Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 24
Athens, Ohio
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-5 , 3-2
20
at
24
Ohio
6-2 , 4-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Ohio | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
10/24/2026 8:06:00 PM | Football
Eastern nearly pulled out the win with two gritty drives in the fourth quarter
Box score (PDF) | Photo Gallery | Postgame Audio
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team took the game to the final play and nearly halted Ohio University's national-leading home winning streak, but the comeback bid ended with an incomplete pass as the Bobcats escaped with a 24-20 Homecoming win inside Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio. The Eagles (4-5, 3-2 MAC) battled throughout the game and rallied around Brogan McCaughey, who earned his first career FBS-level start at quarterback, to push the Bobcats (6-1, 4-0 MAC) to the brink.
How It Happened
The hosts scored first on a 78-yard passing play in a two-play, 80-yard scoring drive to build a 7-0 lead that carried into the second quarter. In the second stanza, EMU drove, but a long pass from McCaughey (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier/Yale) was deflected and intercepted, ending the Eagles' threat. On Ohio's next possession, the quarterback tried to step up into the pocket, but Alijah Lacey (Savannah, Ga./New Hampstead/GA Southern/Georgia Military) popped the ball loose, with Aaron Kearse (Americus, Ga./Sumter County) grabbing the ball out of the air and running 25 yards for the defensive touchdown and a tied game, 7-7.
On EMU's next drive, the Eagles punted, but the return was fumbled as Bryce Eliuk (Linden, Mich./Linden), who wore 'The Zero' in the game for defense, punched the ball loose from the returner with Quincy Byas (St. Louis, Mo./De Smet Jesuit), who donned 'The Zero' last week, recovering the ball. The Eagles scored on a 31-yard field goal from Rudy Kessinger (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) to take their first lead of the game, 10-7, with 4:49 to play in the half. Eastern battled defensively on the next drive and held Ohio to a 49-yard field goal, tying the contest at 10-10. The Eagles, however, executed their 2-minute offense and drove 52-yards before the kicking unit sprinted onto the field with under eight seconds to play. The unit got set, and Kessinger nailed a 41-yard field goal as time expired, sending the teams into halftime with Eastern up 13-10.
Ohio opened the third quarter with the ball and drove down the field before the defense forced a 48-yard field goal attempt. The Bobcats, however, faked the kick and tried to run for the first down, but Elgin McDuffey (Jackson, Miss./Callaway/East Central CC) stayed with the play and brought the ball carrier down short of the line to gain, giving the Eagles the ball on downs. Later in the quarter, Ohio punched it in from 1-yard out to reclaim the lead, 17-13, sending the game into the fourth.
With 8:05 remaining, the Eagles went to work from their own 2-yard line and drove 98 yards for the touchdown as McCaughey found Joey Mattord (Hartland, Mich./Hartland) streaking down the sideline for a 24-yard score. The 20-17 EMU lead was short-lived, however, as DJ James-Hamilton returned the kickoff 100 yards to put the hosts ahead, 24-20. Eastern drove again and kept the drive alive with a 6-yard pass to Mattord, but EMU could not find the end zone and fell, 24-20.
Game Notes
» Brogan McCaughey was called into action as the starting quarterback and nearly drove the Eagles to the win as he finished 27-of-39 for 197 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception while rushing nine times for minus-5 yards. This was McCaughey's first start at the FBS level and his second career collegiate start after earning the nod Sept. 28, 2024, in a game at Cornell for Yale.
» The Eastern offense accumulated 307 yards of total offense, but had just 160 entering its final two drives of the game. On the penultimate drive, Brogan McCaughey led the way as the Eagles covered 98 yards on eight plays for a touchdown, before the final drive covered 49 yards on 13 plays.
» Eastern Michigan was 2-of-3 on fourth downs with all three coming in the fourth quarter. On the first play, Brogan McCaughey found Tanner Lemaster for a 34-yard pass, then connected with Joey Mattord for a 24-yard touchdown on the next play. On the final drive, Mattord pulled in a 6-yard pass from McCaughey to keep the drive alive, with the only failed conversion on fourth down coming on the final play of the game when the pass was too long in the back of the end zone.
» Joshua Long (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola/El Camino) recorded four receptions for 17 yards to move closer to a pair of program tight end receiving records. With his catches, Long has caught 42 passes this year, leaving him two behind Tyresse Russell, who pulled in 44 in 2013. Additionally, Long brought his career total to 79, with Russell (2011-14) leading the way with 101.
» Nick Devereaux (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice/Davenport) returned to the lineup for the first time since the game at Wisconsin and finished with four receptions for 28 yards.
» Bryce Llewellyn (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral/Charleston Southern) led the way on defense with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, while Elgin McDuffey posted a team-high 2.0 TFLs to go along with his seven tackles.
» Since the 1967 season, Eastern has recorded multiple fumble recovery touchdowns in the same season just two times, with the first coming in 1995 with two touchdowns off fumble recoveries at Akron (Sept. 2, 1995). In that game, Kwesi Ramsey returned a fumble 45 yards for a score, and Mike Thomas added a 60-yard return for a touchdown as well against the Zips.
» Eastern forced fumbles on back-to-back Ohio possessions, marking the first time the Eagles have recovered multiple fumbles in a single game since grabbing two against Central Michigan, Oct. 19, 2024. Since 1995, Eastern has forced multiple fumbles in the same game 66 times.
» The Eastern defense limited a potent Ohio rushing attack to just 90 yards in the game, marking the first time a MAC opponent has held the Bobcats under the century mark since Oct. 28, 2023. In that game, Ohio ran for 50 yards in its 30-16 loss in Athens to the RedHawks, which also marked the last time Ohio lost a home game.
» Daniel Hull (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge Senior/Missouri) punted seven times in the game, averaging a career-high 48.1 yards per boot (4+ punts), as he tallied 337 yards in total, marking just the third time this year he has punted six or more times. His career-high for punts and yards stands at 9 for 380 against San Jose State (Sept. 4). Additionally, Hull popped a career-long 62-yard punt early in the fourth quarter to flip the field.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, Eastern fell to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in MAC play while Ohio improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in league action.
» Ohio won its 17th consecutive home game, which currently stands as the longest in FBS.
» Eastern fell to 12-23-1 all-time in its series with Ohio and has dropped five consecutive meetings. Additionally, the Eagles fell to 5-11-1 when playing in Athens.
» Despite winning the turnover battle, 2-1, Eastern lost the game, dropping the team to 44-18 under Chris Creighton in such games.
Up Next
After nine consecutive weeks of play, Eastern will finally take a break with its next game slated to follow its game at Ohio 10 days later when the Eagles venture to downtown Detroit to face rival Central Michigan University in Motor City MACtion, Tuesday, Nov. 3, inside Ford Field. The game, which will be the first of three midweek games to close out the regular season, is set to kickoff at either 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and will be aired on either ESPN2, ESPNU, or CBS Sports Network, all of which will be announced next week. Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick will have the call from the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions on WEMU (89.1 FM), the Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM radio. Tickets for the rivalry game can be purchased here.
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team took the game to the final play and nearly halted Ohio University's national-leading home winning streak, but the comeback bid ended with an incomplete pass as the Bobcats escaped with a 24-20 Homecoming win inside Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio. The Eagles (4-5, 3-2 MAC) battled throughout the game and rallied around Brogan McCaughey, who earned his first career FBS-level start at quarterback, to push the Bobcats (6-1, 4-0 MAC) to the brink.
How It Happened
The hosts scored first on a 78-yard passing play in a two-play, 80-yard scoring drive to build a 7-0 lead that carried into the second quarter. In the second stanza, EMU drove, but a long pass from McCaughey (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier/Yale) was deflected and intercepted, ending the Eagles' threat. On Ohio's next possession, the quarterback tried to step up into the pocket, but Alijah Lacey (Savannah, Ga./New Hampstead/GA Southern/Georgia Military) popped the ball loose, with Aaron Kearse (Americus, Ga./Sumter County) grabbing the ball out of the air and running 25 yards for the defensive touchdown and a tied game, 7-7.
On EMU's next drive, the Eagles punted, but the return was fumbled as Bryce Eliuk (Linden, Mich./Linden), who wore 'The Zero' in the game for defense, punched the ball loose from the returner with Quincy Byas (St. Louis, Mo./De Smet Jesuit), who donned 'The Zero' last week, recovering the ball. The Eagles scored on a 31-yard field goal from Rudy Kessinger (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) to take their first lead of the game, 10-7, with 4:49 to play in the half. Eastern battled defensively on the next drive and held Ohio to a 49-yard field goal, tying the contest at 10-10. The Eagles, however, executed their 2-minute offense and drove 52-yards before the kicking unit sprinted onto the field with under eight seconds to play. The unit got set, and Kessinger nailed a 41-yard field goal as time expired, sending the teams into halftime with Eastern up 13-10.
Ohio opened the third quarter with the ball and drove down the field before the defense forced a 48-yard field goal attempt. The Bobcats, however, faked the kick and tried to run for the first down, but Elgin McDuffey (Jackson, Miss./Callaway/East Central CC) stayed with the play and brought the ball carrier down short of the line to gain, giving the Eagles the ball on downs. Later in the quarter, Ohio punched it in from 1-yard out to reclaim the lead, 17-13, sending the game into the fourth.
With 8:05 remaining, the Eagles went to work from their own 2-yard line and drove 98 yards for the touchdown as McCaughey found Joey Mattord (Hartland, Mich./Hartland) streaking down the sideline for a 24-yard score. The 20-17 EMU lead was short-lived, however, as DJ James-Hamilton returned the kickoff 100 yards to put the hosts ahead, 24-20. Eastern drove again and kept the drive alive with a 6-yard pass to Mattord, but EMU could not find the end zone and fell, 24-20.
Game Notes
» Brogan McCaughey was called into action as the starting quarterback and nearly drove the Eagles to the win as he finished 27-of-39 for 197 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception while rushing nine times for minus-5 yards. This was McCaughey's first start at the FBS level and his second career collegiate start after earning the nod Sept. 28, 2024, in a game at Cornell for Yale.
» The Eastern offense accumulated 307 yards of total offense, but had just 160 entering its final two drives of the game. On the penultimate drive, Brogan McCaughey led the way as the Eagles covered 98 yards on eight plays for a touchdown, before the final drive covered 49 yards on 13 plays.
» Eastern Michigan was 2-of-3 on fourth downs with all three coming in the fourth quarter. On the first play, Brogan McCaughey found Tanner Lemaster for a 34-yard pass, then connected with Joey Mattord for a 24-yard touchdown on the next play. On the final drive, Mattord pulled in a 6-yard pass from McCaughey to keep the drive alive, with the only failed conversion on fourth down coming on the final play of the game when the pass was too long in the back of the end zone.
» Joshua Long (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola/El Camino) recorded four receptions for 17 yards to move closer to a pair of program tight end receiving records. With his catches, Long has caught 42 passes this year, leaving him two behind Tyresse Russell, who pulled in 44 in 2013. Additionally, Long brought his career total to 79, with Russell (2011-14) leading the way with 101.
» Nick Devereaux (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice/Davenport) returned to the lineup for the first time since the game at Wisconsin and finished with four receptions for 28 yards.
» Bryce Llewellyn (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral/Charleston Southern) led the way on defense with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, while Elgin McDuffey posted a team-high 2.0 TFLs to go along with his seven tackles.
» Since the 1967 season, Eastern has recorded multiple fumble recovery touchdowns in the same season just two times, with the first coming in 1995 with two touchdowns off fumble recoveries at Akron (Sept. 2, 1995). In that game, Kwesi Ramsey returned a fumble 45 yards for a score, and Mike Thomas added a 60-yard return for a touchdown as well against the Zips.
» Eastern forced fumbles on back-to-back Ohio possessions, marking the first time the Eagles have recovered multiple fumbles in a single game since grabbing two against Central Michigan, Oct. 19, 2024. Since 1995, Eastern has forced multiple fumbles in the same game 66 times.
» The Eastern defense limited a potent Ohio rushing attack to just 90 yards in the game, marking the first time a MAC opponent has held the Bobcats under the century mark since Oct. 28, 2023. In that game, Ohio ran for 50 yards in its 30-16 loss in Athens to the RedHawks, which also marked the last time Ohio lost a home game.
» Daniel Hull (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge Senior/Missouri) punted seven times in the game, averaging a career-high 48.1 yards per boot (4+ punts), as he tallied 337 yards in total, marking just the third time this year he has punted six or more times. His career-high for punts and yards stands at 9 for 380 against San Jose State (Sept. 4). Additionally, Hull popped a career-long 62-yard punt early in the fourth quarter to flip the field.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, Eastern fell to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in MAC play while Ohio improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in league action.
» Ohio won its 17th consecutive home game, which currently stands as the longest in FBS.
» Eastern fell to 12-23-1 all-time in its series with Ohio and has dropped five consecutive meetings. Additionally, the Eagles fell to 5-11-1 when playing in Athens.
» Despite winning the turnover battle, 2-1, Eastern lost the game, dropping the team to 44-18 under Chris Creighton in such games.
Up Next
After nine consecutive weeks of play, Eastern will finally take a break with its next game slated to follow its game at Ohio 10 days later when the Eagles venture to downtown Detroit to face rival Central Michigan University in Motor City MACtion, Tuesday, Nov. 3, inside Ford Field. The game, which will be the first of three midweek games to close out the regular season, is set to kickoff at either 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and will be aired on either ESPN2, ESPNU, or CBS Sports Network, all of which will be announced next week. Tom Helmer and Rob Rubick will have the call from the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions on WEMU (89.1 FM), the Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM radio. Tickets for the rivalry game can be purchased here.
Players Mentioned
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
P
/ Football
LB
/ Football
K
/ Football
DL
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballTeam Stats
EMU
O-U
Total Yards
307
356
Pass Yards
197
266
Rushing Yards
110
90
Penalty Yards
35
25
1st Downs
18
17
3rd Downs
2
3
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
32:32
27:28
1st Quarter
EMU 0, O-U 7
O-U - Dorwart,Dom 78 yd pass from Poulos,Nick (Hryszko,Will kick) 2 plays, 80 yards, TOP 00:51
2nd Quarter
EMU 7, O-U 7
EMU - Kearse,Aaron 25 yd fumble recovery (Kessinger,Rudy kick)
EMU 10, O-U 7
EMU - Kessinger,Rudy 31 yd field goal 6 plays, 19 yards, TOP 02:32
EMU 10, O-U 10
O-U - Hryszko,Will 49 yd field goal 8 plays, 42 yards, TOP 03:10
EMU 13, O-U 10
EMU - Kessinger,Rudy 41 yd field goal 7 plays, 52 yards, TOP 01:39
3rd Quarter
EMU 13, O-U 17
O-U - Poulos,Nick 1 yd run (Hryszko,Will kick), 6 plays, 78 yards, TOP 03:21
4th Quarter
EMU 20, O-U 17
EMU - Mattord,Joey 24 yd pass from McCaughey,Brogan (Kessinger,Rudy kick) 8 plays, 98 yards, TOP 04:12
EMU 20, O-U 24
O-U - James-Hamilton,DJ 100 yd kickoff return (Hryszko,Will kick)
Game Leaders
CMP
27
TD
1
YDS
197
INT
1
Friday, October 23
Friday, October 23
Tuesday, October 20
Monday, October 19