RADNOR, Pa.—
Jeremiah Avrilien rushed for a program-record 244 yards and scored three times, and Eastern University Football (1-1, 1-0 ) made enough plays down the stretch to pick up a 27-21 league win over the Misericordia University Cougars. The Eagles finished with a team-record 352 yards on the ground, but they needed a late stop and a pair of tough fourth-down conversions in the final minute to secure the win.
After a 16-yard pitch to
Devon Johnson to open the game, Avrilien took over the drive. The senior from Miami Gardens ripped through the middle of the Eastern defense for for 48 yards before eventually pushing through for a two-yard touchdown.
On the next drive, the Cougars converted three third downs behind senior quarterback Jacob Hunter and capped a 75-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass. The point after drifted wide left and the Eagles held a 7-6 edge with four minutes left in the first quarter. After the Eagles went four-and-out on the next drive, the Cougars found more third-down magic and finished a 56-yard second-quarter drive with an Angelo Fluri fifteen-yard run for a 13-7 lead. Even with that big run, the Eastern defense held Fluri to 33 yards and less than three yards per carry.
Avrilien again had an answer. After a kick out of bounds, and a pair of four-yard rushes. Avrilien went 57 yards for his second score of the game.
John Nolek split the uprights to put the Eagles up a point. The Cougars, in looking to keep balls away from
Chris Rivera, knocked a pair of balls out of bounds on kickoffs. Rivera had a 91-yard return for a score last week, but only had a single 20-yard return on a high kick this week.
The Cougars went three-and-out on their next possession. As important. Hunter, one of the fastest athletes in the MAC, went out with injury.
After the two teams traded punts, Nabb sparked a 54-yard drive for another rushing touchdown. Nabb finished drive with a one-yard run. He ended the the day with 113 rushing yards, and a 5.1 yard per carry average.
Up 21-13, the Eagles put the Cougars in deep on a long kickoff and good coverage. On the second play from scrimmage it looked like the Eastern defense made a big play.
Nathanael Clay got into the backfield and knocked the ball from the quarterback's hand.
Logan McGowan was on the loose ball. The call on the field, however, was an incomplete pass and the Eagles got their final possession of the half in their own territory.
After a strong defensive set to start the second half, the Eastern offense ground out a six-minute drive that ended up with a missed 52-yard attempt from Nolek that featured some uncharacteristic miscommunication on special teams. That proved to be the start of more self-inflicted damage for the Eagles. A good stop turned into a 47-yard punt return from Rivera that was negated by a personal foul. A holding call on the next drive put the eagles behind the sticks again and they had to punt the ball away.
The Cougars took advantage of 35 yards in Eastern penalties and pulled within two on Fluri's second touchdown of the day. The Cougars converted the two-point try to tie the game at 21.
Avrilien again made things happen. After another kick out of bounds, he went four yards and then 61 yards for another score. The Cougars got a good push through the middle to block the extra point, which added more drama down the stretch.
In last year's game in Dallas, Eastern won 28-21. Up 27-21, the Eastern defense needed a stop. The Cougars went 12 plays but turned it over on downs in Eastern territory with 3:42 on the clock. Eastern needed a pair of first downs to ice the game. Nabb rushed for a pair of 4th-and-1 conversions to secure the win.
Denzel Dunbar finished with a team-high seven tackles. The Eagles again did not turn the ball over.
"We were our own worst enemy today, " Head Coach
Billy Crocker said after the game. "We started hot on offense and not great on defense. Later in the game that switched. Our defense dug deep and got stops when we needed them, but with penalties gave them life and kept them in the game. Ultimately we won the game and we always need to appreciate that, it is hard to win a football game. To be 1-0 in the MAC was our goal and we accomplished that.
Coming into today, Nabb held the program-record for rushing yards with 195 at Franklin & Marshall College. It is Avrilien's third three-touchdown game in his career.
The Eagles will host Lebanon Valley next Saturday. The Dutchmen (0-2, 0-1) led 17-3 ten minutes into the third quarter before dropping an 18-17 decision to the visiting Delaware Valley College Aggies.
