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Eastern Michigan gets 1st MAC win, beats Ball State 56-14

Posted at 9:23 AM, Nov 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-03 09:23:59-04

Brogan Roback threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns and Eastern Michigan beat Ball State 56-14 on Thursday night for its first Mid-American Conference victory of the season.

Eastern Michigan (3-6, 1-4) scored five touchdowns on its first six drives to take a 35-14 lead at halftime. Three of the scoring drives were five plays or less. Roback was 13 of 17 for 207 yards and three TDs, including a 74-yarder to Sergio Bailey II for the longest throw and catch of their careers.

Roback went over 8,000 career-passing yards in the first half to become the second player in program history to do so. Walter Church (1996-00) holds the school record with 9,142 yards.

Shaq Vann scored his second touchdown of the game on the first possession of the second half to extend EMU's lead to 42-14. He finished with 55 yards on seven carries, and Ian Eriksen had 114 yards rushing and one touchdown. Paul Fricano tied a program record with eight extra points.

Drew Plitt was 11-of-21 passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns for Ball State (2-7. 0-5), which lost its sixth straight.