It is a conundrum. Do pilots brief this? Do they have it in the back of their minds- if this goes long, I'm gonna keep it straight
Airlines don't teach anything regarding EMAS since it's not available everywhere, but you'd think more seasoned MDW users most likely know it's there, available, and will stop the airplane.
I agree, it was either not under control, or the instinct was to steer away from the wall/blast fence. I can see it now, mandated EMAS overrun training in my next sim. "Guys, just go straight ahead while I fail your brakes"