Heading into Senior Night at Rynearson Stadium, Eastern Michigan University’s football team had only turned the ball over nine times throughout the entirety of the 2025 season.
That trend was bucked during the Eagles’ first appearance on midweek MACtion this year. The green and white turned the ball over five times on a nationally televised stage and spoiled Dontae McMillan’s encore performance in an Eastern Michigan uniform, suffering a 31-21 defeat to Mid-American Conference leading Western Michigan University.
McMillan, one of 17 seniors departing the program at season’s end, became just the second player at the Football Bowl Subdivision level this season to rush for over 100 yards and rack up 100 receiving yards in the same game.
The graduate student posted 237 all-purpose yards in his final game as an Eagle on just 16 touches. With 111 yards coming on the ground and 126 yards via receptions, McMillan added a rushing and receiving touchdown to the stat sheet to boot.
“It surprised me — I just let my instincts play. Doing that just proves that I’m even more valuable of a player and I just feel like there’s a lot of work I need to do still and my journey’s still continuous,” he said of his historic final night on Crosby Field.
McMillan also eclipsed the 1000-yard mark for the first time in his collegiate career. Heading into the contest, the Seattle, Washington native had needed just 97 yards to reach that mark.
“[McMillan’s] special. He’s an awesome, awesome young man,” Eagles head coach Chris Creighton said of his star halfback.
“Not surprised at all that he ended up rushing over 1000 yards; he had [237 yards] all purpose this game. He’s just a winner and a great, great, great human being,” Creighton added.
While the Eagles drew first blood thanks to a McMillan touchdown reception from quarterback Noah Kim to cap off a nine-play, 98-yard drive midway through the first quarter, multiple red zone turnovers from Kim — an interception off a tipped pass and a fumble on a designed run stalled two promising Eastern Michigan offensive drives deep in Bronco territory.
Kim would commit five turnovers in total in his final collegiate start. Three interceptions and two fumbles marred a 327-yard performance with two passing touchdowns from the graduate student, who finished the year 183 yards shy of eclipsing 3,000 yards passing in just 12 games.
Despite being held to just 7 yards receiving, Nick Devereaux collected another receiving touchdown to up his final tally to seven in 2025, while Jamarien Wheeler led the team in receiving for a second straight week, posting 72 yards. Harold Mack Jr. also hauled in five catches for 64 yards, being the most targeted Eagles receiver of the night with 10.
Defensively, Zach Mowchan and Bryce Llewellyn led the way with 10 and nine total tackles respectively, while Donovan Green racked up eight total tackles and the team’s only sack of the night.
With the win, Western Michigan clinches the regular season MAC Championship and locks in their ticket to Ford Field to play for the overall conference title on Dec. 6, 2025 at noon, improving their record to 8-4 on the season and 7-1 in the conference. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan’s campaign comes to an end — a 4-8 mark and a 3-5 record in conference play defining their 2025 season.
“That locker room — the outside world can think it’s weird or crazy or laugh, but I’m super proud of those guys, man, I love them," Creighton said to close the chapter on the year. "Stayed together through tough Saturday afternoons, did not go the way that any of us wanted it to. But those guys stayed together and fought and prepared and lots of hugs and lots of ‘I love you’s’ in there right now.”
