Game Two: Week One

That’s what could be found inside Rynearson Stadium on Sept. 4, as classic cars surrounded the stadium for Eastern Michigan’s annual Cruise Night celebration, followed by a postgame fireworks show.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles took on the San Jose State Spartans in what was considered the first week of the college football season, although it was the second game of the season for both teams.

It was the third all-time meeting between the two programs and the first during the regular season. The last matchup came in 2022 at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, where the Eagles won 41-27.

The only other meeting came in 1987, when the Eagles were crowned MAC champions and stunned the Spartans in the California Bowl in Fresno, California.

First Quarter

The game had its moments throughout, but a slow and sloppy first quarter quickly plagued both teams.

The Spartans won the coin toss and elected to receive. Starting at their own 25-yard line, they were quickly forced to punt after a solo tackle by Barry Manning on third down.

The Eagles wouldn’t fare much better. A false-start penalty killed their momentum, and quarterback Noah Kim was forced to throw the ball away twice because of tight defensive coverage from the Spartans. Eastern Michigan was forced to punt the ball back to San Jose State, beginning a punting battle throughout the first quarter.

The Spartans fared slightly better on their second possession, getting as far as the Eagles’ 44-yard line before running into Eastern Michigan’s stiff, bend-but-don’t-break secondary, which once again forced a punt.

Three punts later, the Spartans managed to push into Eagles territory before Zach Mowchan and Tylan Boykin teamed up for a fourth-down tackle, forcing a turnover on downs.

The Eagles took over at their own 43-yard line and managed to gain a first down before an errant snap and a 14-yard sack pushed Eastern all the way back to the 40-yard line.

That would be the final play of the first quarter, but as the cameras panned to a commercial break, the excitement inside the stadium was just getting started.

The undisputed greatest competitive eater of all time, Joey Chestnut, was in attendance as he supervised and commentated on a three-person Eastern Michigan student donut-eating competition.

Yes, the entertainment during the break consisted of three college students stuffing their mouths with glazed donuts in an attempt to win in front of one of the greatest competitive eaters in history.

Unfortunately for the competitors, they hadn’t trained for the competition. The winning student only needed to eat three donuts in 1 minute, 45 seconds to outdo the competition.

Second Quarter

The Eagles returned in the second quarter with a 10-yard catch-and-run by Joshua Long and a 12-yard reception by Nick Devereaux, putting Eastern in a fourth-and-2 situation after the sack had left the Eagles 24 yards behind the first-down marker.

On fourth down, Kim went deep to Benson Prosper, but the pass was significantly overthrown, forcing Prosper to dive for the ball. An initial 20-yard gain was overturned following an official review, much to the disappointment of the Eagle faithful, and the ball was returned to the Spartans.

The Eagles wouldn’t have to wait long to get the ball back. Juan Salas deflected a long pass from San Jose State quarterback Luke Weaver, which was intercepted by Caleb Dobbs at the Eastern Michigan 42-yard line.

Harold Mack Jr. then hooked up with his quarterback on a 34-yard run and catch, carrying four Spartans on his back all the way to the San Jose State 24-yard line.

Two plays later, a tight end screen from Kim to Long moved the Eagles to the 10-yard line. Kim then connected with Mack Jr. for a 5-yard touchdown, giving Eastern Michigan a 7-0 lead. Rudy Kessinger added the extra point.

The Spartans quickly took the field determined to tie the game. They marched to the Eagles’ 36-yard line before attempting a 53-yard field goal.

Although the Spartans’ kicker put the ball through the uprights, the play had already been blown dead because of a delay-of-game penalty. The five-yard penalty pushed San Jose State out of field-goal range and forced the Spartans to punt.

After three minutes of possession, a whole lot of spin moves and an incomplete pass, the Eagles once again punted the ball back to the Spartans.

San Jose State marched 80 yards down the field for a game-tying touchdown in just four plays, highlighted by a 51-yard pass from Weaver and a 27-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 remaining in the first half.

After the Spartans’ touchdown, it appeared the Eagles’ offense had lost all momentum. Eastern went three-and-out on its final possession of the half and punted the ball back to San Jose State.

Fortunately for the Eagles, the Spartans were forced to burn their final timeout to preserve time for their offense. However, Eastern’s inability to stop the clock and its prevent defense did not make it impossible for San Jose State to score.

Three short passes and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty pushed the Spartans into field-goal range. Their 45-yard attempt bounced off the crossbar and through the uprights, giving San Jose State a 10-7 lead heading into halftime.

Third Quarter

A touchback started the Eagles’ first possession of the second half at the 25-yard line. Eastern managed to gain a first down before facing fourth-and-1, when the Eagles elected to go for it.

Amareon Blue did the rest.

Blue took the ball up the middle untouched for a 50-yard touchdown, reclaiming the lead for Eastern Michigan and providing a much-needed score coming out of halftime. Kessinger added the extra point to make it 14-10.

During the early part of the third quarter, Eagles fans made their way to the corner of the stadium before removing their shirts and creating Eastern Michigan’s first “tarps off” section of the season.

A delay-of-game penalty and a communication error on a San Jose State handoff allowed Jason Marshall to record a 2-yard sack on first down. However, two consecutive positive-yardage plays allowed the Spartans to pick up a first down.

The Eagles then forced San Jose State into a fourth-and-2 situation, but a miraculous juggling catch two yards past the line to gain gave the Spartans a new set of downs.

San Jose State continued to drive before breaking through with a touchdown on a broken third-and-8 play, taking a 17-14 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Eagles’ offense continued to struggle, much like it had throughout most of the first half. The Spartans forced Eastern into a three-and-out, sending a tired Eagles defense back onto the field.

The Eagles’ defense successfully completed its mission. Three plays later, the Spartans were forced to punt, putting the ball back in the hands of Kim and the Eagles’ offense.

Eastern’s offense could only go so far. Five plays after receiving the ball, the Eagles were forced to give it back to San Jose State.

Kim had very little time in the pocket, resulting in rushed throws and incomplete passes.

Fortunately for the Eagles, their defense was beginning to find its groove. A streaking Ronn Hardin forced a Spartans fumble, which was recovered in the end zone by Bryce Llewellyn for an Eastern Michigan touchdown, giving the Eagles a 21-17 lead.

On the ensuing drive, the officials reviewed a potential targeting penalty against an Eastern Michigan player. After review, they determined there was not sufficient evidence to call the penalty and disqualify a member of the Eagles’ secondary.

Ironically, the Spartans were called for a facemask penalty just one play later. Instead of moving forward 15 yards because of a targeting penalty, San Jose State was forced 15 yards backward.

San Jose State then ran the ball and chewed up the clock, taking the game into the fourth quarter facing a third-and-9.

Fourth Quarter

The Eagles’ defense remained stiff, once again forcing a Spartans punt. The Eagles’ offense took over with 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Eastern’s offense continued to struggle and was forced to punt the ball away. The Eagles’ last possession inside San Jose State territory had come in the second quarter when they scored their first touchdown of the game.

The Eagles’ defense could only do so much. The Spartans scored on an easy 40-yard pitch-and-catch play over the middle, retaking the lead and putting pressure back on the Eastern offense.

San Jose State led 24-21 with just over 11 minutes remaining.

On the ensuing offensive possession, offensive lineman Cole Dellinger was carried off the field as the offense remained unable to gain momentum.

Throughout the game, Kim had looked increasingly uncomfortable throwing the football, but it became especially apparent during the fourth quarter. His inability to make the necessary throws forced the Eagles to punt the ball away once again in need of a score.

The Eagles’ defense once again stood tall, earning the ball back for the offense. Just four plays later, however, the defense returned to the field because of Eastern Michigan’s inability to move the football.

San Jose State’s offense also struggled to move the ball effectively and was forced to punt with just over three minutes remaining after beginning the possession with more than six minutes left.

It was now or never for the Eagles, and it turned out to be the latter.

Eastern Michigan managed just seven positive yards over three plays before facing fourth-and-3. The two-minute timeout gave the Eagles a chance to reset and regroup, but immediately after

returning from the break, Kim made an unnecessary throw off his back foot that was intercepted, ending the drive before it had really gotten started.

The Eagles still had all three of their timeouts, which they used to get the ball back for one final offensive possession.

Unfortunately for Eastern, the defense was unable to keep the Spartans out of field-goal range. A successful attempt pushed San Jose State’s lead to six.

With just over 1 1/2 minutes remaining and no timeouts, the Eagles needed to move quickly down the field.

However, four incomplete passes and a turnover on downs later, the Spartans were gladly kneeling out the clock, securing the 27-21 victory and ending Eastern Michigan’s undefeated all-time record against San Jose State.

The promised fireworks show went off shortly after the game concluded, but what could have been a joyous celebration for Eastern fans was quickly dulled by the sting of defeat.

Postgame

After the game, Eagles head coach Chris Creighton took time to answer questions about the loss. When asked about the run game, Creighton made his point clear.

“I don’t think we’ve run it like how we need to be able to run it,” he said.

The Eagles finished with 107 rushing yards, nearly 30 more than their total against Sacramento State, when Eastern ran for 69 yards. Eastern Michigan averaged more than 144 rushing yards per game last season, but an effective running game has yet to emerge this season.

The Eagles will take on the Michigan State Spartans next week in East Lansing for their first road game of the season, as Kim returns to where he began his college career.

The matchup will also be the first of two Big Ten opponents Eastern Michigan will face this season.

Looking to bounce back from the loss, Creighton knows the steps his team must take.

“You’ve gotta start over, whether you feel great about what just happened or you feel horrible about what just happened. You have to start over and go through the process and preparation for the next week,” he said. “We’ve done it after a win, and now we’re gonna do that after a loss. There’s a ton of football left.”

With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Eastern Michigan falls to 1-1 but remains 1-0 in conference play. The Eagles have three more nonconference games before traveling to Massachusetts on Oct. 3 for their next MAC matchup.

Until then, Eastern Michigan has plenty of work to do.