Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-2 , 0-0
Jacksonville State
3-1 , 1-0
Eagles Come Up Short in Road Loss at Jax State
9/23/2023 8:26:00 PM | Football
Tomasek had a strong game that included a 72-yard punt
Box score (PDF) | Postgame Audio | Photo Gallery | Highlights
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team fell to the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks, 21-0, in its final regular-season non-conference matchup, Saturday, Sept. 23, on Burgess-Snow Field.
How it Happened
Despite a potent ground game, the Eagles were able to bend and not break. They held the hosts to three scores in the game while thwarting several others, including forcing the Gamecocks to turn the ball over on downs inside the Eastern five-yard line in the third quarter.
The hosts scored one each in the first three quarters to build their lead, taking leads of 7-0 in the first, 14-0 at halftime, and 21-0 at the end of three. While the EMU offense was unable to score, the play of punter Mitchell Tomasek (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) helped the defense as he continually flipped the field, including booting a 72-yarder, the longest in the nation this year.
Game Notes
> The Eagles employed three quarterbacks in the game with both junior Ike Udengwu III (Paramount, Calif./Workman/Mt. San Antonio) and sophomore Cam'Ron McCoy (St. Louis, Mo./St. Mary's) both making their EMU debuts on the gridiron. Udengwu finished the game compiling 42 passing yards off seven completed passes while McCoy, who pitched for the EMU baseball team last spring, saw his first football action, finishing with one rushing attempt
> Wide receiver JB Mitchell III (Alabaster, Ala./Thompson) hauled in three receptions for 23 yards throughout the contest, marking a career-high in the Alabaster, Ala., native's, 'homecoming' to his home state, as he grew up just 90 minutes southwest of Jacksonville.
> Breaking up a JSU pass in the first quarter, freshman defensive back Daiquan White (Fairburn, Ga./Creekside) has registered a pass break-up in each of his first four collegiate football games. The first-year standout is the only EMU defensive back to notch a PBU in each of the team's first four games. Additionally, White sits tied for second in the MAC with four PBUs.
> Punter Mitchell Tomasek recorded a career-high 72-yard punt in the second quarter against the Gamecocks and flipped the field from the EMU 20 to the Jax State 8-yard line. Tomasek's 72-yard boomer goes down as a career-best for the junior, it is also the longest punt of the 2023 college football season in the NCAA FBS. Tomasek joins Matt Hayball (Vanderbilt University), Porter Wilson (Duke University), and Tyler Perkins (Iowa State University) as the only punters to record a 70-yard boot this year. Moreover, it is the longest punt by an Eagle since former EMU punter Jake Julien had a 71-yarder versus Army, Oct. 27, 2018. The only two longer punts in EMU history came by way of former Normalites punter Charles Nemeth in 1940 and 1943. Furthermore, the reigning MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week set a career-high in both punts (eight) and punting yards (398).
> Tomasek finished the game with eight punts totaling 398 yards (the 15th-highest single game total at EMU) for an average of 49.8 per boot. The average ranks as the fifth-best in a single game in program history behind three games from Jake Julien and one from Austin Barnes. In fact, his 49.8 average is the highest non-50+ average in program history, bettering the 49.5 average recorded by Jay Karutz, who did so at Miami University, Sept. 11, 2010.
> Corralling nine tackles against the Gamecocks', senior linebacker Justin Jefferson (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) tabbed a career-best outing.
> Dragging down the Gamecocks' running back in the second quarter for a loss of two yards, David Carter Jr. (Ecorse, Mich./River Rouge) tabbed the first tackle for loss of his college football career. Carter Jr. also broke-up a Jax State pass in the contest, marking the first game in which the senior has secured both a TFL and PBU.
> Joe Sparacio (Naples, Fla./First Baptist Academy/Boston College) showed up yet again as the graduate student recorded 14 tackles, marking his fourth consecutive double-digit tackling performance. The last time EMU had a double-digit tackler in four consecutive games came via former Eagle Terry Myrick who did so in four games from Nov. 3-27, 2020. Sparacio currently leads the MAC in tackles (52).
Historical Notes
> The loss to Jacksonville State puts the Eagles behind, 1-0, in the all-time series following the inaugural meeting today.
> Today's contest marked just the third time EMU has played a football game in the state of Alabama. Previously, Eastern played in the 2021 Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile and the 2018 Camellia Bowl in Montgomery.
> With the 21-0 loss, Eastern Michigan was shut out for just the second time in the Chris Creighton era. The first time came in Creighton's first year coaching the Eagles (2014), a 65-0 loss to the University of Florida Gators.
Up Next
Next, the Eagles will renew their rivalry with fellow Michigan MAC foe, Central Michigan University. The Eagles and Chippewas are set to kickoff Saturday, Sept. 30, at 1:30 p.m. from inside Kelly-Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+, fans can also tune into WEMU (89.1FM) with Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick on the call, along with pregame and halftime contributions from Greg Steiner.
Team Stats
EMU 0, JSU 7
JSU - Lane,Quinton 16 yd pass from Smothers,Logan (Karajic,Alen kick) 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 02:27
EMU 0, JSU 14
JSU - Smothers,Logan 41 yd run (Karajic,Alen kick), 4 plays, 69 yards, TOP 01:06
EMU 0, JSU 21
JSU - Evans,J'Wan 1 yd run (Karajic,Alen kick), 4 plays, 48 yards, TOP 01:19
