Welcome to the Mid-American Conference, Harold Mack Jr.
Despite Eastern Michigan University’s football team falling on the road to Miami University 44-30, the central storyline of the day for the Eagles was the breakout performance from the freshman wide receiver.
With “The Deuce,” Terry Lockett Jr., sidelined by injury for the third straight week, Mack Jr. burst onto the scene during his first collegiate action for the road team, posting six receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns against a stout RedHawks defense.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native made his presence known early for the green and white, getting behind the Miami defense midway through the second quarter to haul in a 51-yard strike from quarterback Noah Kim, cutting Eastern Michigan’s deficit from 14-0 to 14-7.
Mack Jr.’s next two receptions would single-handedly lead to the Eagles’ next scoring drive. He was on the receiving end of a 50-yard explosive pass from Kim, then proceeded to collect his second touchdown of the day via a 12-yard reception.
Eastern Michigan would trail Miami 21-14 at the half, but not due to the efforts of Mack Jr. The receiver had posted three receptions for 113 yards and two scores through the opening 30 minutes of play.
Mack Jr. would add three more catches to the stat sheet for 66 yards in the second half, with Nick Devereaux also stepping up over the final two quarters to add two touchdown receptions of his own to the board in the Eagles’ efforts to keep up with the RedHawks.
Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 23 points in the second half but attempted to rally back with two late touchdowns and two point conversions in the fourth quarter. Neither was enough to overcome Miami’s high-octane offense, featuring a rushing attack that boasted nearly 300 total yards and four touchdowns.
Quarterback Noah Kim had a mixed day through the air. He threw for over 300 yards and four touchdown passes but also had two critical interceptions, including one on a drive midway through the third quarter where the Eagles had an opportunity to tie the game up with a score.
Dontae McMillan had his worst game of the campaign out of the backfield, only rushing 12 times for 25 yards while once again sporting a noticeable limp midway through the third quarter. Tavierre Dunlap, returning to action after missing last week’s game against Northern Illinois University, added four carries for 36 yards on the ground.
Defensively, defensive back Bryce Llewelyn continued his propensity to make plays, recovering a key fumble towards the end of the first half that led to an Eastern Michigan scoring drive.
However, as a whole, the Eagles' defense had their worst outing in MAC play thus far, allowing the most points as a unit since the Sept. 13 match against Southeastern Conference opponent Kentucky and failing to contain RedHawks dual threat quarterback Dequan Finn, who posted 217 yards and four total touchdowns.
With the win, Miami improves to 4-3 on the season and 3-0 in conference play, now boasting a 10-game MAC winning streak dating back to last year. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan drops to 2-6 with a 1-3 record in the MAC, staring at likely bowl ineligibility for the second straight year if the green and white suffer one more loss the remainder of 2025.
Next week, the Eagles return home to Rynearson Stadium for another critical conference date against Ohio University on Saturday, Oct. 25, at noon. Viewers can catch all of the action live on CBS Sports Network.
