Eastern Michigan aces ‘group project’ with 27-21 win over Bowling Green

Ypsilanti — Eastern Michigan will get a passing grade for Saturday. 

That is, at least coaching on the curve that the professor, head coach Chris Creighton, laid out postgame.

“It's fun to win,” Creighton said. “And I would say, it's when we play well, and win. I've been doing this for a while. I've won games where you don't necessarily play well. And I don't get a whole lot of joy or satisfaction out of that. And people always say, 'Ah, you got it, move on to the next one.' And just being honest, it's never done it for me. Down the road, you're glad that you got a W versus an L.”

Eastern Michigan (3-7, 2-4 MAC) did play well on Saturday, as the various phases contributed to the “group project” in a 27-21 win over Bowling Green (3-7, 1-5) at Rynearson Stadium, one that was surely fun for the winning side. The offense played efficiently and mistake free, the defense largely hemmed in the Falcons sluggish offense and, when it was needed, the special teams came through, as Rudy Kessinger made a pair of field goals, including one to push the lead to six with under a minute to play. 

And after taking some deep looks inward during the week off, recalibrating their season outlook and buckling down to finish the season strong, the Eagles poured off the sideline in celebration after Ronn Hardin came up with a game-sealing sack on BGSU’s Hail Mary attempt. 

“It was just a group project, right?” Creighton said postgame. “Mention Rudy kicking the field goal and weren't great on the kickoff, so it was offense, defense and special teams all the way through. And I told the guys in the locker room, it's always the case, but it's everybody. It's guys who didn't put pads on. It's coaches and support staff. When you win, it's — everybody gets the credit for all the work that they put into this. 

All season, Creighton and Co. have said they want to play their best football in November. That didn’t change with missing out on a bowl or other goals sliding out of reach. So with three games remaining, the Eagles had a point to prove, and good ball to play. 

And Eastern Michigan started the game well, sparked by a chunk completion from Noah Kim to Nick Devereaux on the Eagles’ first offensive series after the defense forced a Bowling Green three-and-out. 

On third and long, Kim glided up in the pocket and looked about ready to run before firing to Devereaux for 24 yards and a conversion into Falcons territory. 

Tavierre Dunlap capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run on a direct snap a handful of plays later. 

But the chance to apply some early game pressure didn’t last long, as Bowling Green returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards and scored on a 19-yard Austyn Dendy scamper around the left end. 

Dendy finished the first half with 94 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, and was a large reason Bowling Green’s offense stayed afloat with an otherwise absent passing game. But Dendy didn’t do much outside of four carries that gashed the Eagles in the first half. 

“We got to halftime and we looked at the things we were doing well and what we did on those drives and you know, all the coaches and the whole defense came together like, 'Dude, we can shut these guys down,'” linebacker Zach Mowchan said. 

He finished with 21 carries for 113 yards, and 73 of those yards came on four carries — three for 19 yards, one for 16 — which included both his touchdowns. His second half stat line: Eight carries for 19 yards. And outside of the four explosive carries: 17 runs for 40 yards. 

Dendy added a pair of catches for 26 yards, but a Bowling Green offense that fired the offensive coordinator earlier this week and keeps searching for answers at quarterback, starting Hunter Najm on Saturday in Ypsilanti, didn’t have the juice to overcome the Eagles. 

And the Eagles held the Falcons to 259 total yards, the first time since 2023 that EMU held an opponent under 300 total yards and the first time in a win since November 2022. 

“Our plan was smaller, it was about executing the plan,” Creighton said. “It wasn’t about tricking them and putting a ton on our guys. We just really wanted them to play. And I think they settled and played pretty well, throughout.”

The offense, which caught a lull through the second quarter, recaptured its form in the second half, marching into the red zone before false start backed the Eagles into a 3rd and goal from the 12. 

Kim dropped back, coolly scanned his options and found Nick Devereaux outside the right hash, just inside the 5. Devereaux reeled in the pass before muscling through defenders to score, giving EMU a lead it would not relinquish, 17-14. 

The defense paid it back, stuffing Dendy on a 3rd and 1 attempt early in the fourth quarter, forcing a Bowling Green punt. 

Eastern Michigan ran six plays, all runs, and covered 69 yards in six plays and 3:13 of game clock, going up 24-14. Dontae McMillan ripped off a 33 yard run on that drive, the longest play of the game for either team as he finished with 100 net yards and a touchdown, which he scored on the drive in question. 

McMillan, who combined with Dunlap for two touchdowns and 147 yards, looked like a throwback to a pre-injury version of himself, Creighton said. 

“I just felt like, the first day of practice I was running good and I felt good,” McMillan said. 

Bowling Green punched in a touchdown with around four and a half minutes remaining and the pressure ratcheted up. The Falcons had all three timeouts and could tie the game with a field goal after getting a stop. Eastern Michigan wanted to drive and burn out the clock. 

Once more, Devereaux came through. 

He twice converted third downs on that drive, first taking a crosser for a solid gain and nearly a touchdown, but got tripped up before his second and most spectacular catch of the day. 

On 3rd and 12 right around midfield and the clock under two minutes to go, the Eagles put the ball in Kim’s hands, and he took a risk, going deep down the right sideline to Devereaux. The wideout adjusted perfectly, hauled in the catch and landed both feet down inbounds. 

“Really proud of him,” Creighton said. “He had some monster plays.” 

And while that play got the Eagles close to a win, it didn’t seal the deal. BGSU head coach Eddie George used his timeouts deftly and forced EMU into a 4th and 5 with 1:01 left on the clock. 

Creighton sent out Kessinger for the field goal, and said after the game it wasn’t much of a consideration to go for the fourth down conversion. 

“That was a little bit far, for me,” Creighton said.  

Kessinger made his kick and the scenario came into focus: EMU would kick off to BGSU with :56 on the clock, and the Falcons would need to get in the end zone with no timeouts. 

A long kick return made things dicey, as the Falcons got to the EMU 36 with :08 to play and a shot at the end zone. 

Then Hardin came up with his sack, the sideline emptied, and the Eagles celebrated a win that won’t change much for this team outwardly, but means more to this team than can likely be expressed. 

“We want to play our best football in November,” Creighton said. “And there's integrity that goes with that. We said we were going to do that from the very beginning. And even though it's not sunshine and rainbows and bowl games and championships and all that, just really proud of how the guys played today. And I expect us to keep getting better.”