Western Michigan tight end Donnie Ernsberger became a viral sensation on Saturday during the Broncos' seven-overtime win against Buffalo — but only partly because of what he did on the field.
His sister, Shalene Ernsberger, had a bigger hand in that when she prematurely rushed the field during the first overtime. That came after Donnie Ernsberger caught a 14-yard touchdown pass, making the score 38-37 and giving the Broncos a chance to extend the game, which was still very much in the air.
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“I was astonished that she got down there so fast,” Ernsberger said, via The Buffalo News. “I was in disbelief that she was there before all of my teammates.”
A quick look back at that moment:
oh my god the sister of a Western Michigan WR just RAN ON THE FIELD after he scored a touchdown and no the game was not over pic.twitter.com/JvnfiZFDGA
— Tom Martin (@TomKCTV5) October 7, 2017
The move, of course, cost WMU a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, even though the team tried arguing it had nothing to do with the celebration.
"All my teammates and coaches were just trying to explain to the refs that it wasn’t a penalty because it’s uncontrollable by us,” Ernsberger said. “Afterward they laughed about it and were still happy and ready to go for the next overtime.”
That's exactly what happened. Kicker Josh Grant converted the lengthened point-after attempt and, six overtimes later, Western Michigan came out with a 71-68 win in the highest-scoring game in FBS history. Some more good news: Though Shalene Ernsberger was escorted from the stadium, she won't face any charges, a Buffalo spokesman said.
Her field rush, then, just added another facet to what became a historic game.
“She was excited for her brother," Donnie Ernsberger said, "and it just shows the family love we have."
