The Eastern Michigan University football team brought home another victory against Western Michigan University on Saturday, Oct. 8, inside Waldo Stadium. The annual “Battle for I-94” records the fourth-straight win over Western Michigan for the Eagles. 

The Eagles used dominant performances on both sides of the ball to defeat Western Michigan, 45-23.

EMU immediately took a 7-0 lead over the Broncos scoring the first points, as senior running back Samson Evans found the endzone early in the second quarter on a two-yard run.

Senior wide receiver Dylan Drummond notched his first touchdown reception of the season with 5:52 on the clock during the first quarter. This kept the team ahead of the Broncos with 14-0 lead.

Eastern Michigan would score again with 14:23 left in the second quarter by adding a touchdown. The Broncos were able to close the gap to 21-7, but the Eagles scored again to go on top 28-7. 

With 0.29 seconds left in the second quarter, the Eagles increased their advantage with a new score of 35-7. By the fourth quarter, the Broncos tallied six points before EMU responded with a touchdown extending the score to 42-13. Western would add one more score to finish the battle, 45-23. 

Senior running back Samson Evans led all EMU rushers with 90 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of the game. Junior Jaylon Jackson put in an additional 32 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

Senior Taylor Powell led EMU with 293 yards through the air, passing for a career-best (tied) three touchdowns without throwing an interception. Powell’s most prolific target was junior Darrius Lassiter catching six passes for 104 yards and one score. Senior wideout Hassan Beydoun hauled in three balls for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive lineman Jose Ramirez wasted no time making an impact against the Broncos. Ramirez led EMU’s defensive effort, tallying four sacks, six tackles, 4.0 TFL and one forced fumble. Ramirez’s four sacks set a new school record of total sacks in one game.

Senior Jordan Crawford was able to make 0.5 sacks and TFL, and one recovered fumble.

Next Saturday, the Eagles will return home to face Northern Illinois University. That matchup is set to kickoff at 3:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. 

For more information on the Eastern Michigan Football team, you can visit EMUEagles.com.

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