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 MOUNT PLEASANT, MI ¬ (EMUEagles.com) — A dramatic 30-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Alex Gillett with just 37 seconds left in the game broke a 28-28 tie to give Eastern Michigan a 35-28 win over Central Michigan Saturday in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Head coach Ron English's Eagles held what looked like a safe 28-13 lead with 5:39 left in the Mid-American Conference West Division game. However, the hosts came back to score 15 unanswered points to tie the game at 28-all with 1:09 left.
Facing what looked like a certain overtime finish, the Eagles then took the ensuing kickoff and marched all the way to the CMU 30-yard line, setting up the run by Gillett. Kody Fulkerson added the PAT kick for the 35-28 EMU lead with 37 seconds left.
Central would not go quietly, however, advancing all the way to the EMU 28-yard line before junior cornerback Marcell Rose picked off a Ryan Radcliff pass on the last play of the game at the EMU four-yard-line and returned it to the eight before sliding down to end the contest.
The Eagles, now 4-3 overall and 2-1 in MAC action, combined a strong rushing attack with some opportune defensive stops that proved to be the difference in the game.
Eastern entered the game with the third-leading offensive rushing attack in the MAC (25th ranked in the nation) and lived up to that lofty spot by running the ball 50 times for 350 yards and five touchdowns.
The EMU Greene-White rushing tandem of sophomore Javonti Greene) and junior Dominique White rushed 38 times for 265 yards and four touchdowns. White had 161 yards on 19 carries with Greene adding 104 yards on 19 rushes with three touchdowns.
Gillett added 93 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown. He also completed 6-of-8 passes for 76 yards in the game.
Central, now 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the MAC, was led by Radcliff, who completed 33-of-50 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles' defense, meanwhile, held CMU to just 98 yards on 32 carries.
Senior Latarrius Thomas led the defense with 13 tackles, while senior Willie Williams added 11.
The Eagles missed a chance to get on the board early when a 46-yard Fulkerson field goal missed wide right.
EMU’s defense then stopped Central in time to force a 28-yard field goal by David Harman for a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles soon moved into a 7-3 lead, driving 55 yards in nine plays with White bulling in from one yard out. Fulkerson added the PAT with just 30 seconds left in the first quarter.
A 40-yard field goal by Harman at the 5:26 mark of the second quarter cut EMU's lead to one, 7-6, and defenses kept both teams off the scoreboard the remainder of the first half.
White just missed the 100-yard mark in the first half, gaining 92 yards on 10 carries with a long run of 64, the longest run from scrimmage for the Eagles this season.
Eastern’s defense held the Chippewas to just 32 yards rushing on 17 carries in the first 30 minutes, but the home team passed for 130 yards to 48 for the Eagles.
EMU opened the second half with a bang, putting together a drive that covered 90 yards in seven plays, culminating in a 36-yard run by Greene. Fulkerson added the PAT to give the Eagles a 14-6 lead with 11:13 left in the third quarter.
Central then stormed back to once again pull within one, 14-13, on an eight-yard pass from Radcliff to David Blackburn, followed by a Harman PAT kick with 6:33 left in the third. That drive went 60 yards on nine plays for the Chippewas.
The EMU offense came up with its own impressive drive on its next series, moving 80 yards on 16 plays, capping the drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Greene. Fulkerson’s PAT gave the Eagles a 21-13 lead with 14:27 left in the game. That EMU drive consumed a whopping 7:06.
The Eagles' defense followed that impressive drive with a blocked punt by junior linebacker Matt Boyd on Central's next offensive possession. Greene ran off right tackle for another touchdown run just two plays later. The Fulkerson PAT gave the Eagles a 28-13 lead with 12:34 left in the game.
Central's offense came up with a long drive of its own nine minutes later, moving 72 yards on eight plays. Titus Dawson grabbed an 11-yard touchdown pass from Radcliff with 3:36 on the clock to cut EMU's lead to 28-20.
CMU backed that up with another score at the 1:09 mark when Radcliff found Jerry Harris for a two-yard score. Radcliff connected with Davis on the two-point conversion pass to tie the game at 28-all with 1:09 remaining, setting up the late-game dramatic dash by Gillett.
The Eagles return home to Rynearson Stadium Saturday, Oct. 22, for their annual Homecoming tilt. EMU will square off against MAC West Division rival Western Michigan University in that 1 p.m. (ET) Homecoming tilt. Central Michigan will be at Ball State (2 p.m. ET)
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