<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3VyHa1_0wEiL7IA00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3VyHa1_0wEiL7IA00" width="1600" height="1238" >Injury to Emanuel limits Chippewas in loss to Eastern MichiganYPSILANTI, Mich. – It was the lineman's dream for Central Michigan defensive tackle Jason Williams.Williams scooped up a fumble and rumbled 67 yards for a touchdown with 55 seconds remaining in the first half on Saturday of the Chippewas' 38-34 loss to Eastern Michigan at Rynearson Stadium.Williams' first career touchdown gave the Chippewas a brief 14-13 lead and it came as a result of defensive end Jonah Pace's hit on quarterback Cole Snyder. Snyder fumbled the ball and it landed on the turf, directly in Williams' sights."I just looked down and the ball's right there," said Williams, who did not have a fumble recovery in 43 career games (14 starts) entering Saturday's contest. "At first I thought it was a dead ball and I figured I'll pick it up and let the ref do their job. By the time I got to the 50 I thought, Oh man, they didn't blow the whistle yet, so now I'm really trying to get in stride and hoping I don't get caught. When I crossed the goal line I was like, oh man, I actually made it."The good-natured Williams is a junior who is listed at 6-feet-2, 290 pounds. Safe to say covering 67 yards at full speed was a bit taxing for the Ocoee, Fla. native."I can't remember the last time I ever did that," Williams said. "I got in the end zone, I almost passed out. It was just crazy. It was so perfect. A scoop-and-score in the open field. I couldn't have asked for a better moment."It marked the first time CMU has scored on a fumble return since Nov. 2, 2022, when linebacker Kyle Moretti recovered a fumble in the end zone of a game against Northern Illinois.Dana is now in his fifth year with the Kansas City Chiefs.Among CMU's other highlights in Saturday's game:• CMU's Tristan Mattson kicked a season-long 56-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. It was also the longest field goal by an opposing kicker in Rynearson Stadium, which opened in 1969.• Marion Lukes' 66-yard run that set up a Bert Emanuel Jr. touchdown in the first minute of the third quarter was a career long. It was also the third-longest run from scrimmage by a Chippewa this season.• Tight end Gavin Harris scored his first career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. CMU quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. lost the ball in a scrum at the goal line and the ball squirted backward to the 7-yard line where Harris scooped it up and ran toward the right sideline and angled to the goal line. He crossed it to give CMU a 34-16 lead with 13:26 to play.Lukes Cracks the Century MarkLukes finished with 118 yards on 13 carries for a 9.1-yard average. It makes Lukes' second consecutive 100-yard game – he ran for 110 the previous week in a 27-25 home loss to Ohio – and the fifth of his career.Lukes also had one reception for 22 yards against the Eagles, giving him 140 all-purpose yards in the game. He leads the MAC with an average of 131 all-purpose yards per game.Mattson on the MarkMattson also had a 51-yard field goal in Saturday's game, bringing to 10 his streak of consecutive makes. He has been good on 11 of his 12 tries on the year and ranks third in the MAC with a .917 make percentage.The 56-yarder that he made on Saturday is the second longest in 2024 by a MAC kicker and it ranks as the third longest in CMU history behind the 58-yarder he hit in 2023 against Akron and the 57-yarder by Rade Savich against Ball State in 1975.Mattson has missed just one extra point attempt in 20 tries this season. He has scored 52 points on the year, ranking third in the MAC in that category behind EMU kicker Jesus Gomez (66 points) and Western Michigan running back Jaden Nixon (54).The DefenseCMU's defense posted a season-high five sacks. Caleb Spann and Jordan Kwiatkowski paced CMU with 12 tackles apiece. The 12 tackles were a career high for Spann, a redshirt junior from New Orleans.Turnaround in the TurnoversThe Chippewa defense forced two turnovers, Williams' fumble return for a score and Jordan Kwiatkowski's first career interception, which came in the first quarter.It marked the second consecutive week that CMU won the turnover battle. The Chippewas did not lose a fumble and did not throw an interception.The Chippewas are plus-3 in turnover margin in their last two games, but are minus-7 for the season and rank 117th among the 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.The QuarterbackRedshirt freshman Tyler Jefferson started at quarterback for CMU in place of Joe Labas, who was injured a week earlier in the loss to Ohio.Jefferson completed just 2 of 8 passes for 6 yards and ran for 79 yards on 13 attempts. Bert Emanuel Jr., who has battled injuries throughout the season, spelled Jefferson and was effective in moving the offense, throwing for 92 yards on 3-of-4 passing and running 63 on 15 attempts. Emanuel threw for one touchdown and scored one.He left the game an injury with 10:27 remaining and did not return. McElwain had not update on Emanuel's injury immediately after the game.Final GaspAfter EMU scored on a quarterback sneak with 1:42 to play to go up, 38-34, the kickoff was a touchback, giving CMU possession at its own 25-yard line.Jefferson moved the Chippewas to the Eastern 45, but the Chippewas failed to convert on fourth-and-3 with 43 seconds remaining."The big thing is you've just got to learn from it," CMU coach Jim McElwain said his immediate postgame conversation with Jefferson. "I just told him he's got a lot of football ahead of him and he's going to be a hell of a player."The SeriesThe Chippewas lead the series with the Eagles, 64-32-6. Eastern has won two of the last three matchups, while CMU has won six of the last 10. The Chippewas have lost in four of their last five trips to the Eagles' Rynearson Stadium and are 26-21-4 all-time in road games against EMU.The Chippewas go to Miami (Ohio) for a MAC game on Saturday, Oct. 26 (2 p.m.). The RedHawks are 3-4, 2-1 MAC after a 30-20 win over Ohio on Saturday.The Miami game marks CMU's final Saturday contest until the season finale at Northern Illinois on Nov. 30.After the Miami game, the Chippewas will play three consecutive Tuesday night games: home vs. Bowling Green on Nov. 5; at Toledo on Nov. 12; and home vs. Western Michigan on Nov. 19.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Football Notebook: Jason Williams Cashes in on 'Lineman's Dream'

YPSILANTI, Mich. – It was the lineman's dream for Central Michigan defensive tackle Jason Williams. Williams scooped up a fumble and rumbled 67 yards for a touchdown with 55 seconds remaining in the first half on Saturday of the Chippewas' 38-34 loss to Eastern Michigan at Rynearson Stadium. Williams'...