Eastern Michigan had a rare opportunity to face the Washington Huskies on Sept. 7, 2024, who were the 2024 College National Champions runner-up. Although Washington won 30-9, the game had highlights, including Jesus Gomez breaking a school record by connecting on a 57-yard field goal, surpassing a mark held by only two previous players. Despite the loss, there were several positives from EMU’s performance against Washington.
Washington began the game with a punt, and though Will Rogers missed his first pass, he quickly connected on two more. On their next attempt to punt, EMU’s special teams made a big play, blocking the punt and giving the Eagles possession.
Eastern Michigan started the first quarter strong, with Snyder running for 6 yards. Eight minutes into the quarter, EMU gained 29 yards, and Snyder made key passes to Allen, setting up a field goal that put the Eagles ahead 3-0 to end the first quarter. A fumble allowed Eastern to showcase a solid defensive effort while Snyder kept the offense moving, refusing to back down. However, Washington responded in the second quarter, scoring a touchdown and adding an extra point with six minutes remaining, shifting the momentum.
Washington led 7-3 with Gomez adding three points for the Eagles, bringing the total to 9. A pass by Washington for 13 yards and another for 14 yards brought the score to 14-6. At the end of the second quarter, our Eagles displayed strong defense, leading to a challenge after a fumble. Snyder passed to Reese for 6 yards. The next play allowed Snyder to run. Subsequent plays saw the Eagles blocking passes from Washington. With 54 seconds remaining, Washington scored a touchdown and a field goal, taking the lead 21-6 into halftime. Washington extended their lead to 27-6 in the third quarter with another touchdown. Despite a struggle to gain yards, Washington scored three more points with a field goal. As the fourth quarter began, Mimms faced difficulties running, and Snyder, after being sacked, struggled with successful passes. Washington scored a field goal, securing a 30-point victory. Gomez contributed a field goal, bringing the Eagles' total to 9. The 57-yard field goal marked the second-longest kick against the Huskies since 1977. The game concluded with a score of 30-9 in favor of Washington.
Coach Chris Creighton reflected on the defeat against the Huskies.
"We are not going to bow down; we are going to fight and believe in ourselves," he said. "Moving the ball got deep into the end zone, and didn't take the ball until later on."
Creighton also commented on what he is preparing for the rest of the season after today's loss.
"It didn't go how we wanted, but we will learn much from this. I still really like and believe in our team and our capabilities," he said.
Coach Creighton talked about the good that Eastern had played against Washington.
"There were a lot of positives that happened, and we had our chances in our first half, as I think everyone is going to get better from here."
Coach Creighton also had this to say about losing: "Losing on a day or a game does not make you a loser, and we got winners here, as plenty of things we are pleased with we can build on, and we are going to play football until December as it stings, it should, and we are halfway across the country playing, again it's enormously disappointing, but we are going to learn and grow from it."
Catch Eastern Michigan's first home game next week on Sept. 14, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Tune in on ESPN+ or listen live on WEMU 89.1 FM.
