PAINESVILLE, Ohio – It was a finish to the game that nobody could have anticipated likely on either side of the field on Saturday afternoon in Painesville, Ohio. Merely 30 seconds stood between Post University Football and their second win of the season after senior running back Isaiah Emmanuel scored the go-ahead touchdown on a three-yard rush to give them a five-point lead after the failed two-point conversion.

However, it took all 30 of those seconds for Lake Erie College to steal victory away from the Eagles in stunning fashion as they drove 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown which culminated in a wild catch and dive into the end zone from senior wide receiver Ali Lee Jr. on a 33-yard heave from graduate quarterback Alec Lewis as the clock struck zero and the Storm stormed the field with a 28-27 victory, their first win since September 9th, 2023 against Northern Michigan. 

THE BASICS

Post University 27, Lake Erie College 28

Post University (1-1)

Lake Erie College (1-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Going for it on fourth down was the name of the game for the Eagles early on in the game and it would pay off to the tune of 14 early points that helped them jump out to a 14-0 lead, seemingly putting them in control. On fourth-and-nine from the Storm's 41-yard line, sophomore quarterback Tyler Phommachanh uncorked a 41-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Josh Tracey for his fourth touchdown overall this season. On the ensuing possession for Lake Erie, junior quarterback Cade Rice's first pass of the day would end up in the hands of graduate defensive back Jah-Quinn Wembley leading to the second scoring drive of the afternoon for Post.

On that drive, a fourth-and-one situation would be converted by senior running back Isaiah Emmanuel, eventually leading to Phommachanh's 29-yard rush up the middle for the touchdown and the 14-0 advantage for the Eagles. However, that would be quickly trimmed down as the first quarter wore on with a long Lake Erie drive resulting in three points via a 53-yard field goal by senior kicker Jaffer Murphy. A botched snap on fourth-and-10 from their own 25-yard line would result in a t6-yard loss for sophomore kicker Aden Caine, giving the Storm a short field at their opposition's nine-yard line, leading to Lewis' two-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Tae-Shaun Johnson, making it a 14-10 ballgame after one. 

A mostly quiet second would see Post extend their lead back up to 11 points, 21-10, before the half as Emmanuel's first of two rushing touchdowns on the day came by way of a 15-yard carry, sending the Eagles into the locker room still firmly ahead. Another quiet quarter of play in the third saw just three points off the foot of Jaffer for Lake Erie on a 28-yard field goal try followed by another 44-yard field goal in the fourth with 8:03 left in regulation making it a five-point game all of a sudden, 21-16.

After going three-and-out on their next possession, Lewis marched the Storm down the field after four consecutive rushing plays led to three first downs and Lewis airing the ball out to his receiving core which led to the go-ahead touchdown grab by Johnson again, this time for nine yards with 3:24 remaining and Lake Erie holding on to a one-point lead, 22-21. But looking to wear down the clock and get the game-winning score, the Eagles went to the short game with back-to-back passes to graduate wide receiver Anthony Gambino before pounding the ground with Emmanuel again. 

After first-and-goal from the Lake Erie five-yard line, Post elected to call timeout with 1:01 to go and Lake Erie still holding all three timeouts in their pocket. A short gain on second down led to the Storm calling their first timeout with 38 seconds to go on third-and-three before Emmanuel punched it into the end zone with 30 seconds remaining to give the Eagles the lead back, 27-22, despite the missed two-point conversion which gave Lake Erie one last opportunity to take back the game. 

Following the kickoff, there were just 24 seconds remaining, and the two timeouts the Storm still had would prove crucial as their first two passing plays were in the middle of the field forcing them to use up those last two timeouts with 10 seconds to go sitting on the Post 41-yard line. A short run out of bounds still left a few ticks on the clock with Lewis under center from the 33-yard line with one last play which he heaved to Lee Jr. on the left sideline over the head of the defender for the catch and dive into the end zone for the 28-27 win as the Storm stunned Post and rushed the field in their 2024 home opener. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• With 27 points in the game, that mark is the fourth-most points scored in a single game for Post University who had the program record in their first game of the season against West Virginia Wesleyan College when they had 41 points in the win 
• With 51 team rushing attempts, Post University surpassed their single-game rushing attempt record set against West Virginia Wesleyan College on August 31st which was 38 rushes 
• Manufacturing three rushing touchdowns, Post University set a new single-game record for most rushing touchdowns in a single game after twice scoring two touchdowns via rushing players in 2022 against Northern Michigan and Saint Anselm
• As a team, Post University rushed for 176 yards which is the second-most in program history behind only their 198 rushing-yard game against Franklin Pierce last year 
• With a 51-yard punt during the game, Aden Caine now has the third-longest punt in program history behind his own mark of 68 yards set last year against Bentley University on September 16th and Broghean McGovern's 58-yard boot on October 15th, 2022 against New Haven 
• Having 35 rushing attempts today, Isaiah Emmanuel broke his own program record for most rushing attempts in a game after having 23 rushing attempts in the first game of the season against West Virginia Wesleyan College on August 31st 
• Finishing with 134 rushing yards on the day, Isaiah Emmanuel now has the second-most rushing yards for a single game behind himself last year against Franklin Pierce on October 21st when he rushed for 160 yards -- Emmanuel also tied Broghean McGovern for most rushing touchdowns in a game with two after McGovern did that on September 24th, 2022 against Northern Michigan 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University plays its first formal Northeast-10 Conference game in program history as they welcome Pace University to Municipal Stadium next Saturday at 1:00 PM. The two teams have played each other the last two seasons out in Pleasantville, New York where the Setters defeated the Eagles by scores of 45-6 in 2022 and 38-7 last October.