Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-4 , 3-3
Akron
1-9 , 0-6
Let's Bowl: Football Earns Sixth Win With 34-28 Triumph at Akron
11/8/2022 11:19:00 PM | Football
EMU is bowl eligible for the sixth time, fifth since 2016
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AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team used an impressive defensive performance, highlighted by a season-high three interceptions, en route to a 34-28 victory over the University of Akron tonight, Nov. 8 inside InfoCision Stadium.
The win is Eastern's (6-4, 3-3 MAC) sixth of the season and officially qualifies the Green and White for postseason play. It marks the sixth time in program history, and the fifth under ninth-year Head Coach Chris Creighton, that the team has qualified to play in a bowl game. Moreover, it marks bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive year (excluding the COVID-19, 2020 season), which is a program record.
Sophomore quarterback Austin Smith (Ellenwood, Ga.-Cedar Grove) led Eastern Michigan's passing attack with 190 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns and one interception. Elsewhere, junior defensive back Kempton Shine (Chicago, Ill.-St. Rita) showed out for the Eastern Michigan defense, recording one interception.
EMU won the turnover battle in Tuesday's game, forcing three turnovers giving the ball away once, with Eastern Michigan turning those takeaways into 14 points. The Eastern Michigan offense did a good job prolonging drives, converting on 50 percent of third-down attempts.
Eastern Michigan got on the scoreboard first and opened up a 3-0 lead on the game's first drive. Akron responded and went ahead 7-3 before the EMU scored again on a 40-yard touchdown reception from Smith to Drummond to jump back in front 10-7.
Eastern Michigan continued to increase its advantage, scoring again with 14:21 left in the second quarter to go up 17-7.The EMU continued to extend their advantage after Akron closed the gap to 17-14, scoring again to go up 24-14.
Eastern Michigan continued to increase its advantage, scoring again with 15:00 remaining in the third quarter to go ahead 31-14. Akron then rallied, tallying 14 points before the EMU responded with a field goal to extend their lead to 34-28. Neither team scored again in the game.
» Eastern Michigan's offense was hot to start the game against Akron. The Green and White put together a 14-play, 70 yard drive that finished with a field goal to put the Eagles ahead, 3-0. It was the fifth opening-drive score of the season for Eastern, its first time since it went 75 yards for a TD at Western Michigan University, Oct. 8. EMU has three touchdowns and two field goals in those game-opening scoring drives.
» Eastern Michigan's 14-play game-opening drive goes down as the team's longest of the 2022 campaign, in terms of number of plays. Eastern's previous long was 13 plays, which it had mustered four different times heading into the contest, most recently at Ball State University, Oct. 22.
» After failing to bring in a reception for the first time in 36 games against the University of Toledo, Oct. 29, senior Dylan Drummond (Cleveland, Ohio-Cuyahoga Heights) got right back to work against the Zips. The Buckeye State native hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass, his second-longest reception of the season, on EMU's second drive. The play was good for Drummond's second touchdown of the season, his first since EMU's game at WMU, Oct. 8.
» Drummond finished the game with a season-best five receptions for 90 yards. It was Drummond's first game with five or more receptions since Dec. 18, 2021, when he hauled in six catches against Liberty University in the LendingTree Bowl. Drummond now has 15 games with five-plus receptions in his EMU career, the second-most of any Eagle on the roster, just behind fellow upperclassman Hassan Beydoun (Dearborn, Mich.-Dearborn), with 18.
» Shine added another "first" to his list of career accomplishments at Eastern Michigan in the second quarter against Akron when he stepped in front of a Zip pass to collect his first collegiate interception. Shine had 13 pass break ups in four seasons with Eastern before recording the pick in tonight's contest.
» The Eastern Michigan defense has been much improved in forcing turnovers as of late. After forcing just five takeaways in the first seven games of the season, the Green and White have now forced seven opponent turnovers in its last three contests.
» Senior running back Samson Evans' (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) touchdown in the second quarter was his team-best 10th of the season for the Green and White. The Eagles needed just one play before the Crystal Lake, Ill. native found the pay dirt, officially the shortest scoring drive for the Green and White this season. EMU had one other previous one-play drive, but it was ended by an Eagle turnover, against the University at Buffalo, Sept. 24.
» Senior linebacker Chase Kline (Chardon, Ohio-Chardon-Michigan State) notched his first sack as an Eagle when he hauled down Akron's Jeff Undercuffler for a 10-yard loss with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. Kline, who entered the game as Eastern's second-leading tackler (60 total), had not recorded a collegiate sack since the 2019 season, when he earned one in a game against Western Michigan while a member of the Michigan State University football team, Sept. 7. Kline now has 2.5 collegiate sacks.
» Defensive coordinator Neal Neathery continues to prove that his halftime adjustments are spot-on, as the EMU defense held an opponent scoreless in the third quarter yet again when it blanked Akron in the third quarter, Nov. 8.
The third-quarter shutout marks the 16th time in Eastern's last 52 contests (31%) that its opponent has failed to score in the first quarter out of the break. Eastern has emerged victorious in nine of the 16 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 against ASU was the team's first since Sept. 17, 2022, against Arizona State University.
» The EMU defense came up big in the third quarter of tonight's game at Akron. The highlight of the frame came with 2:30 remaining in the quarter when sophomore defensive back Joshua Scott (Antioch, Calif.-Deer Valley-City College of San Francisco) nabbed his first career interception. The pick was the second of the game for Eastern. It marks the second multiple interception game of the season for Eastern, the first since it grabbed three opponent passes at Ball State University, Oct. 22. Prior to the 2022 season, EMU had not recorded multiple interceptions in a game since Nov. 19, 2019 against Northern Illinois University.
» Evans has scored multiple touchdowns in back-to-back weeks for the first time since the 2021 season, when he notched two scores at the University of Toledo, Nov. 2, and another pair against Ohio University, Nov. 9.
» Senior Joe Sparacio (Naples, Fla.-First Baptist Academy-Boston College) helped seal the game for the EMU defense with his interception late in the fourth quarter. The third of the night for the Green and White, it goes down as the first for Sparacio in his EMU career. He now has two in his collegiate career, with his last coming against Virginia Tech University, Aug. 31, 2019, while playing for Boston College.
» Smith finished the game 16-of-28 with two touchdowns through the air. The two passing touchdowns matches his career high, which he previously set against the University of Massachusetts, Oct. 1.
Historical Notes
» With its win over Akron, Eastern Michigan is bowl eligible for the fifth time in the previous six full seasons, and just the sixth time in program history. The win also gives EMU bowl eligibility in four consecutive seasons for the first time in program history (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season).
» EMU is 13-11 in the month of November since 2016. In the six seasons prior, Eastern combined for a total of 15 wins. Furthermore, if you exclude 2020's COVID-shortened season when the schedule began in November, EMU's winning percentage jumps to .650 (13-7).
» Tonight's victory marks the programs third consecutive over Akron. The Eagles have not won three-or-more consecutive games against the Zips since the 1994-1997 seasons, respectively, when they tabbed four victories in a row over Akron. The three-game win streak is the second-best for Eastern Michigan in the 34-game series history between the two institutions.
» Evans' two touchdowns in tonight's contests moves his career total to 25. He is now tied with Kerry Keating (1954-57) for the fifth-most scores in program history. Evans would move into the No. 1 spot with 32 touchdowns. Eastern legend Gary Patton (1984-87) currently holds the top spot, with 31.
» EMU has forced multiple interceptions in two games this season (at Ball State, Oct. 22; at Akron, Nov. 8). EMU has not recorded multiple games with multiple interceptions in a season since the 2019 campaign. The Green and White picked off Coastal Carolina four times, Aug. 31, before intercepting three NIU passes, Nov. 19.
» Sparacio recorded the first interception by an EMU linebacker since the 2018 season, tonight, against the Zips. The last Eastern linebacker to collect an interception was Jaylen Pickett (2015-18), who did so against Western Michigan, Oct. 6, 2018.
Team Stats
EMU 3, AKR 0
EMU - GOMEZ, Jesus 24 yd field goal 13 plays, 70 yards, TOP 7:00
EMU 3, AKR 7
AKR - Adams,Alex 10 yd pass from Irons,DJ (Smigel,Cory kick) 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:18
EMU 10, AKR 7
EMU - DRUMMOND, Dylan 40 yd pass from Smith,Austin (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 5 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:13
EMU 17, AKR 7
EMU - EVANS, Samson 9 yd run (GOMEZ, Jesus kick), 1 plays, 9 yards, TOP 0:07
EMU 17, AKR 14
AKR - Wiley,Cam 1 yd run (Smigel,Cory kick), 17 plays, 71 yards, TOP 7:45
EMU 24, AKR 14
EMU - KNUE, Tanner 10 yd pass from Smith,Austin (GOMEZ, Jesus kick) 8 plays, 79 yards, TOP 1:31
EMU 31, AKR 14
EMU - EVANS, Samson 23 yd run (GOMEZ, Jesus kick), 3 plays, 21 yards, TOP 1:00
EMU 31, AKR 21
AKR - Wiley,Cam 11 yd run (Smigel,Cory kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:29
EMU 31, AKR 28
AKR - Wiley,Cam 55 yd run (Smigel,Cory kick), 1 plays, 55 yards, TOP 0:11
EMU 34, AKR 28
EMU - GOMEZ, Jesus 43 yd field goal 10 plays, 39 yards, TOP 4:44
