Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, September 10
Lafayette, La.
6 p.m. CT
Eastern Michigan University
21
at
49
Louisiana
EMU's Halftime Lead Not Enough; Football Falls at Louisiana
9/10/2022 11:36:00 PM | Football
Senior Tanner Knue hauled in his team-leading third touchdown reception of the season
Postgame Comments: Chris_Creighton
Postgame Highlights (Short) | Postgame Highlights (Full)
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LAFAYETTE, La. (EMUEagles.com) – Despite holding a halftime lead, the Eastern Michigan University football team was not able to secure a victory over the University of Louisiana, where it fell, 49-21, inside Cajun Field Saturday, Sept. 10. The Ragin' Cajuns extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 consecutive games.
How It Happened
The Eagles (1-1, 0-0 MAC) jumped out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead thanks to a touchdown from senior tight end Aaron Jackson (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Technical). The contest then went into a 1:45 lighting delay just three minutes before halftime. When the teams took the field to finish the second quarter, the Eagles doubled their lead to take a 14-0 advantage heading into the break.
The Ragin' Cajuns outscored the Eagles 49-7 in the second half to take the victory over EMU.
Game Notes
» Jackson added another "first" in his EMU career with 8:29 left on the clock in the first quarter. The Detroit, Mich. Native hauled in a three-yard touchdown reception, finding the pay dirt for the first time in his career. Jackson had just three career receptions entering the contest, with his most recent coming in a game against Toledo, Nov. 18, 2020.
» Senior running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) showed off his arm in the first quarter, as he delivered a three-yard touchdown pass to Jackson to cap EMU's opening drive. The TD pass was the fourth of Evans' career at EMU. He tossed for a trio of touchdowns during the 2021 campaign.
» EMU put together a stellar opening drive against the Ragin' Cajuns. The 13-play, 75-yard set took 6:31 off the clock, and goes as Eastern's first game-opening touchdown since the Eagles put seven on the board against Ohio University, Nov. 9, 2021. Eastern had gone four games, dating back to last season, without an opening-drive TD. EMU's 13-play drive is its best in 2022. The Eagles' previous long, in terms of number of plays, was 10, which came against EKU, Sept. 2
» The EMU defense pitched a first-quarter shutout against the Ragin' Cajuns. Tonight's contest marked a scoreless first quarter for Louisiana for the first time since the 2021 season, when they were kept off the board against Georgia State University, Nov. 4.
» The Eagles have held their opponents scoreless in consecutive first quarters to begin the 2022 campaign. The Eastern Michigan defense has not held its opposition off the board in the first quarter in consecutive games since the 2019 campaign, when it did so against the University of Akron, Nov. 12, and Northern Illinois University, Nov. 19.
» It did not take senior wide out Dylan Drummond (Cleveland, Ohio-Cuyahoga Heights) long to find the stat sheet. He was the recipient of a five-yard pass on the first play of the game for Eastern. Drummond now has a reception in 33 consecutive games. That number is tied for the second most among all active FBS receivers. The University of Minnesota's Chris Autman-Bell has registered at least one catch in 40 consecutive contests.
» The EMU defense held Louisiana off the scoreboard for the entirety of the first half. It marked the first time the Eagles have blanked an opponent in a half since the 2019 campaign, when they kept the Akron Zips from scoring in the first 30 minutes, Nov. 12. EMU won that contest, 42-14.
» A lightning delay saw the action between EMU and UL paused for 1:03 before resuming at 9:26 p.m. ET. The delay is the first for EMU this season, and the longest since Oct. 2, 2021, when the Eagles and NIU Huskies stopped play for 2:45.
» Senior Tanner Knue (Mason,Ohio-Mason) helped the Eagles close out the first half in fine fashion as he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass, EMU's second score of the first stanza. The reception was Knue's team-leading third touchdown haul of the season. Knue has now scored in consecutive games for the second time in his career, the first since 2020 season, when he did so against Western Michigan University, Dec. 5, and NIU, Dec. 12.
» Junior wide receiver Darius Lassiter (Chandler, Ariz.-Lawrence Free State-Butler CC) hauled in an EMU-career-best 44-yard grab with 9:08 left in the third quarter, a grab which helped EMU find the endzone for the third time in the game just moments later. Lassiter's grab is the longest for any EMU player this season. The previous long grab was a 40-yard haul by Drummond, against EKU, Sept. 2.
» Senior quarterback Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.-Fayetteville-Missouri-Troy)'s 44-yard strike to Lassiter in the third quarter of tonight's game is tied for his second-longest collegiate completion. Powell, who had previous stints at the University of Missouri and Troy University, has a career-best single-pass mark of 49 yards, which came against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Sept. 25, 2021. He has hit on a 44-yard pass one time previously, in his first collegiate game against University of Tennessee-Martin, Sept. 1, 2018.
» Junior running back Darius Boone Jr. (Tulsa, Okla.-Union) found the pay dirt for the first time this season and ninth time in his career when he rushed for a one-yard score in the third quarter. The score was Boone's first since Oct. 23, 2021, when he punched one in at Bowling Green State University.
Historical Notes
» Louisiana now leads the all-time ledger with EMU, 2-1. EMU is now 8-13-1 against current Sun Belt Conference foes.
Up Next
The Eagles will continue their non-conference road trip with a meeting at Arizona State, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. MST (11 p.m. ET) inside Sun Devil Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the PAC-12 Network, as well as WEMU 89.1 FM in local markets
Postgame Highlights (Short) | Postgame Highlights (Full)
Photo Gallery
LAFAYETTE, La. (EMUEagles.com) – Despite holding a halftime lead, the Eastern Michigan University football team was not able to secure a victory over the University of Louisiana, where it fell, 49-21, inside Cajun Field Saturday, Sept. 10. The Ragin' Cajuns extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 consecutive games.
How It Happened
The Eagles (1-1, 0-0 MAC) jumped out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead thanks to a touchdown from senior tight end Aaron Jackson (Detroit, Mich.-Cass Technical). The contest then went into a 1:45 lighting delay just three minutes before halftime. When the teams took the field to finish the second quarter, the Eagles doubled their lead to take a 14-0 advantage heading into the break.
The Ragin' Cajuns outscored the Eagles 49-7 in the second half to take the victory over EMU.
Game Notes
» Jackson added another "first" in his EMU career with 8:29 left on the clock in the first quarter. The Detroit, Mich. Native hauled in a three-yard touchdown reception, finding the pay dirt for the first time in his career. Jackson had just three career receptions entering the contest, with his most recent coming in a game against Toledo, Nov. 18, 2020.
» Senior running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) showed off his arm in the first quarter, as he delivered a three-yard touchdown pass to Jackson to cap EMU's opening drive. The TD pass was the fourth of Evans' career at EMU. He tossed for a trio of touchdowns during the 2021 campaign.
» EMU put together a stellar opening drive against the Ragin' Cajuns. The 13-play, 75-yard set took 6:31 off the clock, and goes as Eastern's first game-opening touchdown since the Eagles put seven on the board against Ohio University, Nov. 9, 2021. Eastern had gone four games, dating back to last season, without an opening-drive TD. EMU's 13-play drive is its best in 2022. The Eagles' previous long, in terms of number of plays, was 10, which came against EKU, Sept. 2
» The EMU defense pitched a first-quarter shutout against the Ragin' Cajuns. Tonight's contest marked a scoreless first quarter for Louisiana for the first time since the 2021 season, when they were kept off the board against Georgia State University, Nov. 4.
» The Eagles have held their opponents scoreless in consecutive first quarters to begin the 2022 campaign. The Eastern Michigan defense has not held its opposition off the board in the first quarter in consecutive games since the 2019 campaign, when it did so against the University of Akron, Nov. 12, and Northern Illinois University, Nov. 19.
» It did not take senior wide out Dylan Drummond (Cleveland, Ohio-Cuyahoga Heights) long to find the stat sheet. He was the recipient of a five-yard pass on the first play of the game for Eastern. Drummond now has a reception in 33 consecutive games. That number is tied for the second most among all active FBS receivers. The University of Minnesota's Chris Autman-Bell has registered at least one catch in 40 consecutive contests.
» The EMU defense held Louisiana off the scoreboard for the entirety of the first half. It marked the first time the Eagles have blanked an opponent in a half since the 2019 campaign, when they kept the Akron Zips from scoring in the first 30 minutes, Nov. 12. EMU won that contest, 42-14.
» A lightning delay saw the action between EMU and UL paused for 1:03 before resuming at 9:26 p.m. ET. The delay is the first for EMU this season, and the longest since Oct. 2, 2021, when the Eagles and NIU Huskies stopped play for 2:45.
» Senior Tanner Knue (Mason,Ohio-Mason) helped the Eagles close out the first half in fine fashion as he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass, EMU's second score of the first stanza. The reception was Knue's team-leading third touchdown haul of the season. Knue has now scored in consecutive games for the second time in his career, the first since 2020 season, when he did so against Western Michigan University, Dec. 5, and NIU, Dec. 12.
» Junior wide receiver Darius Lassiter (Chandler, Ariz.-Lawrence Free State-Butler CC) hauled in an EMU-career-best 44-yard grab with 9:08 left in the third quarter, a grab which helped EMU find the endzone for the third time in the game just moments later. Lassiter's grab is the longest for any EMU player this season. The previous long grab was a 40-yard haul by Drummond, against EKU, Sept. 2.
» Senior quarterback Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.-Fayetteville-Missouri-Troy)'s 44-yard strike to Lassiter in the third quarter of tonight's game is tied for his second-longest collegiate completion. Powell, who had previous stints at the University of Missouri and Troy University, has a career-best single-pass mark of 49 yards, which came against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Sept. 25, 2021. He has hit on a 44-yard pass one time previously, in his first collegiate game against University of Tennessee-Martin, Sept. 1, 2018.
» Junior running back Darius Boone Jr. (Tulsa, Okla.-Union) found the pay dirt for the first time this season and ninth time in his career when he rushed for a one-yard score in the third quarter. The score was Boone's first since Oct. 23, 2021, when he punched one in at Bowling Green State University.
Historical Notes
» Louisiana now leads the all-time ledger with EMU, 2-1. EMU is now 8-13-1 against current Sun Belt Conference foes.
Up Next
The Eagles will continue their non-conference road trip with a meeting at Arizona State, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. MST (11 p.m. ET) inside Sun Devil Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the PAC-12 Network, as well as WEMU 89.1 FM in local markets
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