Taylor Powell leads Eastern Michigan football second-half rally in MAC win at Kent State

Staff report
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KENT — Halftime adjustments and a nagging injury helped Eastern Michigan rally for a 31-24 win over Kent State in a Mid-American Conference football game Wednesday night at Dix Stadium. The Eagles outscored the Golden Flashes 24-7 in the second half.

After Eastern Michigan (7-4) got on the board first with a touchdown, Kent scored the next 17 points to take a 17-7 lead into halftime. KSU quarterback Collin Schlee hooked up with Ja'Shaun Poke for a 39-yard TD and Marquez Cooper added a 1-yard TD run for the Flashes. Andrew Glass tacked on a 36-yard field goal between the two touchdowns.

Kent State wide receiver Ja'Shaun Poke catches a pass for a first-half touchdown against Eastern Michigan, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 in Kent.
Kent State wide receiver Ja'Shaun Poke catches a pass for a first-half touchdown against Eastern Michigan, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 in Kent.

Coming out of halftime, however, the Eagles ran off 24 straight points to regain the lead 31-17 with 3:51 left to play. During the scoring run, EMU quarterback Taylor Powell picked apart the Kent secondary, going 16-for-19 for 186 yards and two TD passes. He finished the game with 315 yards and three scores.

Not helping the offensive cause for Kent (4-7) was an injury to Schlee with about four minutes remaining in the second quarter. Backup Devin Kargman took over and the KSU offense struggled to sustain drives the rest of the game.

Kent State quarterback Collin Schlee scrambles with the ball during the first half against Eastern Michigan, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 in Kent.
Kent State quarterback Collin Schlee scrambles with the ball during the first half against Eastern Michigan, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 in Kent.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Eastern Michigan football rallies to beat Kent State in MAC