FINAL SCORE: Eastern Michigan 37, Jax State 34
FINAL SCORE: Eastern Michigan 37, Jax State 34
EMU wins its first home game of the season, and redeems itself from last season (but now it has other problems).
Eastern Michigan took care of business in its home opener against Jacksonville State, momentarily redeeming itself from last year’s stinker on the road, and bringing some good vibes back to the direction of this season having lost last week at Washington.
EMU gained 447 yards and moved the chains 27 times all night on offense, which is good to read on the box score after a game like this. But the stat that can’t be found in the box score might need to be circled by this team and everyone at home. Six players came out of the game with injury and did not return, and two defensive backs came out of the game late in the fourth quarter and overtime periods to impact their first-half availabilities for next game.
Here’s how EMU’s win happened Saturday night:
SCORING PLAYS, DRIVES
First Quarter
1Q, 10:11; 5-YARD RUN BY JSU RB TRE STEWART. JAX STATE 7, EMU 0
Jacksonville State grinded its way on the board first with a 13-play drive. JSU converted a pair of third-and-longs to get to midfield, then QB Tyler Huff had 14 and 11-yard rushes to set up his running back, Tre Stewart, for a 5-yard, untouched rushing score. It was the first time EMU was scored on by an opposing team’s opening possession this year.Â
1Q, 6:43; 5-YARD RUN BY RB DELBERT MIMMS III. EMU 7, JAX STATE 7
Eastern Michigan responded by scoring on its first offensive possession of the game. Delbert Mimms III had 31 rushing yards on the drive including his first touchdown with the team.Â
The thumbs-down moment of the drive: Broderick Roman came out of the game and finished with a pack of ice taped around his right knee the rest of the night. When he went down, Carson Lee slid over from right guard to center, and Jez Janvier came off the bench.
1Q, 1:21; 24-YARD CATCH BY ELIJAH JACKSON-ANDERSON, FROM COLE SNYDER. EMU 14, JAX STATE 7
While EMU tried getting sneaky with an onside kick, EMU ended up start its next scoring drive after a Jax State punt got the Eagles to their own 23-yard line. Snyder completed three of his first five passes of the drive before Mimms gained five yards of his own, and Oran Singleton caught a couple of passes for first-down gains to set up the scoring play.Â
Second Quarter
2Q, 13:19; 35-YARD FIELD GOAL BY GARRISON RIPPA. EMU 14, JAX STATE 10.
Jacksonville State did not help itself on its field goal drive early in the second quarter with a couple of holding calls that ended up moving themselves back 16 total yards once they reached the red zone. Huff had a 12-yard scramble on 3rd-and-21 to set up the field goal.Â
2Q, 11:39; 37-YARD CATCH BY CAM VAUGHN, FROM TYLER HUFF. JAX STATE 17, EMU 14.
EMU gambled on its fourth down decision and it took just two plays for that to blow up in their faces. Instead of letting Mitch Tomasek’s booming punt give JSU the ball on the 8-yard line, EMU decided to accept a roughing the punter penalty that let EMU re-try its fourth down with just one yard to gain. Mimms got stuffed on the fourth-down run to turn the ball over on downs, then JSU’s Huff immediately threw a perfect pass deep in the end zone for a touchdown throw to Cam Vaughn.Â
2Q, 8:10; 34-YARD CATCH BY MAX REESE, FROM COLE SNYDER. EMU 21, JAX STATE 17.
A quick drive for EMU as it wanted to make up for its mistakes that finished the previous job as quick as possible. Cole Snyder needed just three passes to get the job done for EMU: 12 yards to Zyell Griffin, 9 to Oran Singleton, and the 34-yard score to Reese.Â
2Q, 8:10; 22-YARD CATCH BY MAX REESE, FROM TERRY LOCKETT. EMU 28, JAX STATE 17.
Who doesn’t love a good wide receiver pass into the end zone? The age-old trick play helped give EMU an extended lead late in the second quarter as Terry Lockett got the backwards pass from Snyder, then led Reese on his throw to the end zone for the score. Up until that score, Snyder helped get things moving with 14 and 6-yard passes, then 1 10-yard scramble to get to JSU’s 23-yard line.Â
2Q, 0:48; 48-YARD FIELD GOAL BY GARRISON RIPPA. EMU 28, JAX STATE 20.
Jax State moved the ball 45 yards on its final drive of the first half to set up their kicker for his second make of the day.
Third Quarter
3Q, 1:00, 41-YARD FIELD GOAL BY JESUS GOMEZ. EMU 31, JAX STATE 20.Â
Oran Singleton grabbed onto a 23-yard gain down the left sideline. Jackson Anderson got busy with a 22-yard run up the middle. Terry Lockett had a 14-yard catch and run to get near the red zone. It looked like a drive that should’ve ended in another touchdown until a holding call wiped that right off the board. Mack Indestad, in his first career start at left tackle, was penalized for holding when Max Reese caught a touchdown pass from Snyder on third down. Instead of a 6-yard score, it backed EMU up by 10 years, and Snyder got dropped for a 7-yard sack to bring out Gomez and the field goal unit.
Fourth Quarter
4Q, 14:10; 32-YARD CATCH BY MICHAEL PETTWAY, FROM TYLER HUFF. EMU 31, JAX STATE 28.
Jax State needed eight points and that’s exactly what it got to begin the fourth quarter. On the end of a 6-play, 75-yard drive, Huff threw his second touchdown pass of the night over the middle to Michael Pettway from 32 yards away. The two-point attempt afterwards was easy money for the Gamecocks as Huff had a quick throw to his left completed to Brock Rechsteiner.
4Q, 0:34, 51-YARD FIELD GOAL BY GARRISON RIPPA. JAX STATE 31, EMU 31.
After EMU kicker Gomez saw his 49-yard field goal try hit the left upright, Jax State’s kicker saw his third field goal make sneak through the uprights on a kick that sailed the ball right. Of course, Huff helped out with some chunk plays (17-yard pass, 14-yard run up the middle), and a holding call against defensive back Jaylyn Monds, in on his first game of the season, gave JSU another 10 yards on the drive.
OT, 40-YARD FIELD GOAL BY JESUS GOMEZ. EMU 34, JAX STATE 31.
EMU looked like they had a score in the end zone, but Griffin dropped the pass from Snyder as he fell back and hit the turf.
OT, 40-YARD FIELD GOAL BY GARRISON RIPPA. JAX STATE 34, EMU 34.
Quentavius Scandrett will miss the first half of next week’s game against St. Francis after he was hit with a targeting penalty on WR Pettway. There was no immediate penalty flag from the officiating crew, but went to review a minute after the play ended to see Scandrett committed a foul. The zebras ruled his non-head-to-head hit illegal, and was wiped from the overtime period. JSU got all the way to EMU’s 1-yard line, but an awful snap over Huff’s head lost the Gamecocks 27 yards on the drive, and settled for a field goal two plays later, Pippa’s fourth of the night.
2OT, 34-YARD FIELD GOAL BY JESUS GOMEZ. EMU 37, JAX STATE 34.
After Jacksonville State’s missed field goal try in the first 2OT period, EMU felt it had this game in the bag with another Gomez field goal in the chamber. Jackson-Anderson and Mimms III helped push forward by nine yards on the drive to help set up Gomez’s game-winner.
KEY PLAYS, MOMENTS
1Q, 6:42; JESUS GOMEZ’S ONSIDE KICK ATTEMPT OVERTURNED.Â
After EMU’s first score tied up the ball game at 7-7, the Eagles tried getting the ball back with some old school tricks, but was unsuccessful on the first attempt. While at first it seemed like Gomez’s onside kick try would be recovered by himself right after the ball traveled 10 yards, but officials reviewed the play and said Jamarian Wheeler illegally touched the ball early and moved the Eagles back 5 yards before it re-kicked the ball deep.
3Q, 8:05; JSU’S FOURTH DOWN CONVERSION OVERTURNED.
Jacksonville State’s first fourth down attempt of the night was an unsuccessful one. After driving from JSU’s own 9-yard line to EMU’s 39, it was 4th & 4 and the Gamecocks let Huff throw it. Huff completed his throw over the middle for what was initially ruled a first-down pickup, but video review overturned the refs’ call and put the ball back in EMU’s possession.Â
 4Q, 9:47; EMU’S FAKE PUNT PASS DROPPED.Â
EMU’s offense stalled just 34 yards into its first drive of the fourth quarter. Jackson-Anderson carried the ball six times on the drive and picked up 15 total yards, capped by a 3-yard loss in JSU territory. Lined up to punt away on JSU’s side of the i
4Q 9:41; TYRELLE DEENER REMOVED AFTER TARGETING CALL.
Tyrelle Deener, a first-year Division III transfer, got in the game after Jordan Toney fell to injury, was wiped from the contest in the fourth quarter after a target call went against him. Deener’s hit on Cam Vaughn was very obviously the loudest hit of the night, drew penalty flags from every direction and was ruled ineligible the rest of the game. JSU did not pick up a first down on the series, and had its third turnover on downs of the night.
4Q, 1:52; JESUS GOMEZ MISSES 49-YARD FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT
Jacksonville State had some late life after the fourth quarter’s 2-minute timeout. To finish a 13-play, 38-yard drive took 1:52 off the clock, Gomez was sent out on the field for his second try of the night. His low-line drive hit the left upright and gave the ball back to JSU on EMU’s 32.
PLAYER AVAILABILITY NOTES
There were 15 players listed as out before Saturday’s game, and four more listed as questionable. That’s pre-game though, six EMU players exited the contest with injury, and two were removed during the game with targeting penalties.
In-game exits (injury)
LB #11 Zach Mowchan
DB #15 Jordan Toney
RB #34 Delbert Mimms III
DB #39 Barry Manning
OL #67 Broderick Roman
OL #72 Mack Indestad
In-game exits (targeting)
DB #3 Quentavius Scandrett
DB #22 Tyrrelle Deener
Ruled out before the game:
DB #1 Joshua Scott – Since being scratched after just seven snaps at UMass in the season opener, Scott has been inactive ever since.Â
WR #1 J.B. Mitchell III – Had not been ruled out on the availability report before today, but this starting receiver from 2023 has yet to see the field this season.Â
DB #6 Bryce Llewellyn – The graduate transfer from Charleston Southern was listed as a starter in the preseason depth chart reports, but has been the most consistent name on this player (un)availability report.Â
DB #7 Dramarian McNulty – McNulty had his first career start with his new team at UMass, but has been ruled out in these last two games.
WR #9 Porter Rooks – Rooks, a graduate transfer from NC State, has not appeared in a game this season.Â
DB #12 Jaheim Jenkins – Jenkins, a second-year transfer, played in EMU’s firs two games of the season.
DB #13 Jason Marshall (season)
RB #22 J.T. Bronaugh (season) – Bronaugh is in his true freshman season.Â
RB #28 Dontae McMillan
LB #36 Colin Main
LB #40 Bryce Eliuk (season) – Eliuk is in his second year with EMU after wearing a redshirt in 2023.Â
OL #50 Owen Snively (season)
OL #60 Thomas Dickinson (season)
OL #68 Nicholas Sutherby
OL #77 Dodji Dahoue
NEXT GAME
EMU, now 1-0 at home, will have another chance to play in front of its home-side fans next week as FCS-level St. Francis makes the trip to Ypsilanti. Earlier this year, St. Francis beat Kent State 23-17, the school’s first-ever win over an FBS program.
