Another trip to Mount Pleasant, and another loss for the Eastern Michigan football team.
The Eagles had lost seven straight games in Kelly/Shorts Stadium prior to Saturday afternoon, with that losing streak extending to eight after the team’s 24-13 loss to Central Michigan to kick off their 50th season of conference play.
Eastern Michigan’s defensive woes continued throughout the early portions of the action by allowing three straight touchdown drives to their in-state foes by the time the clock had reached 10:46 in the second quarter — a hole that the road team would fail to dig themselves out of the rest of the way.
During the opening 30 minutes, five explosive (20+ yard) plays encompassed the domination from the Chippewas on the offensive side of the ball. The home team held a 21-6 lead heading into halftime thanks to major contributions from Central Michigan’s gadget quarterback Angel Flores and halfback Nahree Biggins.
Flores would lead all players in rushing with 22 carries for 135 yards, in addition to throwing a two yard touchdown pass. Biggins contributed 113 yards on the ground himself, including a 49 yard touchdown. As a whole, the Chippewas racked up 308 yards rushing on the day, which was more than double EMU’s total of 123.
Eastern Michigan would outscore Central Michigan in the second half 7-3, but by then the damage was already done.
Rudy Kessinger’s missed field goal late in the fourth quarter proved to be the green and white’s final nail in the coffin. The Chippewas executed a perfect four minute offensive game plan to run out the remainder of the game clock, winning new head coach Matt Drinkall’s first conference opener at the helm.
Noah Kim put a rushing touchdown on the board for the third straight week, but also tossed an interception for the third straight game, finishing with a season low of 176 passing yards.
Dontae McMillan added 71 yards on the ground on 14 carries, while Tavierre Dunlap contributed 34 yards of his own. Benson Prosper was the Eagles’ leading receiver with 38 yards on three catches.
For the second straight week, Terry Lockett Jr. was shut down by the opposing secondary, tallying a season low single catch for just four yards. Teams continue to key in on “The Deuce” and neutralize the early season connection between the high-profile receiver and Noah Kim.
With the win, Central Michigan improves to 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in conference play, while Eastern Michigan drops to 1-4 in 2025 and 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference.
Next week, the Eagles take another road trip with a trek out to Buffalo, New York, for their second conference game against the Buffalo Bulls. Viewers can stream all of the action live on ESPN+ on Oct. 4, 2025, at 3:30 p.m.
