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 YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University football team combined a strong rushing game with a stingy defensive effort to record a 14-7 win over a visiting Alabama State University team Saturday in Rynearson Stadium.The victory gave head coach Ron English's Eagles a perfect 2-0 record to start the season, the first time since the 1989 campaign that an EMU football squad won its first two games to start a season.
The EMU rushing game was high energy for the second week in a row with both senior tailback Dominique Sherrer and sophomore tailback Javonti Greene each going over the century mark. Greene gained 146 yards on 22 rushes, and Sherrer registered 111 yards on 16 rushes.
In addition to the two tailbacks, junior quarterback Alex Gillett contributed 74 yards rushing on eight carries. Gillett completed 7-of-19 passes for 61 yards and one score.
Both Sherrer and Greene also had 100-plus yard performances last weekend in EMU's season-opening win over Howard University.
As a team, the Eagles recorded 336 yards on 47 carries and had 66 total plays for 397 yards in total offense.
The EMU defense also came up big, limiting the Hornets to -13 yards rushing and just 223 in total offense on 64 plays.
Alabama State, now 1-1 on the season, was led by quarterback Devin Dominguez who completed 11-of-19 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. Quenda McKibbon led the visitors in rushing with 12 yards gained on eight carries.
The Eagles' defense recorded eight sacks for 61 yards in losses, with 13 tackles-for-losses totaling 69 yards.
Senior linebacker Marcus English led the Eagles with 10 tackles, with 3.5 TFLs for six yards. Senior defensive end Brad Ohrman had 2.5 sacks for 20 yards.
The Eagles opened the scoring when Gillett found Nick Olds on a 13-yard pass, his first career touchdown reception, at the 2:47 mark of the first quarter.
After that first score both defenses went to work and held the offenses in check for a 7-0 EMU halftime lead.
After the low-scoring first half, Gillett opened the second half with a flurry, racing 58 yards on a broken play to advance the ball all the way to ASU's eight-yard line.
Sherrer made that long Gillett run pay off, scoring from six yards out two plays later. Kody Fulkerson added the PAT kick to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead at the 11:42 mark of the third quarter.
The visitors would not quit, however, fighting back to cut the EMU lead to 14-7 on a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Devin Dominguez to wide receiver T.C. McWilliams.
That concluded scoring for the contest, as the game concluded with a 14-7 final in favor of the home team.
The Eagles will remain in Washtenaw County next Saturday, Sept. 17, when the Eagles take on the Wolverines of the University of Michigan. Game time at Michigan Stadium is noon.
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