CMU Falls in Regular Season Finale at Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. Andy Schmitt completed 58-of-80 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns to lead Eastern Michigan to a 56-52 win over Central Michigan on Friday.

All five of Schmitt’s scoring throws came in the first half as the Eagles took a 42-35 lead into halftime. The Eagles scored touchdowns on six of their seven first-half possessions.

Schmitt capped the game’s opening drive with an 8-yard touchdown run, then threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Josh Leduc to give EMU a 14-0 lead. CMU scored twice in the final three minutes of the quarter, however, as Dan LeFevour scored on a 3-yard run off the right side and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joe Bockheim to even the score at 14-14.

Antonio Brown set up both first-quarter scores. On third-and-15 from the CMU 4-yard line, he turned a pass over the middle into a 93-yard gain to set up LeFevour’s touchdown run. EMU then punted, and Brown weaved and spun his way through a 36-yard return that set up the CMU offense at the 17-yard line.

After CMU tied the score, the teams combined to score touchdowns on seven of the half’s final eight possessions. Schmitt threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Dontayo Gage, 10 yards to DeAnthony White, 12 yards to Dwayne Priest and 17 yards to Leduc on consecutive possessions.

The Chippewas, meanwhile, answered with scoring throws of 8 yards from LeFevour to Kito Poblah, 49 yards from LeFevour to Brown and 4 yards from LeFevour to Bryan Anderson. With six seconds left in the first half, CMU appeared to be lining up for a field goal attempt. Eastern Michigan called timeout, then huddled its entire team on the playing field. The Eagles were flagged for a substitution infraction, CMU sent its offense back onto the field and LeFevour connected with Anderson with one second left in the half.

Eastern Michigan was flagged for two personal foul penalties as the teams exited the field at the end of the half, forcing the Eagles to kickoff from the 8-yard line to open the second half. Brown returned the kick to the EMU 47, and Andrew Aguila converted a 30-yard field goal attempt to draw the Chippewas within 42-38.

The Eagles went three-and-out, and Justin Hoskins’ 17-yard run on the ensuing possession gave CMU its only lead, 45-42, with 9:30 left in the third quarter.

Terrence Blevins scored on a 1-yard run on the next possession to put EMU back in front, then added a second 1-yard touchdown run later in the quarter to extend Eastern Michigan’s lead to 56-45.

Ontario Sneed’s 38-yard touchdown run just more than a minute into the fourth quarter cut the EMU lead to 56-52. The Eagles punted twice and threw an interception on their next three possessions, but CMU punted once and turned the ball over on downs twice on its final three drives.

Schmitt set a new NCAA record with his 58 completions. Tyler Jones caught a school-record and Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) record tying 23 passes for 170 yards for EMU.

LeFevour was 22-for-38 for a season-high 378 yards and four touchdowns. Brown caught seven passes for 172 yards, while Anderson made six catches for 72 yards and Poblah five for 72 yards.

Sneed carried the ball 11 times for 97 yards.

CMU’s 555 total yards were a season high.

The Chippewas close the regular season 8-4 overall, 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference. This is the first time since 1978-80 that CMU has won at least eight games in three consecutive seasons.

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