RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University's football Colonels, picked to finish third in the 1999 conference race, begin Ohio Valley Conference play Saturday night in Cape Girardeau, MO, against Southeast Missouri State University. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
Eastern Kentucky was able to withstand a second half Samford rally for a 17-16 win over the Bulldogs last Saturday night in Birmingham, AL. EKU, now 3-1 on the season, jumped to a quick 17-0 lead, when, late in the second half, an errant Waylon Chapman pass was picked off and returned inside the Colonels' 10-yard line. That set the stage for a Samford TD that closed the margin to 17-7 at the break.
"I thought we controlled the first half, offensively and defensively, until that interception. That touchdown gave them a lot of momentum entering halftime," said EKU head coach Roy Kidd.
However, the Colonels' defense stiffened when it had to late in the game and Eastern, ranked in the top 25 in all three NCAA Division I-AA polls entering the game, notched the win in its last non-conference action of the regular season.
"I'm happy we won, but we made a lot of mistakes. Our kids played their hearts out again, but we can not continue to get ahead and let people back into the game," said Kidd.
For the second straight week, Eastern had two 100-plus yard rushers. Junior tailback Corey Crume had 123 yards and scored once, while senior Derick Logan added 102 yards on the ground. Chapman hit 14-23 passes for 183 yards and one TD, a 20-yard strike to junior Alex Bannister to open the scoring for the game.
"Waylon did some good things, but you have to remember, he's really only had one start under his belt before this season and he's still learning," Kidd said.
Junior flanker Tyrone Browning topped Eastern with six catches for 57 yards, while Bannister had four receptions for 54 yards and junior wideout Anthony Boggs had two catches for 54 yards.
Defensively, Eastern yielded but 288 yards of total offense as senior roverback Scooter Asel led the way with eight tackles, two assists, a deflected pass and an interception. Defensive end Nick Hill had four tackles, four assists with two tackles for loss; linebacker Adam Rader had five tackles, two assists and a deflected pass to seal the win and a tackle for loss; linebacker Brad Folke had three tackles, four assists; and tackle Terry Thomas had five tackles, two assists with two 'hurry the passer" plays.
Southeast Missouri gave Western Kentucky a hard-fought game before losing 21-10 at Bowling Green last Saturday to drop the Indians' overall record to 0-4. WKU led only 14-10 entering the fourth quarter and was held to just 224 total yards, all on the ground.
Eastern's next action at Roy Kidd Stadium comes Oct. 9 when the Colonels host arch-rival Western Kentucky in a 7:00 p.m. contest, billed "Pack the House Night." Tickets for EKU's three remaining home games are available by visiting the EKU Athletics Ticket Office in Room 126 of Alumni Coliseum or by phoning the ticket office at (606) 622-2122 or 1-800-262-7493, inside Kentucky.