The first quarter played out quickly with just two possession changes in the first 15 minutes. EMU's early offensive efforts were quickly slowed by running into the stone line of the Bison defense before redshirt-junior quarterback Tyler Benz (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine Township South) was able to help the Eagles break through into Howard territory at the 12:30 mark. Eastern's offense suffered a setback at 11:17, when a long pass from Benz was intercepted by Howard's Amedola Olantuji at the Howard 12-yard line.
EMU's defense answered back with forceful aggression to defend their territory as a sack by junior defensive lineman Cy Maughmer (Glendale, Ariz. / Glendale C.C.) on a Howard third down forced a punt by the Bison to return the ball to the Eagles.
The Eagles were able to complete 12 plays and gain 55 yards within the remaining 6:04 of the first quarter, but as the time expired the matchup remained scoreless.
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The Green and White came out in full force with the start of the second quarter, as a three-yard rush was followed up by an 18-yard throw into the end zone to junior tight end Tyreese Russell (Chicago, Ill. / Walther Lutheran) at 14:17 plus an extra point thanks to sophomore kicker Dylan Mulder (Saline, Mich. / Saline) gave the Eagles the 7-0 lead over the Bison.
Where the Howard offense could not seem to make a play happen, their defense proved to be reliable, as their defenders were able to shed the EMU blockers and force another possession change at 10:43.
After what should have been a challenging start on the Howard five-yard line, the Bison offense jumped into gear with a 16-yard pass straight down the middle and a touchdown at 8:34 thanks to a 65-yard sprint by Howard's William Parker. The Bison were able to gain 95 yards within six plays and knot the score at 7-7.
A short punt from John Fleck gave the Bison an advantage as they started their possession within Eagle territory. Sophomore defensive lineman Pat O'Connor (Chicago, Ill. / St. Rita) was able to lead the defense with two consecutive tackles to take the Bison to a third down. An incomplete attempted touchdown pass by Greg McGhee brought Fleck out onto the field, which produced a 43-yard field goal to push Howard to a 10-7 lead with 3:17 left in the half.
With 2:55 remaining and the opposition in the lead, the Eagles started off their final possession of the half with a solid 25-yard return from Allen. Benz completed a series of 10-yard plays, moving the ball from sideline to sideline. With 31 seconds left in the half Benz connected with Demarius Reed (Chicago, Ill. / Simeon Academy) on a 33-yard touchdown play to give the Eagles a 13-10 lead heading into the locker room.
Howard came out strong in the second half, showing that they were not content with relinquishing their lead as McGhee moved the ball up the field smoothly with five-yard gains before throwing to Jonathan Booker. A 32-yard sideline run from Booker would give the Bison their second lead of the contest over EMU.
The Eagles were unable to create any opportunities with their next possession, gaining only 17 yards in five plays before having to give the ball back over to Howard.
McGhee proved to be the sparkplug of the Howard offensive front as he sprinted toward the Eagle end zone at 6:22 before being stopped by junior defensive back Darius Scott (Chicago, Ill. / Simeon Academy) on the EMU two-yard line. A series of attempts to run the ball in for a touchdown was seemingly the end of Bison's scoring opportunity, but a penalty on an incomplete fourth-down touchdown attempt gave Howard another chance to run the ball in. McGhee was able to take advantage of the call to complete a 1-yard rush at 4:20 and extend the Bison lead.
Despite the 14-0 scoring run by the Bison, the Eagles' offense returned to the field with intensity and determination as the Eagles traveled 60 yards along the gridiron within four plays. At 1:29, Eastern was able to quench their scoring drought thanks to junior running back Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Catholic Central), who rushed the ball in two yards for the Eagles' third touchdown of the evening. EMU began to close the scoring gap after a Mulder extra point, bringing Eastern within four of the Bison.
The fourth quarter began with the ball in the hands of the Howard offense, but less than 45 seconds into the final frame senior middle linebacker Sean Kurtz (Anaheim, Calif. / Canyon Santa Ana C.C.) nabbed his first career interception from Howard's McGhee and ran a 25-yard return. Four plays after Kurz's electric play, Hill found himself in the end zone once more with 12:31 left to play, giving the Eagles a 27-24 lead over the Bison.
The EMU offense was unable to produce the success on their next possession despite a valiant effort, and the ball was once again returned to Howard's side. Senior defensive end Kalonji Kashama (Brampton, Ont. / Canada Brampton) produced a huge defensive play by taking down Anthony Philyaw at the Howard 21-yard line, and after only gaining one yard in three plays, the Eagles found themselves with a fantastic opportunity to add more to their growing scoring run.
With 3:54 left in the game, sophomore running back Darius Jackson (Sparta, Ill. / Sparta) showcased his wheels with a 28-yard rush to take the line of scrimmage to the Howard 20-yard line. Just 40 seconds later, Jackson found himself with the ball gripped tightly under his arm again, despite having Howard's Tabrian Resby latched on to his jersey, as he barreled through the field with to end his 19-yard rush with another Eagles touchdown.
With the addition of the fourth completed extra point attempt of the evening, the Eagles found themselves with a 34-24 lead, a 21-0 scoring run in over fifteen minutes of play.
Despite an aggressive effort by the Bison, the Eagles were too powerful of a force to be overcome. As the clock ran down, the Bison gave one last effort to score but were intercepted in the end zone by Willie Creear (Seattle, Wash. / Lingbergh (Butte J.C.)). The Eagles closed out the beginning of the 2013 campaign with a 34-24 victory over Howard as the EMU rushing effort was led by Hill, who ran 101 yards in 28 carries. Hill also added two touchdowns, while Jackson added 64 yards and one touchdown. Benz connected on 19 passes in 26 attempts for 210 yards and two touchdown passes.
On the defensive side, Kurtz added 13 total tackles and one interception, while Maughmer and O'Conner each added a sack to the effort.
The Howard offense was led by McGhee, who totaled 75 yards and one touchdown. Half back William Parker had 82 yards on seven carries and one touchback. McGhee was 19-for- 32 with 182 yards and one touchdown pass.
On the defensive front, Cameron Alston and Tabrian Resby led the Bison with 14 and 12 tackles, respectively.
The Eagles improve to 1-0 on the 2013 season while Howard falls to 0-1. Eastern Michigan football will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 7, at noon when they travel to Penn State.
COURTESY EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY EAGLES.COM
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