It had been 356 days since Eastern Michigan’s football team last defeated a Mid-American Conference opponent — that was, until this afternoon.
The Eagles scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter behind a Noah Kim touchdown strike to Joshua Long and an interception by Bryce Llewelyn that set up a 28-yard Rudy Kessinger field goal to down Northern Illinois University in a defensive battle, 16-10.
Eastern Michigan’s offense struggled for much of the afternoon, failing to eclipse 20 points for just the second time this season and only posting 296 yards of total offense; their lowest total of the campaign.
However, it was the green and white’s defense that stepped up when it mattered most, flustering Northern Illinois' quarterback Brady Davidson all day and forcing an errant throw from the true freshman on the Huskies’ final fourth down of the game that sealed the road team’s fate.
Davidson, making just his second collegiate start, completed only 11 of his 26 passes for 94 yards and an interception. The Eagles also made it a point of emphasis on defense to neutralize his top target, DeAree Rogers, holding Northern Illinois’ receiving leader to just three catches on 25 yards.
The 10 points given up was the lowest point tally that Eastern Michigan have surrendered all season, and this match was the first time the Eagles have allowed 10 or fewer points in over a calendar year. The last occurrence of that was on Sept. 21, 2024, against Saint Francis University.
Offensively, despite missing Terry Lockett Jr. for the second straight game and being without Tavierre Dunlap this week, the Eagles still managed to find answers down the stretch against a stout Northern Illinois defense.
Noah Kim threw an interception in plus territory midway through the third quarter but responded by leading the go-ahead nine play, 64-yard drive in the final frame that ended with the aforementioned six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Joshua Long.
Dontae McMillan was the focal point of the offense throughout the day, leading Eastern Michigan in rushing with 104 yards on 23 carries while also hauling in four catches for 11 yards out of the backfield.
Receiving wise, Long, the sophomore from Los Angeles, led the team with five catches for 52 yards, both career highs. Porter Rooks also added four catches for 28 yards, while Nick Devereaux after a hot past few weeks was held to just two catches for nine yards.
Freshman kicker Rudy Kessinger also stepped up in a major capacity for the home team, making all three of his field goal attempts from 35 yards, 49 yards and 28 yards respectively.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 2-5 on the season, now 1-2 in MAC play with just five games remaining in 2025. Northern Illinois dropped to 1-5, sitting 0-2 in the conference during their final year of MAC competition.
Next week, Eastern Michigan hits the road once more. The Eagles embark on the journey to Oxford, Ohio to play the Miami University Redhawks Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at noon. Viewers can stream all of the action live on ESPN+.
