Chippewas Fall in Regular-Season Finale

Tuesday, November 22

Ypsilanti, Mich.

7:00 PM

Central Michigan University

6-6 , 3-5

Eastern Michigan

7-5 , 4-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Central Michigan

Eastern Michigan

11/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Nov. 22, 2016

Final Stats

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

YPSILANTI, Mich. - Now, it's a waiting game for Central Michigan football.

Sergio Bailey caught a 24-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds to play Tuesday as Eastern Michigan handed Central Michigan a 26-21 Mid-American Conference loss at the Eagles' Rynearson Stadium.

The loss dropped CMU to 6-6. The Chippewas are bowl eligible, and will await a potential invitation.

"I think we'll still get a bowl game," CMU coach John Bonamego said. "We'll have one more chance to play together and get to a winning season. It is disappointing, but I just told them the facts, we didn't play well enough."

Devon Spalding ran for a career-high three touchdowns to lead the Chippewas, who seized a 21-20 lead - their first of the game - on Spalding's 41-yard TD run with 2:34 to play.

Spalding finished with 85 yards rushing on 11 carries. He also caught four passes for 31 yards.

"Devon's a warrior," Bonamego said. "He's played through injuries his whole career. The (41-yard) touchdown run was a great play. He's a tough, hard-nosed player. I feel badly for him, and a bunch of guys. They played hard tonight, but there's a difference, and I've said it before, between playing hard and playing well. They fought hard tonight."

CMU quarterback Cooper Rush led two fourth-quarter scoring drives as the Chippewas rallied from a 20-7 deficit to seize a 21-20 lead.

Rush completed 21 of 35 passes for 256 yards in what could have been his final game in a Chippewa uniform, if the team does not receive a bowl bid.

"We didn't achieve all of our goals, obviously," Rush said. "I look back and reflect on some good moments. There's some bad ones, obviously, but I'll look back and this team battled; one thing about the guys in the locker room, they battled and we played well for each other.

"One thing you learn is that (bad things) happen and you've got to learn to bounce back, play to play, game to game, week to week. It's just how college football goes."

Eastern Michigan quarterback Brogan Roback threw for 355 yards and a touchdown, triggering an Eagle offense that rolled up 538 total yards. Blake Banham rushed for 120 yards and scored on a 50-yard run to lead the Eagles.

After Spalding's third TD of the game, Brogan drove the Eagles 72 yards in eight plays and hit Bailey, along the far sideline. Bailey leaped to make an outstanding falling catching on the sideline while being closely guarded by CMU defensive back Sean Bunting.

The Eagles converted a fourth-down-and-6 on the play before their game-winning TD. Roback completed a 9-yard pass to Dieuly Aristilde for a first down.

"It's disappointing that we can't get them off the field on fourth-and-6," Bonamego said. "We stop them right there that's the football game."