Eastern Captures Two Trophies with 38-19 Victory over Central Michigan

Celebration Video | Postgame On-Field Interviews

Postgame Press Conference | Photo Gallery.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University football team downed visiting Central Michigan University, 38-19, inside Rynearson Stadium Friday, Nov. 25, to claim a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division crown while also recapturing the Michigan MAC Trophy. The Eagles, who used an all-around performance to win their eighth game of the season - the most since 1987 - earned their first MAC title since the outright crown was captured in 1987 and their first Michigan MAC Trophy since 2012.

The Eagles (8-4, 5-3 MAC) received the help they needed as Western Michigan University defeated visiting University of Toledo, 20-14, in Kalamazoo, Mich., today, to grant Eastern a share of the division crown. Additionally, the win for Eastern gives the Eagles the Michigan MAC Trophy for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time overall (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2022) since the inception of the award in 2005.

Offensively, Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.-Fayetteville-Missouri-Troy) led Eastern's passing attack with 266 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns without throwing an interception. The signal caller also added one touchdown on the ground to give him four total scores for the second game this season after duplicating his scoring performance from the season-opener with Eastern Kentucky University, Sept. 2. Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) led all EMU rushers with 135 yards and one touchdown in the contest to bring his season total 1,084 yards and make him the 14th player in Eastern history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark and the first since 2015 when Darius Jackson (2012-15) ran for 1,078 yards. Evans, whose season yardage ranks him 11th on the single-season charts at Eastern, scored his 27th rushing touchdown to take the top spot in the program's career rushing touchdown list, surpassing both Gary Patton (1984-87) and Anthony Sherrell (2002-05), who tallied 26 in their respective careers.

As effective as the offense was, the Eastern defense was equally as impressive as the Eagles shut down the CMU passing attack, holding the Chippewas to just 65 yards passing while recording 53 return yards on three interceptions with the 65 yards allowed marking the 12th time under Head Coach Chris Creighton that Eastern has held a team to under 100 yards passing in a game. Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale-Arizona-Riverside City) was a wrecking ball in the CMU backfield as he tallied 3.0 sacks for 17 yards as well as hurrying the Chippewas quarterbacks three times. With those sacks, his second-best total this season behind 4.0 at WMU, Oct. 8, Ramirez reclaimed the national lead in sacks at 12.0 while also moving up in several season and career charts at Eastern, including taking over the single-season sack record from both Avery Brown (1996) and Maxx Crosby (2017), who previously held the record a 11.0; second in season sack yardage at 79 yards behind only Crosby's 91 yards in 2017; and second in career sacks at 20.5 behind only Brown (1994-97) at 25.0.

How It Happened
Eastern Michigan grabbed a 7-0 lead over Central Michigan after scoring the game's first points on the opening drive of the game as Tanner Knue (Mason, Ohio-Mason) hauled in a 28-yard strike from Powell. Central Michigan then tied the game, 7-7, before the EMU responded with a 15-yard touchdown rush from Evans to jump back ahead 14-7.

A score from Central Michigan cut the lead to 14-13 before Eastern Michigan scored again with 8:49 remaining in the third quarter and pushed its lead to 21-13. EMU kept building its advantage, scoring again to go ahead 28-13 as Andreas Paaske (Copenhagen, Denmark-Sollerod Senior-Denmark Gold Diggers) grabbed a nine-yard pass from Powell.

Eastern Michigan continued to expand its lead, scoring again with 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter to go ahead, 31-13.CMU rallied, tallying a touchdown and not converting on a two-point try before EMU responded with a Taylor rushing touchdown to extend the lead to its final margin at 38-19.

Game Notes
» Ramirez put together another outstanding day in the opponent's backfield as the lineman dropped Central Michigan quarterbacks 3.0 times, just one shy of his single-game high 4.0 he recorded at Western Michigan, Oct. 8, giving him 7.0 of his 12.0 sacks against Michigan MAC schools. His 12.0 sacks for 79 yards puts Ramirez to first place in the nation in total sacks.
» Knue opened up scoring for the Eagles with 10:12 remaining in the first quarter. The touchdown, his ninth of the season, was the Ohio native's third-consecutive game with a TD this season. The graduate student now sits in third place tie in the MAC for receiving touchdowns. It is the first stretch of Knue's career (2018-pres.) in which he has hauled in a touchdown pass in three consecutive games.
» Knue's TD capped off EMU's longest scoring drive by yardage of the 2022 season. The 10-play, 90-yard drive knocked 4:42 off the clock for the Eagles and put the team ahead of CMU 7-0 early on. It is the longest scoring drive for Eastern Michigan since it went 96 yards in seven plays against Ohio University, Nov. 9, 2021.
» Eastern Michigan's offense was hot to start the game against Central Michigan. The Green and White put together a 10-play, 90-yard drive that finished with a touchdown. It was the sixth opening-drive score of the season for Eastern, its first since it used 14 plays to cover 70 yards in the opening march against the University of Akron, Nov. 8. EMU has four touchdowns and two field goals in those game-opening scoring drives.
» The Green and White held the visiting Chippewas to just 13 points in the first quarter after a missed extra point by CMU. This season, Eastern Michigan has now held seven opponents (Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Western Michigan, Ball State, Toledo) to 13 or less points in the first half.
» Evans found a hole for a 42-yard rush during EMU's first drive of the second half. The rush, which extended EMU's eventual touchdown drive, is the longest of Evans' career, besting a 37-yard burst that came against Ohio University, Nov. 9, 2021. The Illinois native finished the contest with 143 yards on 23 carries. He has now rushed for 100+ yards in four contests this season.
» The EMU defense held an opponent scoreless in the third quarter yet again when it blanked CMU for the entirety of the third frame. The third-quarter shutout marks the 18th time in Eastern's last 54 contests (34%) that its opponent has failed to score in the first quarter out of the break. Eastern has emerged victorious in 11 of the 18 games in which it has held opponents scoreless in the third quarter during that stretch, with one loss coming in overtime. The third-quarter shutout marks three consecutive contests with the accomplishment for the first time this season. EMU held both Akron and Kent State without a third-quarter point, Nov. 8 and Nov. 16 respectively. Additionally, Eastern has now held an opponent scoreless in the third quarter in consecutive games for the first time in more than 10 years.
» Eastern Michigan picked off three CMU passes, equaling a season best set at Akron, Nov. 8. Furthermore, EMU grabbed 53 return yards off the three interceptions, the most for the Green and White in a single game this season. All three Eagles who picked off passes this afternoon recorded their first career interceptions, graduate students Grant Trueman (Chino Hills, Calif.-Chino Hills-Citrus College) and Brandon Benson (Triangle, Va.-Hylton-Bucknell) along with sophomore Joshua Scott (Antioch Calif.-Deer Valley-City College of San Francisco).
» Trueman notched an important sack for EMU in the first two minutes of the second quarter. The play, which resulted in an 11-yard loss for the Chippewas, pushed CMU out of the red zone. Trueman marked a new career high this afternoon in season sacks with two for a loss of 20 yards.
» Paaske furthered the Eagles lead to 21-13 in the third quarter with a nine-yard touchdown reception in the back-left corner of the end zone. The TD marks the second for the tight end this season, a new career high, after Paaske recorded a 75-yard touchdown run against Northern Illinois Oct. 15.

Historical Notes
» With Toledo's 20-14 loss to Western Michigan this afternoon, Eastern Michigan now claims a share of its first-ever divisional championship in the conference. EMU's lone league championship came in 1987 before the conference adopted divisions. Although the Eagles cannot represent the West Division in the MAC championship due to a head-to-head tiebreaker with Toledo, the Green and White now claim a co-divisional championship win.
» EMU will make another bowl game appearance in 2022. A total of 12 EMU players will become the first in program history to suit up in four postseason contests.
» Evans made history, scoring his 27th rushing touchdown to move into the No. 1 spot for the program. He surpassed Patton and Sherrell, who both scored 26 touchdowns on the ground during their respective careers.
» With 27 touchdowns, Evans has also moved up the all-time touchdowns list (rushing and receiving) at EMU. He is now tied for third all-time on that list, with former Eagle Eric Deslauriers (2003-06).
» Evans has 1,084 rushing yards this season. He is the 14th EMU player to rush for a total of 1,000 yards or more in a single season, the most recent of which came in 2015, when Jackson (2012-15) ran for 1,078 yards. Evans' current total is good for eighth all-time in single-season laurels at EMU.
» Ramirez's performance this afternoon now ranks the defensive end first in school history with 12.0 sacks in a single season, surpassing the 11.0 sacks recorded by both Avery Brown in 1996 and Maxx Crosby in 2017. The Florida-native's performance today moves him to second place in program history for career sacks with 20.5. Ramirez is only the fourth player since 1998 to record double-digit sacks in a single season.
» The Eastern pass defense had a solid game as the Eagles held Central Michigan to just 68 yards in the game. The passing total marks the 12th time in Chris Creighton's tenure the Eagles have held an opponent to under 100-yards through the air and the second this season after limiting the University of Massachusetts to 87 yards passing, Oc. 1. The fewest yards a Creighton-led squad has allowed at Eastern was zero to Army, Oct. 14, 2017, when the Black Knights were unable to complete any of their three passing attempts. The 68 yards allowed today is the seventh-fewest surrendered under Creighton as well.
» This afternoon's meeting was the 100th all-time between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, making the matchup the most played among any pairing of Mid-American Conference teams. Following today's result, the all-time ledger stands at 63-31-6 in favor of the Chippewas.
» Today's win gives Eastern Michigan its first eight-win regular season since 1987, and just the seventh in program history.
» EMU is 15-11 in the month of November since the beginning of 2016. In the six seasons prior, Eastern combined for a total of 15 wins across all regular-season games. Furthermore, if you exclude 2020's COVID-adjusted season when the schedule began in November, EMU's winning percentage jumps to .681 (15-7).
» With the win today, EMU's senior class became the first to close their careers with 30 regular-season victories.
» The Eagles now finish with a 5-3 ledger in conference play and secured a winning record in its conference games for just the eighth time since joining the league in 1976. Chris Creighton-led Eagle teams have finished above .500 in MAC play one time, going 5-3 against league opponents in 2018. EMU's best-ever MAC ledger came in 1987, when the Green and White finished 7-1 against its conference opponents.

Up Next
With the regular season concluded, the Eagles will look forward to Sunday, Dec. 4, when all bowl game selections will be announced. Check back to EMUEagles.com and the team's social media channels for updates on game selection, location, time, and tickets when they become available.

Eastern Captures Two Trophies with 38-19 Victory over Central Michigan

Next Event

Team Stats

Taylor Powell

Players Mentioned

Brandon Benson

Samson Evans

Tanner Knue

Andreas Paaske

Taylor Powell

Jose Ramirez

Joshua Scott

Grant Trueman

Players Mentioned

Brandon Benson

Samson Evans

Tanner Knue

Andreas Paaske

Taylor Powell

Jose Ramirez

Joshua Scott

Grant Trueman

Eastern Michigan Athletics