Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 17
Ypsilanti, Mich.
3:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-4 , 3-1
14
vs
34
Toledo
5-2 , 2-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 10 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
| Eastern Michigan | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Eastern Falls on Homecoming to Toledo
10/17/2026 8:22:00 PM | Football
Long led the way with another strong receiving performance for the Eagles
Box score (PDF) | Photo Gallery | Postgame Press Conference | Video Highlights.
YPSILANTI (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team suffered a 34-14 Homecoming defeat to the University of Toledo, Oct. 17, inside Rynearson Stadium, ending its three-game Mid-American Conference winning streak. A season-high 10,373 fans created a festive atmosphere inside 'The Factory', but it was not enough as the Eagles fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in the MAC while the Rockets moved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
How It Happened
The visitors opened the scoring with a touchdown on their opening drive after Eastern failed to convert on a fourth-and-four from the Toledo 35-yard line. On the ensuing drive, Noah Kim (Centreville, Va./Westview/Michigan State/Coastal Carolina) fumbled the ball on a strip-sack by the UT defense on the Eastern 25, but the defense stood tall and held the Rockets to a 30-yard field goal to put the hosts down 10-0 through the first quarter of play.
In the second, Toledo added a 1-yard touchdown run to extend its lead to 17-0. The Eagles struck back as Kim found Joshua Long (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola/El Camino CC) for a 30-yard touchdown pass, and Rudy Kessinger (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) was good on the point-after to make it 17-7. The reception marked the longest of Long's career and gave him his fifth career touchdown reception. Toledo responded with an 81-yard drive to make it 24-7 with under eight minutes to play in the half. After Daniel Hull (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge Senior/Missouri) sent a 58-yard punt to the Toledo 10-yard line, the Rockets drove the field once again to add another touchdown and take a 31-7 lead into the break.
The third quarter opened with the Eastern defense forcing Toledo's first punt after Bryce Llewellyn (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral/Charleston Southern) brought down the UT ball carrier for a 4-yard loss, but a muffed return by the Eagles set up the Rockets at the Eastern 13-yard line. The defense stood tall once again as it held the Rockets to a 30-yard field goal after two consecutive plays that saw official reviews overturn EMU takeaways, with the first seeing Joseph Oluwayemi (Dallas, Texas/North Texas/Harding) scoop up a fumbled backward pass before Llewellyn forced a fumble after a reception that rolled out of bounds for a touchback one play later.
Later in the quarter, Kim found Harold Mack, Jr. (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne) on a 12-yard passing touchdown to cap an-11-play, 68-yard drive to cut into the UT lead, 34-14. The drive saw Nate Lyman (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) make his collegiate debut and pull in a 26-yard pass on third-and-20 to keep the drive alive, while a fourth-down pass interference penalty on the Rockets kept the Eagles' drive alive. Neither team scored in the final stanza, with Toledo grabbing the win, 34-14.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan used three quarterbacks in the game, with Noah Kim earning the start before both Jace Stuckey (Fairland, Ind./Triton Central) and Brogan McCaughey (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier/Yale) saw action in the fourth. Kim finished with 214 yards on 16-of-36 passing and two touchdowns, while Stuckey went 2-of-3 for 10 yards and McCaughey went 2-of-4 for 18. McCaughey, who saw his first career action with the Eagles, used his legs to post 19 yards on three carries, including a long of 18.
» Joshua Long led the receiving group with seven grabs for 84 yards and one touchdown, marking his second-best totals in both receptions and yards behind his nine-catch, 114-yard performance at Akron last week. With that yardage, he has accumulated 198 yards on 16 receptions in the past two games, after entering the season with 168 yards total in the first six games of 2026. Additionally, he has now had five games with at least five receptions this year after posting five catches in one contest last year (Northern Illinois, Oct. 11, 2025).
» The 30-yard touchdown reception for Joshua Long in the second quarter marked the longest reception of his career, surpassing his 27-yard catch last year against Louisiana (Sept. 20, 2025). The reception was also the Eagles' fourth-longest touchdown of the season and the third-longest touchdown reception in 2026.
» Harold Mack Jr., pulled in his team-leading fourth touchdown of the season in the third quarter and gave him back-to-back games with a touchdown for the first time in his career after scoring at Akron last week. Mack finished the game with 37 yards on four grabs.
» Nate Lyman saw his first career action and recorded his first career reception as he pulled in a 26-yard pass from Noah Kim in the third quarter on third-and-20 to pick up the first down and keep the EMU drive alive.
» Bryce Llewellyn led the defense with a season-high 10 tackles, marking his first double-digit total of the year and his first since posting a career-high 13 against Ohio, Oct. 25, 2025. Llewellyn was all over the field for the Eagles, leading the team with seven solo stops, adding 0.5 TFLs and recording one of the team's two pass breakups.
» Tylan Boykin (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) recorded a career-high five tackles while tying his career-high with 0.5 TFLs. He previously recorded 0.5 TFLs against San Jose State earlier this year, where he set his career-high of four tackles, which he tied at UMass two weeks ago.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, Eastern saw its three-game winning streak snapped as it fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in MAC play while Toledo improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
» Eastern slipped to 13-40-0 all-time against Toledo and 8-19-0 when hosting the Rockets in Ypsilanti. The Eagles also fell to 2-4-0 when playing the Rockets on Homecoming.
» Eastern dropped to 50-46-2 on Homecoming and 24-32-1 when playing the game inside Rynearson Stadium (since 1969). The loss also snapped a five-game winning streak in Homecoming games.
Up Next
The final Saturday game of the regular season awaits Eastern Michigan on the road next week when the Eagles head to Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio, for a clash with the Bobcats of Ohio University, Oct. 24. The game will air live on ESPNU with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM), the Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM radio.
YPSILANTI (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team suffered a 34-14 Homecoming defeat to the University of Toledo, Oct. 17, inside Rynearson Stadium, ending its three-game Mid-American Conference winning streak. A season-high 10,373 fans created a festive atmosphere inside 'The Factory', but it was not enough as the Eagles fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in the MAC while the Rockets moved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
How It Happened
The visitors opened the scoring with a touchdown on their opening drive after Eastern failed to convert on a fourth-and-four from the Toledo 35-yard line. On the ensuing drive, Noah Kim (Centreville, Va./Westview/Michigan State/Coastal Carolina) fumbled the ball on a strip-sack by the UT defense on the Eastern 25, but the defense stood tall and held the Rockets to a 30-yard field goal to put the hosts down 10-0 through the first quarter of play.
In the second, Toledo added a 1-yard touchdown run to extend its lead to 17-0. The Eagles struck back as Kim found Joshua Long (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola/El Camino CC) for a 30-yard touchdown pass, and Rudy Kessinger (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) was good on the point-after to make it 17-7. The reception marked the longest of Long's career and gave him his fifth career touchdown reception. Toledo responded with an 81-yard drive to make it 24-7 with under eight minutes to play in the half. After Daniel Hull (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge Senior/Missouri) sent a 58-yard punt to the Toledo 10-yard line, the Rockets drove the field once again to add another touchdown and take a 31-7 lead into the break.
The third quarter opened with the Eastern defense forcing Toledo's first punt after Bryce Llewellyn (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral/Charleston Southern) brought down the UT ball carrier for a 4-yard loss, but a muffed return by the Eagles set up the Rockets at the Eastern 13-yard line. The defense stood tall once again as it held the Rockets to a 30-yard field goal after two consecutive plays that saw official reviews overturn EMU takeaways, with the first seeing Joseph Oluwayemi (Dallas, Texas/North Texas/Harding) scoop up a fumbled backward pass before Llewellyn forced a fumble after a reception that rolled out of bounds for a touchback one play later.
Later in the quarter, Kim found Harold Mack, Jr. (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne) on a 12-yard passing touchdown to cap an-11-play, 68-yard drive to cut into the UT lead, 34-14. The drive saw Nate Lyman (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) make his collegiate debut and pull in a 26-yard pass on third-and-20 to keep the drive alive, while a fourth-down pass interference penalty on the Rockets kept the Eagles' drive alive. Neither team scored in the final stanza, with Toledo grabbing the win, 34-14.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan used three quarterbacks in the game, with Noah Kim earning the start before both Jace Stuckey (Fairland, Ind./Triton Central) and Brogan McCaughey (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier/Yale) saw action in the fourth. Kim finished with 214 yards on 16-of-36 passing and two touchdowns, while Stuckey went 2-of-3 for 10 yards and McCaughey went 2-of-4 for 18. McCaughey, who saw his first career action with the Eagles, used his legs to post 19 yards on three carries, including a long of 18.
» Joshua Long led the receiving group with seven grabs for 84 yards and one touchdown, marking his second-best totals in both receptions and yards behind his nine-catch, 114-yard performance at Akron last week. With that yardage, he has accumulated 198 yards on 16 receptions in the past two games, after entering the season with 168 yards total in the first six games of 2026. Additionally, he has now had five games with at least five receptions this year after posting five catches in one contest last year (Northern Illinois, Oct. 11, 2025).
» The 30-yard touchdown reception for Joshua Long in the second quarter marked the longest reception of his career, surpassing his 27-yard catch last year against Louisiana (Sept. 20, 2025). The reception was also the Eagles' fourth-longest touchdown of the season and the third-longest touchdown reception in 2026.
» Harold Mack Jr., pulled in his team-leading fourth touchdown of the season in the third quarter and gave him back-to-back games with a touchdown for the first time in his career after scoring at Akron last week. Mack finished the game with 37 yards on four grabs.
» Nate Lyman saw his first career action and recorded his first career reception as he pulled in a 26-yard pass from Noah Kim in the third quarter on third-and-20 to pick up the first down and keep the EMU drive alive.
» Bryce Llewellyn led the defense with a season-high 10 tackles, marking his first double-digit total of the year and his first since posting a career-high 13 against Ohio, Oct. 25, 2025. Llewellyn was all over the field for the Eagles, leading the team with seven solo stops, adding 0.5 TFLs and recording one of the team's two pass breakups.
» Tylan Boykin (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) recorded a career-high five tackles while tying his career-high with 0.5 TFLs. He previously recorded 0.5 TFLs against San Jose State earlier this year, where he set his career-high of four tackles, which he tied at UMass two weeks ago.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, Eastern saw its three-game winning streak snapped as it fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in MAC play while Toledo improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
» Eastern slipped to 13-40-0 all-time against Toledo and 8-19-0 when hosting the Rockets in Ypsilanti. The Eagles also fell to 2-4-0 when playing the Rockets on Homecoming.
» Eastern dropped to 50-46-2 on Homecoming and 24-32-1 when playing the game inside Rynearson Stadium (since 1969). The loss also snapped a five-game winning streak in Homecoming games.
Up Next
The final Saturday game of the regular season awaits Eastern Michigan on the road next week when the Eagles head to Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio, for a clash with the Bobcats of Ohio University, Oct. 24. The game will air live on ESPNU with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick will have the call on WEMU (89.1 FM), the Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM radio.
Players Mentioned
DB
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P
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K
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QB
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DB
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TE
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WR
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WR
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QB
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DL
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/ FootballTeam Stats
TOL
EMU
Total Yards
480
276
Pass Yards
288
242
Rushing Yards
192
34
Penalty Yards
118
30
1st Downs
21
21
3rd Downs
5
5
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
33:35
26:25
1st Quarter
TOL 7, EMU 0
TOL - Dabbs,Adjatay 28 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:04
TOL 10, EMU 0
TOL - Griffith,Reice 30 yd field goal 4 plays, 2 yards, TOP 01:22
2nd Quarter
TOL 17, EMU 0
TOL - Miller,CJ 1 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 06:00
TOL 17, EMU 7
EMU - Long,Joshua 30 yd pass from Kim,Noah (Kessinger,Rudy kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:18
TOL 24, EMU 7
TOL - Ison,Autavius 13 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 7 plays, 81 yards, TOP 03:12
TOL 31, EMU 7
TOL - Miller,CJ 3 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 11 plays, 90 yards, TOP 03:44
3rd Quarter
TOL 34, EMU 7
TOL - Griffith,Reice 29 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 00:46
TOL 34, EMU 14
EMU - Mack,Harold 12 yd pass from Kim,Noah (Kessinger,Rudy kick) 11 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:25
Game Leaders
Sunday, October 18
Friday, October 16
Thursday, October 15
Monday, October 12