The Eastern Michigan University football team clinched a non-losing season, even if it does not make a bowl game, after a 30-17 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bulls on Saturday.
The victory gives the Eagles (6-4, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) a chance at making a bowl game by winning at least one of the next two games, which are both on the road at Kent State and at Northern Illinois.
The victory also gives EMU its sixth victory of the season after it had only won five games in the last three years.
The Eagles are also 5-0 all-time against Buffalo (2-8, 1-5 MAC).
Before the first kickoff, EMU acknowledged 16 seniors, eight of which have made at least one start this season. The group included defensive backs Latarrius Thomas, Willie Williams, Martavius Cardwell and Nate Wilson; linebackers Nate PaoPao, Marcus English and Herb Waits; offensive line Bridger Buche; wide receiver Trey Hunter; quarterback Austin Karcher; and defensive line Javon Reese, Brad Ohrman, Jabar Westernman, Brandon Slater and Jasper Grimes.
“The seniors are now 5-1 at home this season,” coach Ron English said. “I wanted the seniors to finish that way at home on their last home game.”
Quarterback Alex Gillett 10-of-15 passes for 234 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing for 89 yards on 19 attempts.
The Eagles’ defense was very effective; as a whole it recorded eight sacks with lineman Brad Orhman accounting for two of them.
“We got off the ball in the obvious passing downs and got after the quarterback in those situations,” Orhman said.
The first half did not have as much fireworks as the second half would bring, as the score was only 9-3 at halftime with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Gillett to tight end Garrett Hoskins. The extra-point attempt was blocked, however. The
Eagles also missed a field goal near the end of the half.
The Bulls were shut out until the end of the first half when the no-huddle offense worked for Buffalo driving down for
43-yard field goal.
After an EMU three-and-out to start the second half, each team began to take scoring jabs at each other. The scoring began with a Buffalo drive that was capped of by a Brandon Oliver 3-yard touchdown run to give the Bulls their first lead of the game,10-9.
The Eagles answered immediately when Gillett found Demarius Reed for a 67-yard catch and run to put the Eagles back on top 16-10. Oliver, for the Bulls, gave his team a 67-yard touchdown run on its next drive to go up 17-16.
The very next drive ended with the same outcome when the Eagle offense drove down to the 11. Gillett found Reed again for a go-ahead touchdown to go back up 23-17. The third quarter ended without another score.
The Eagles got the ball back after a Buffalo three-and-out ended the consecutive scoring drives, and kept on scoring. Gillett ended the drive with a 34-yard pass to Hoskins for his second score, to go up 30-17 and sealing the Eagles’
victory.
“We wanted to shut them out in the fourth quarter,” English said. “We wanted to shut out every team we play in the fourth and show that we can finish games. If we shut out Ball State in the fourth quarter last week, we win that game, so
playing defense at the end of games is important for us to win”
The Eagles will head out on the road to face Kent State at 1 p.m. Saturday.
