RICHMOND, Ky. - After gaining a 27-21 victory over Kentucky State in the '99 season opener last Thursday night, coach Roy Kidd's Eastern Kentucky University football team and coaching staff now turn their attention to the Colonels' next opponent, an impressive Appalachian State University squad. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. Saturday night in ASU's Kidd Brewer Stadium.

While EKU was holding on in the fourth quarter for a seven-point win over KSU, coach Jerry Moore's Appalachian State squad took the Southeastern Conference's Auburn Tigers down to the last minute before losing, 22-15, at Auburn.

Appalachian State held Auburn to just 288 yards of total offense and led the Tigers, 12-7, at the half. Auburn picked up only 104 yards on the ground and another 184 through the air.

"We know we've got our work cut out for us. Appalachian State presents us with a great challenge Saturday. We have a lot of things to correct from our first game, including wrapping people up when we tackle them and bringing them down. We missed way too many tackles against Kentucky State, especially in the second half," said Kidd.

Junior quarterback David Reaves paced the Mountaineers against Auburn by hitting 22-26 passes for 196 yards and one TD. Senior split-end Darryl Skinner was his main target as he hauled in nine passes for 98 yards.

Defensively, junior free safety Corey Hall came up with nine hits (7 solos, two assists) and returned an interception 40 yards to lead the Mountaineers against Auburn.

For the Colonels, junior quarterback Waylon Chapman and junior tailback Corey Crume provided the bulk of the offense for EKU vs. KSU. Chapman, who hit his first seven passes against Kentucky State, finished the night 11-17 for 142 yards and two touchdowns (15 and 22 yards). Crume led Eastern in rushing with 82 yards in 21 carries.

"I thought Waylon had a good game and threw the ball well," Kidd said.

Redshirt freshman fullback Chad Culver was impressive in his first collegiate game, picking up 49 yards in just five carries. Junior wideout Anthony Boggs led EKU pass receivers with five catches for 63 yards.

Senior tackles Terry Thomas and Jason Muchow paced the Colonels on defense against Kentucky State with 11 (7-4) and 9 hits (5-4), respectively. Thomas also was credited with two tackles for loss (-12 yards) and a fumble recovery, while Muchow had a tackle for loss (-5 yards), a half-sack and a hurry the passer.

Appalachian State has won the past three meetings between the two schools by consecutive scores of 21-14 and 19-0 in Richmond and 27-23 in 1997 in Boone, NC. EKU trails the overall series with ASU, 4-2.