A late touchdown from Dontae McMillan, two critical catches from Nick Devereaux, a 44-yard field goal by Rudy Kessinger, and a sack on the final play of the game from Ronn Hardin proved to be enough for the Eastern Michigan University football team to thwart Bowling Green State University’s comeback efforts and win with a score of 27-21.
“It was just a group project, right?” said Eagles Head Coach Chris Creighton on his team’s ability to close out the game down the stretch.
“It’s everyone — it's guys who didn’t put pads on, it's coaches and support staff — when you win, everybody gets credit for all the work,” he added.
Eastern Michigan’s path to victory did not come easily. After trailing Bowling Green 14-10 at the half, the home team rallied over the final 30 minutes, out-scoring the Falcons 17-7 during that span thanks to critical plays at crucial times from key offensive contributors.
Nick Devereaux only registered one catch for 24 yards during the opening two quarters but came alive in the second half. A 12-yard go-ahead touchdown reception in the third quarter was followed by two clutch catches on the Eagles’ final offensive series of the game, a drive that would ultimately secure a win for the home team.
“Really proud of [Devereaux]; he had some monster plays,” Creighton said of the former walk-on from Troy, Michigan.
After registering only 81 yards rushing in the last two games combined, Dontae McMillan returned to his early season form, posting 100 yards on the ground and Eastern Michigan’s final touchdown of the game.
The Eagles as a team put up 175 yards rushing, with Tavierre Dunlap contributing an additional 47 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Noah Kim added 28 yards with his legs.
Kim also tossed for 210 yards and a touchdown through the air, completing 10 of his 12 passes in the second half after starting the day with a 44% completion rate during the opening two stanzas.
Defensively, Zack Mowchan led the way for Eastern Michigan with 10 tackles, nine of them being assisted.
“Coaches don’t give up on you, your teammates don’t give up on you, so it's really easy to keep going — it was the most fun I’ve had all year,” Mowchan said on his performance.
Mowchan’s defensive efforts were backed up by a re-emergence of the pass rush. Sterling Miles and Ronn Hardin both recorded sacks, with Hardin’s being the game-clinching play for the Eagles.
“[Hardin] is just a perfect fit for our program, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for him to get that sack,” Creighton said.
With the win, Eastern Michigan moves to 3-7 on the season and 2-4 in Mid-American Conference play, while Bowling Green falls to 3-7, now holding a 1-5 mark in conference action.
Next week, the Eagles embark on their final road trip of the season, traveling to Muncie, Indiana, to take on the Ball State University Cardinals at noon Nov. 15, 2025. Viewers can catch all the action live on ESPN+ or listen on WEMU (89.1 FM), The Varsity Network app and SiriusXM.
