The Eastern Michigan University football team was looking to spoil rival Central Michigan’s homecoming festivities in Mount Pleasant and accomplished the task with a 35-28 win over the Chippewas. It was the first time the Eagles defeated the Chippewas since their 2008 season finale with a 56-52 win in the Eagles’ last game under Head Coach Jeff Genyk.
EMU (4-3, 2-1) was coming off of a defeat to the Rockets in Toledo while Central Michigan (2-5, 1-2) came back home after losing on the road to North Carolina State. The status of the health of Javonti Greene and Dominique Sherrer were both questionable, but Greene was able to play in the game.
Central Michigan got the ball to start, but could only go three plays and out on its first drive. Eastern got the ball and constructed a solid drive until resorting to a 46-yard field goal, which Kody Fulkerson missed wide left.
CMU would then march down the field and reduce to kicking a 28-yard field goal, giving the Chippewas a 3-0 lead at the 5:20 mark. The next drive for EMU resulted in a touchdown score from a Dominique White run for one yard, giving the Eagles a 7-3 lead, which they held on to until the end of the first quarter.
The next EMU drive featured a 66-yard run by White, but EMU struggled to put the ball in the end zone, resorting to a 39-yard field goal, which Fulkerson missed wide right.
Central Michigan responded by making another field goal, this time from 41 yards, reducing the EMU lead to 7-6. The score would hold up as both teams headed to the locker room at halftime.
On its first possession of the second half, EMU ran the ball on all of its plays capped off by a Javonti Greene 36-yard touchdown run to put EMU ahead 14-6. CMU answered back when Ryan Radcliff found David Blackburn in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown pass and CMU trailed by just one point.
Javonti Greene added another touchdown score with his 2-yard scamper to put EMU in the lead 21-13 early in the fourth quarter. CMU went three and out on its next possession, but the punt was blocked and returned by Nate Paopao to the CMU 5-yard line. Alex Gillett would hand the ball off to Greene who went in for the touchdown to put EMU ahead 28-13.
Central Michigan did not go down quietly as Radcliff completed an 11-yard pass to Titus Davis for a touchdown to bring the Chippewas within eight of the Eagles (28-20) with 3:36 left in the game.
CMU scored another touchdown on its next possession and made the two point conversion to tie the game. But when EMU got the ball back it only took three plays, including a 30 yard run by Gillett, to put the Eagles ahead 35-28. On the last drive for CMU, Marcell Rose intercepted a hail Mary pass in the end zone to seal the victory for the Eagles.
Greene recorded three touchdowns in his return and rushing for 96 yards on 19 carries while White also made 19 carries for 161 yards. Gillett was 6 for 8 in the air for 76 yards and ran for 93 yards on 11 rushes.
CMU quarterback Ryan Radcliff was 33 for 50 in passing attempts and threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles will return home to play Western Michigan at Rynearson Stadium for their homecoming game against the Broncos on Saturday, Oct. 22, with a scheduled 1 p.m. kickoff.
