SportsDirect Inc. staff
Aug 31, 2013
Eastern Michigan 34, Howard 24: Bronson Hill rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns as the host Eagles erased an 11-point third-quarter deficit to rebuff the upset-minded Bison.
Quarterback Tyler Benz was 19-of-26 for 210 yards and two touchdowns for Eastern Michigan, which has won all three meetings while outscoring Howard 113-48.
Demarius Reed and Tyreese Russell caught TD passes and Darius Jackson added a 19-yard TD run as the Eagles improved to 9-4 against FCS opponents.
William Parker recorded a 65-yard touchdown run while quarterback Greg McGhee also rushed for a score and was 19-of-32 for 182 yards and a TD for the Bison, which finished 7-4 in 2012 - its best season since recording the same record in 1998.
Benz's 18-yard touchdown pass to Russell came 43 seconds into the second quarter. Parker's TD run preceded a 43-yard field goal by John Fleck, which gave Howard a 10-7 lead before Benz and Reed hooked up for 33 yards with 31 seconds left in the half to give Eastern Michigan a 13-10 lead at the break.
Howard exploded to the lead in the third quarter when Jonathan Booker caught a short pass and turned it into a 32-yard touchdown and McGhee added a 1-yard score. The Eagles responded with TD runs of 2 and 3 yards by Hill - the second coming with 12:31 remaining - before Jackson sealed it with 3:14 left.