Behind perhaps its best effort in all three phases this season, at least for the first half, Eastern Michigan (4-7, 3-4 MAC) handed former MAC West foe Ball State (4-6, 3-3 MAC) its first home loss of
the season.
Eastern Michigan came out with razor sharp Eagle claws, shredding the home team on both sides of the ball to start the contest. The Eagles forced an immediate three-and-out followed by a touchdown drive with execution crisper than a newly-minted $100 bill, excluding one near fatal play where alert tight end Joshua Long pounced on a fumble to sustain the drive. Fumble aside, the opening offensive script allowed Eastern Michigan to march down the field easily, scoring on third and less than a yard as quarterback Noah Kim’s tush push sneak produced a 7-0 lead.
Ball State was not as fortunate during the ensuing drive which ended in a missed opportunity. The Cardinals drove deep into Eagles territory, but defensive back Joshua Scott was Johnny-on-the-spot, stepping in front of quarterback Kiael Kelly’s throw near the goal line to deny the home team points.
Ball State’s defense responded with its on lickback on the next drive though. The Eagles flipped the field after Scott’s interception, but the Cardinals rose up on fourth-and-short to stonewall Noah Kim on a sneak, regaining possession near midfield.
The Cardinals capitalized for a quick three points fueled by a long Kelly run, keyed by excellent blocking at the point of attack. The Eagle defense ultimately held firm, but Ball State kicker DC Pippen brought the score to 7-3 with a 42-yard field goal.
Eastern Michigan’s next drive stalled, but a 50-yard bomb off the foot of punter Mitchell Tomasek flipped the field, kicking off a textbook display of complementary football which extended the visitor’s lead to 14-3.
Eastern Michigan’s defense showcased effort and discipline against Kelly’s scrambles to force a punt, and the offense took it from there. Kim delivered a 43-yard pass to wideout Jamarien Wheeler, who easily got behind the defense after a Ball State defender slipped and fell.
As the second quarter wound down, Eastern Michigan’s clear momentum came to a temporary halt. With the Eagles driving, Kim, who was brilliant to that point, was intercepted by defensive back Michael Gravely Jr., as the Ball State defender dropped into the passing lane to end the drive.
A short while later, unfazed, the Eagles Kim returned to guide his guys into field goal range where Rudy Kessinger drilled a 43-yard field goal to take a 17-3 halftime lead.
Things were trending towards dire for the Cardinals to start the third quarter as the Eagles dominated the scoreboard and received the second half kickoff. Things changed in a hurry though as Kim’s overzealous attempt to make a play was easily intercepted by Muheem McCargo, who was in excellent position to pluck the pass.
As the Eagles’ defense had done earlier, they limited the damage off a turnover to three points; this time, despite the drive initiating in EMU’s territory.
The second half action peaked on two plays. First, Ball State was unable to finish a 14-play, 61-yard drive for points when linebacker Andrew Marshall stopped Kelly on 4th and 2 to end the drive at EMU’s 10-yard line.
Shortly thereafter, EMU’s rushing game put the nail in the coffin on a 36-yard touchdown run by Tavierre Dunlap to provide the final margin of victory, 24-9.
NOTES
The Eagles’ effort from the start on both sides of the ball stood out. An effective block by a player split right on an early touch pass set the tone for what was about to happen throughout the afternoon.
EMU’s offensive line was impressive Saturday. Not only did the big guys not allow a sack with NFL prospect defensive end Nathan Voorhis lurking on the other side of the ball, but the Eagles leaned on the o-line and run game to salt things away late, and they delivered by opening creases and keeping the chains moving.
Eagles’ Jamarien Wheeler had a breakout game, with six catches for 131 yards and a score.
EMU’s defense has taken a step forward recently. The unit showed really good effort and discipline while containing a scrambling quarterback as dangerous as Kelly, holding the Cardinals to just 85 total first half yards. The defense also held the opposition to six points on the three-to-four Ball State drives that started at or around midfield.
Both teams surely felt they should have scored more. Execution is never going to be perfect but you’d have to think Eastern Michigan may feel like they left some meat on the bone in the passing game due to some drops and a missed connection on a deep touchdown which was wide open.
Likewise, Ball State probably felt it had opportunities to win due to a lack of points on multiple drives in-and-around the red zone. One dagger occurred in the second half when a long run landing inside Eastern Michigan’s 5-yard line was negated on an illegal formation penalty.
Eastern Michigan gets a break before closing out the season by hosting the MAC’s first place Western Michigan in primetime on Tuesday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Cardinals, looking to keep their bowl hopes alive, host the Toledo Rockets next Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
