With their postseason aspirations on life support, Eastern Michigan (2-7, 1-4 MAC) showed their mettle by playing a whale of a ballgame Saturday afternoon against the reigning MAC champion Ohio Bobcats
(5-3, 3-1 MAC)— but the effort was not enough in the end, as the home team came up short by a final score of 28-21 in front of the home fans in Ypsilanti.
In our game preview this week, we identified two areas of emphasis for the Eagles to have a shot at victory in the fourth quarter: a fast start and improved run defense. The Eagles emphatically checked both boxes while adding excellent first half red zone defense to keep the score tied at 14 against Ohio to start the closing frame.
The hot start EMU has been working for all season finally materialized, with two touchdowns right out of the gate.
In the first quarter, the Eagles offense executed an aggressive game plan to near perfection, engineering their first opening possession touchdown drive of the season and then quickly adding a second scoring drive to follow up. In the blink of an eye, the Eagles had 152 combined yards and two scores.
QB Noah Kim was the catalyst, completing a 38-yard bomb to wideout Nick Deveraux for the first score while keeping around the right end on a short run for the second score.
For the Bobcats, their opening drive was a dominant six-play, 83-yard affair leading to paydirt. Quarterback Parker Navarro moved the offense with ease, eating up 64 yards through the air on the drive, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to wideout Chase Hendricks.
After the first drive though, the ‘Cats were not able to get anything done the rest of the first half on the scoreboard, owing largely to a fierce Eagles’ red zone defense, which turned the visitors away with zero points on two promising drives.
First, EMU stopped quarterback Parker Navarro just short on a run for first down on fourth-and-two from the Eagles’ 15-yard line. On the other scoring threat, Navarro went to the well once too often, looking for his eighth completion of the first half to wideout Chase Hendricks. The toss wound up in double coverage, with defensive back Tyrelle Deener picking it off at the at the two-yard line.
The half ended when a questionable flag wiped out an Ohio touchdown on an illegal man down field penalty.
On the last play of the half, Navarro drifted to his left while things unfolded downfield. A Bobcat offensive lineman, likely unsure if Navarro would run or pass as there was all kinds of running room, drifted slightly ahead of Navarro. With no discernible impact of the lineman’s movement on the outcome of the play, the ‘Cat QB uncorked a ball which was snagged out of the air in the end zone by wideout Rodney Harris II. The penalty was upheld and Ohio ultimately went into the half trailing 14-7.
The second half picked up where the first left off, with Ohio moving the ball mostly at will through the air between the 30-yard lines before EMU’s defense put on the clamps in the red zone to turn Ohio away.
Ohio finally broke through the tough EMU redzone defense late in the third quarter to tie the score at 14 apiece. Key on the drive was a fourth-and-one conversion by halfback Sieh Bangura at the EMU nine-yard line. Bangura then punched it in for the score from the one-yard line a few plays later.
Largely dormant since the first quarter owing to a stiffening Ohio defense and bad field position on multiple drives, the Eagles found some life late in the third quarter but were unable to capitalize as placekicker Rudy Kessinger’s 48-yard field goal attempt drifted wide right.
The game came down to the wire late, with the Bobcats unable to salt the Eagles away in the mid-fourth quarter after a golden opportunity. Ohio defensive tackle Pius Odjugo crunched EMU’s quarterback, causing a fumble which was recovered by Bobcat ‘backer Charlie Christopher at Eastern Michigan’s 29-yard line. However, the Eagles defense rose up again to hold the ‘Cats to a 34-yard field goal attempt— which was shanked by Brack Peacock. Multiple replays of the attempt did not reveal a tipped ball.
In the last five minutes of the game, Ohio added the winning margin on a 69-yard drive which featured 22 and 33-yard runs by a hard-charging Sieh Bangura.
While EMU’s Kim to Deveraux connection was fruitful again in the waning moments of the contest, this time opn a 17-yard touchdown pass, the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Ohio wideout Blake Guffey to seal the deal.
Notes
The offensive playmakers for the Eagles in this one included quarterback Noah Kim, with 259 passing yards and three scores (two passing, one rush), and wideout Nick Deveraux, who finished an explosive day with five receptions for 121 yards and two scores.
Although the Eagles defense did give up almost 500 total yards, they were able to keep Ohio’s offense off the scoreboard often enough to keep the team in the game until late.
EMU held a very good Ohio rushing team to a respectable 172 yards rushing on the day but paid a price through the air as quarterback Parker Navarrro completed 82 percent of his passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Two wideouts cracked 100 yards, with Chase Hendricks with 10 catches for 112 yards and Rodney Harris II with six catches for 103 yards.
After the first two drives, Ohio’s defense settled in and stymied the Eagles offense, holding EMU scoreless on the next eight drives including a missed field goal. Unfortunately, there is some cause for concern as linebacker Michael Molnar and safety Adonis Williams Jr. left with injuries and did not return.
The ‘Cats are now 50 percent on the season on field goal attempts (4-8) and have missed three extra points, a cause for concern as November games loom large. Looking to win the title in a competitive conference with close games may be tough sledding if kicks, especially inside of the 40-yard line, cannot be reliably made.
Ohio gets a bit of a breather before weeknight MACtion kicks off proper in a Tuesday night clash with rivals Miami RedHawks on Tuesday, November 4th, while Eastern hosts Bowling Green at a time to be determined later next week.
