FINAL SCORE: Eastern Michigan 33, Howard 23
Eastern Michigan raced onto a 30-6 lead thanks to a pair of big touchdowns from punt and return specialists.
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It wasn’t beautiful, but a win’s a win. Eastern Michigan hosted Howard on a Friday night to open the 2023 season and came away with a 33-23 win. It was a game that, at one point, felt like it was going to be one-sided fight.
Howard, an FCS-level squad that went 5-6 overall last year, certainly played up to the level of EMU, an FBS squad that had a historic 9-4 record last season.
It’s simple math. Eastern oughta beat the snot out of Howard, right?
Right?
Eastern Michigan hurried to a 30-6 lead in the second quarter and that certainly seemed like it was going to be the case. Who cares if EMU has important playmakers not dressed for the season opener when you’re up by four scores before halftime?
Take it easy, Chase Kline.
Kick back, Jesus Gomez.
Enjoy a lemonade, Joshua Scott.
Rest up, Melvin Swindle.
Incoming transfers Dan Sunderman and Von Swinton joined the No Pads Club. There were plenty of freshmen and redshirt players not dressed for the contest. Some, like Carter Evans, who went public with his season-ending ACL tear two weeks ago, simply need more time for their injuries to heal.
Like Mikey Haney, who still hasn’t played in a game since his spring game injury in 2022.
The defense made some big stops through the first quarter to really put the Bison in a bad spot. Howard’s offensive drives in the first quarter led to: a punt, turnover on downs, safety, and another punt. But Howard didn’t show any resolve. It was really crumby start and the quarterback, Quinton Williams, completed under 50% of his throws (16/33). But the Bison, led by fourth-year head coach Larry Scott, didn’t back down from a 30-6 fight.
“Just talking to the quarterback (Williams) afterwards and their head coach (Scott) there really quickly too, I love it when people are down and you fight and come back,” said head coach Chris Creighton after the game. “So tons of respect. They had unbelievable juice and energy there in that second half.”
Down 23-0, Williams found 5’9” freshman receiver Jamarr Ebron wide-open for the easiest 69-yard throw and score possible. Having to work for their yards more on the next drive, Howard drove across midfield before Korey Hernandez’s pass interference penalty gave the Bison a shorter field goal to make before halftime (38 yards out).
Jaylon Jackson was already dangerous. Then Hamze El-Zayat showed his jets.
Here’s a topic you can use for your Week 1 overreaction conversations. Does Eastern Michigan have the fastest special teams returning unit in the Mid-American Conference?
What about in the country?
Jaylon Jackson was already one of the most dangerous kick returners in the country. Last year, teams stopped kicking to him by Week 5, but not before he had two kickoffs returned for 80+ yards (1 TD). After Howard’s offense was limited to a punt and turnover on downs through its first two offensive drives, it was backed up to punt out of its own end zone to end drive #3. The snap, however, went over the punter’s head and through his hands to result in a safety in EMU’s favor.
On the ensuing punt-away, Jackson fielded the punt while going back and maneuvered his way through the field for an 84-yard score, the sixth overall TD of his 14-game EMU career.
As dynamic and electric of a runner Jackson usually becomes with the ball in his hands, the actual fielding of punt — not a kickoff — was a new experience for him.
“Ht punted it, so I didn’t know how far it was going to go,” Jackson explained after the game. “I never caught one of those like that, so after I caught it I was really just trying to set them up going one way, going back the other. When I went back to the left, I saw a lot of space and I was just able to use my speed to run through.”
The punt return gave EMU a 16-0 lead before the end of the first quarter, and receiver Hamze El-Zayat showed what kind of speed was sidelined all 2022.
After Howard’s 69-yard touchdown pass (and a blocked PAT kick by Jason Marshall) put six points on the board for the away side, the Fordham transfer and Dearborn native returned the following kick 96 yards for a touchdown. That gave EMU a 30-6 lead with nine and half minutes remaining before halftime.
All’s good in the neighborhood, right?
The offense lacked efficiency (and explosives)
If not for EMU’s special teams play, we’d be having a different conversation following this game.
EMU, an offense that’s welcoming back Austin Smith in his first game since he suffered a leg injury at Kent State late last year, didn’t exactly play up to what it had hoped for.
On the positive, there were 30 points by halftime, and the offense was able to get into the end zone twice in the first quarter.
EMU’s needed only six plays to go 50 yards, thanks to a pair of explosive plays from tight end Andreas Paaske (21-yard catch) and running Samson Evans (16-yard run) to begin the game. On the next drive, after Jackson’s long kick return, Austin Smith threw a 20-yard dart in the end zone to Tanner Knue to start the second quarter, which gave EMU a 23-0 lead.
Then the defense took the field for back-to-back series.
Howard, then, drove 11 yards over four plays before its explosive TD pass, then EMU immediately responded with El-Zayat’s kick return. That meant the EMU defense had to see the field again while the offense sat and watched a little while longer.
Said Creighton: “I don’t know, real-time, how long the stretches were when the offense didn’t go back out there. But we just didn’t get into any rhythm. I think we had 30 plays or something like that at halftime, … we had 58 total. I know people are going to talk about the clock difference but that was not the case for us today. We were not in rhythm in sustaining drives and moving the ball. So no, there’s no way we feel great about that offensively, but we’ll be better than that. We had the defense out there too much. At the same time, we just beat a good team and we just beat them with all three phases working together and that’s how it works.”
After EMU got the ball back at midfield after a turnover on downs, Smith threw a costly interception just six plays into the drive, which turned into a late field goal for the visiting team.
EMU’s three offensive drives in the third quarter all ended the same way: punt, punt, punt. Howard, meanwhile, struck back with touchdown drives of 80 and 62 yards. After EMU started its next drive on its own 20-yard line and manufactured a long-awaited, 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a decision. Kick a field goal on 4th & 2 to make it a 10-point game with four minutes remaining? Or gamble on a conversion?
Creighton decided not to get greedy, and let graduate transfer Kenyon Bowyer (Marshall) drain his first-career field goal as an Eagle from 25 yards out.
On the final, scoring drive, it was Smith’s legs that gave EMU its edge. Not many explosive plays were made on offense when special teams took over, but a 22-yard run to his left put EMU close to midfield, and his 12-yard pass to El-Zayat on 3rd & 4 helped make the field goal possible.
Tanner Knue received #2 jersey honor
Knue, who finished the game with eight catches on nine targets for 73 yards and 1 touchdown, received one of the highest honors leading up to Friday’s game.
Knue became the seventh player to dress in the #2 uniform, in honor of former EMU receiver Demarius Reed, since it was brought back to be in 2017. Knue is the only returning starter in the wide receiver room this season and led the Eagles in receiving touchdowns last year (9) on 45 receptions and 632 yards. In his first three playing seasons, Knue has caught 104 passes for 1,387 yards and 14 TD scored.
When Knue received the thoughtful honor, he gave a thoughtful response, Creighton said. “He said, ‘I play football for God, for my family, and for this team. And now I have another reason to play football. And that’s for the memory of D-Reed and his family.’”
Former #2 honorees
2017 - Sergio Bailey II — 54 rec., 878 yards (16.3 avg.), 9 TD; 2 rush, 25 yards
2018 - Blake Banham — 60 rec., 758 yards (12.6 avg.), 5 TD; 8 rush, 32 yards, 1 rush TD; 21 punt ret., 209 yards; 4 kick ret., 89 yards
2019 - Mathew Sexton — 34 rec., 508 yards (14.9 avg.), 4 TD; 5 rush, 14 yards; 1 punt ret., 50 yards, 1 TD
2020 - Thomas Odukoya — 13 rec., 130 yards, 2 TD
2021 - Bryson Cannon — 20 rec., 272 yards, 3 TD
2022 — Hassan Beydoun — 49 rec., 473 yards, 4 TD
Final Notes, Stats
Howard’s offense: 75 plays, 398 yards, 5.3 average.
EMU’s offense: 58 plays, 285 yards, 4.9 average.
Howard penalties: 11 for 59 yards.
EMU penalties: 6 for 79 yards.
QB Austin Smith: 19/28 passing, 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 4 rush attempts, 27 yards
RB Samson Evans: 16 rush attempts, 52 yards, 1 TD.
Evans scored his 30th career TD vs. Howard, which is one shy of EMU’s all-time touchdowns scored record.
LB Joe Sparacio led EMU in tackles with 10
Of EMU’s 4 defensive sacks, Tim-Grant Randall recorded 1.5, Peyton Price and Mikah Coleman each have 1, and Joey Zelinsky, who got to wear the #0 uniform, recorded a half-sack.
Tackles for loss also made by Kempton Shine and Zelinsky.
Four defenders recorded pass breakups, including true freshman Daiquan White, who got the start at cornerback.
Why didn't Swinton suit up last night?