in which EMU has scored in three consecutive drives to begin the contest, and the first in which all three drives resulted in touchdowns.
» Ramirez tallied a career-high four sacks on Saturday. The four sacks are tied for the second most in a contest in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision this season. Derek Parish from the University of Houston holds the top spot with 4.5 sacks.
» Ramirez wasted no time making an impact against the Broncos. Just one week removed from his first sack of the season, Ramirez notched another during WMU's first offensive drive of the afternoon. Ramirez has sacks in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2021 campaign, when he registered one sack against Bowling Green State University, Oct. 23, before following that performance with a pair of sacks at Toledo, Nov. 2. Ramirez is the only Eagle with multiple sacks this season.
» Lassiter recorded a breakout performance for the Green and White, totaling career bests in receptions (6) and receiving yards (104). The wideout also hauled in his second career touchdown reception. Lassiter has now caught a touchdown pass in two consecutive contests (1 vs. UMass, Oct. 1).
» Powell returned to action for EMU after recovering from injury as he finished 20-for-30 (67%) with 293 yards and three passing touchdowns. The three scores tie a career-high for Powell, who threw three touchdowns in the Eagles' season-opening victory over Eastern Kentucky University, Sept. 2.
» Back from injury for the first time since EMU's game at the University of Louisiana, Sept. 10, senior wide receiver Dylan Drummond (Cleveland, Ohio-Cuyahoga Heights) made an immediate impact in the game. He notched his first touchdown reception of the season with 5:52 on the clock in the first quarter to put his team ahead, 14-0. The touchdown, his 12th as an Eagle, is his first since Nov. 9, 2021, in Eastern's game against Ohio University. Today's score snaps a five-game scoring skid for Drummond, the second-longest of his career (six games without a TD to close the 2019 campaign).
» Drummond finished the day with 49 yards on four receptions. The senior pass catcher now has at least one reception in 34 consecutive games. That number ties for the fourth most in the NCAA.
» The Eastern Michigan defense was just as strong as the offensive unit to begin the game. The Eagles stopped Western Michigan in three consecutive drives to begin the game, its second-such accomplishment this season. EMU held Louisiana without a score in its first six attempts, Sept. 10.
» Eastern's defense held Western's offense to just five total yards in the first quarter, by far a season-best single-quarter effort for the Green and White. Prior to today's game, EMU's best single-quarter defensive effort was 35 yards allowed to Arizona State University in the first quarter of the team's game in Tempe, Sept. 17.
» Eastern's 35 points scored in the first half is the most for the team since the 2017 season, when it dropped the same number en route to a 56-14 win over Ball State University, Nov. 2.
» The EMU offense totaled a season-best 351 yards in the first half of today's game against WMU. That number is a season-high. EMU's previous-best single-half effort, in terms of total yardage, was 307, which the team put up against ASU, Sept. 17.
» Evans tied a career-high three rushing touchdowns against Western Michigan in the first half of today's game (3 vs. Saint Francis (Pa.), Sept. 3, 2021). The contest is his second multi-touchdown game of the season (vs. Eastern Kentucky University, Sept. 2), and the sixth of his career.
» Crawford notched a career first against Western Michigan when he picked up his first-ever fumble recovery with 4:15 left in the first half. It is EMU's third fumble recovery of the season, the first since defensive back Kempton Shine (Chicago, Ill.-St. Rita) recovered one against Arizona State, Sept. 17. Additionally, Crawford added 0.5 sacks in the victory on Saturday.
» Coming into today's game, the Eastern Michigan offense had averaged 190.4 yards in the first half of contests this season. Eastern smashed that number against Western Michigan, where it put up 351 yards in the first 30 minutes.
» The EMU defense forced a three-and-out to begin the game against WMU, the third time this season EMU has accomplished that feat. The 21st time in the Creighton Era that the defense has forced a three-and-out to begin the game overall, three times in a season marks the fourth-most in a single season under the current regime. Additionally, it is the fourth time under Creighton the defense has forced its opponent to go three-and-out on their first possession of each half. The last time was Nov. 3, 2018, at home against Central Michigan University.
» Sophomore Jesus Gomez (Puebla, Mexico-Prepa Tec Puebla) was perfect on extra points (6-for-6), including a career-long 42-yard field goal make in Eastern's 45-23 victory over in-state rival WMU. The six makes are tied for his career-high (6 vs. EKU, Sept. 2). Additionally, Gomez is perfect in point-after attempts this season, knocking through 24 PATs in as many attempts.
Historical Notes
» With its 22-point victory over Western, the Eagles earned its largest margin of victory over the Broncos. The previous best was a 19-point win over WMU 19-0, Oct. 18, 1930.
» With its 45-23 win over Western Michigan, Eastern has now recorded four-consecutive victories against its I-94 rival, the best stretch in the 58-game history between the two institutions.
» EMU has now defeated Western Michigan at Waldo Stadium in consecutive contests for the first time since it did so in a pair of games between 1987-89, respectively. Eastern has only bested Western in consecutive road games at two points in program history (first meeting came in 1906).
» With today's win, Head Coach Chris Creighton now has 41 as the bench boss at Eastern Michigan. That number ties Jim Harkema for fourth-most all-time at EMU. It took Harkema 10 seasons to accomplish the feat. Creighton is in year nine at the helm of the Green and White.
» Evans' three touchdowns in today's victory are the most since the running back did so last season when he tallied three rushing scores in EMU's season-opening win over Saint Francis (Pa.), Sept. 3, 2021.
» Ramirez put together one of the best first-half performances in Eastern Michigan history. He tallied a career-high three sacks. That number ties the Eastern Michigan single-game record (for the entirety of a contest). Five other players have accomplished the feat, most recently by Jeremiah Harris, who did so against Kent State University, Nov. 23, 2018.
» Ramirez's four sacks are the most in a single game in program history (since 1998). The previous best was 3.0, which was held by five other former Eagles.
» The EMU pass rush put together a tremendous effort, totaling seven sacks in the victory over WMU. It marks the 17th time since 1998 that Eastern has recorded five-or-more sacks in a game. The last time EMU did so was Nov. 02, 2021, at Toledo (5.0).
Team Stats
EMU 7, WMU 0
EMU - EVANS, Samson 2 yd run (GOMEZ, Jesus kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:58
EMU 14, WMU 0
EMU - Drummond,Dylan 2 yd pass from Powell,Taylor (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 11 plays, 88 yards, TOP 5:08
EMU 21, WMU 0
EMU - EVANS, Samson 1 yd run (GOMEZ, Jesus kick), 9 plays, 71 yards, TOP 4:27
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EMU 21, WMU 7
WMU - Jefferson,La'Da 1 yd run (Domschke,Palmer kick), 8 plays, 66 yards, TOP 3:32
EMU 28, WMU 7
EMU - EVANS, Samson 6 yd run (GOMEZ, Jesus kick), 5 plays, 51 yards, TOP 1:59
EMU 35, WMU 7
EMU - LASSITER, D. 38 yd pass from Powell,Taylor (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:19
EMU 35, WMU 13
WMU - Crooms,Corey 25 yd pass from Salopek,Jack (Crooms,Corey passfailed) 12 plays, 79 yards, TOP 5:12
EMU 42, WMU 13
EMU - BEYDOUN, Hassan 7 yd pass from Powell,Taylor (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 3 plays, 11 yards, TOP 1:10
EMU 42, WMU 16
WMU - Domschke,Palmer 28 yd field goal 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:51
EMU 45, WMU 16
EMU - GOMEZ, Jesus 42 yd field goal 7 plays, 24 yards, TOP 3:43
EMU 45, WMU 23
WMU - Bosma,Blake 4 yd pass from Salopek,Jack (Domschke,Palmer kick) 16 plays, 90 yards, TOP 5:12
