2016 EKU Game Notes (Final Notes).indd
This week’s hash tags: #GoBigE, #EKUEveryDay, #Mission104 www.EKUSports.com @EKUSports @EKUFootball @CoachElderEKU EKUSports Facebook.com/EKUColonels
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1979 • 1982
2016 FOOTBALL GAME
OVC CHAMPIONS 1954 • 1962 • 1967 • 1968 • 1974 • 1976 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1986 • 1987 1988 • 1990 • 1991 • 1993 • 1994 • 1997 2007 • 2008 • 2011
NOTES
EKUSports Communications • Football Contact: Kevin Britton, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications • [email protected] • (859) 622-2006
GAME
Final 2016 EKU Schedule/Results DATE Sept. 3 Sept. 8 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19
RANK RV/RV RV/RV RV/RV RV/RV RV/NR RV/NR RV/NR NR/NR NR/NR NR/NR
OPPONENT TV/NET TIME at Purdue ESPNNews L, 24-45 PIKEVILLE OVCDN W, 55-14 at Ball State ESPN3 L, 14-41 OPEN at Tennessee Tech* OVCDN L, 30-33 ot SOUTHEAST MO.* OVCDN W, 31-16 at Tennessee St.* ESPN3 L, 28-35 No. 2 JACKSONVILLE ST.* OVCDN L, 7-24 at Tennessee-Martin* OVCDN L, 3-33 MURRAY STATE* OVCDN L, 28-41 at Austin Peay* OVCDN W, 67-30 EASTERN ILLINOIS* OVCDN L, 0-24
EKU Ranking = STATS/Coaches. Home games appear in ALL CAPITALS. Times given are Eastern Time and subject to change. * Denotes Ohio Valley Conference game.
2017 EKU Schedule DATE RANK Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18
OPPONENT TV/NET at Western Kentucky at Kentucky OPEN TENNESSEE TECH* OVCDN at Southeast Missouri* OVCDN TENNESSEE STATE* OVCDN at Jacksonville State* ESPN3 TENNESSEE-MARTIN* OVCDN at Murray State* OVCDN at Eastern Illinois* OVCDN AUSTIN PEAY* OVCDN SAINT FRANCIS* OVCDN
TIME TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA
EKU Ranking = STATS/Coaches. Home games appear in ALL CAPITALS. Times given are Eastern Time and subject to change. * Denotes Ohio Valley Conference game.
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
BREAKDOWN EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS Record: 3-8 (2-6 OVC, 2-3 home, 1-5 away) Ranking: NR, STATS NR, Coaches Last Game: lost to Eastern Illinois, 24-0 Nov. 19 at Richmond, Ky. Head Coach: Mark Elder (Case Western, 2000) Record: 3-8 (first season) at EKU: 3-8 (first season) QUICK NOTES Defensive end Aaron Patrick was chosen to the Hero Sports 2016 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Sophomore All-America Team. • Aaron Patrick was chosen first team All-OVC. Defensive back Kiante Northington and punter Keith Wrzuszczak earned second team honors. Tight end Dan Crimmins was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. • The 2016 season was the first for Mark Elder is as head coach at EKU. He spent the previous three seasons as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee. Over the previous 11 seasons as an assistant, Elder has helped his teams reach nine bowl games and win four conference championships. In 2015, he was ranked as one of the top-25 recruiters in college football. Elder is the 14th head coach in program history. • On Nov. 19, Tyler Swafford was chosen as EKU’s first Mitchell Scholar, and the first from a public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program is a national, competitive scholarship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. Swafford will spend the 2017-18 academic year working on a postgraduate degree at University College Dublin. • Starting quarterback Tyler Swafford had a busy day on Nov. 19. He interviewed during the morning for a Mitchell Scholarship in Washington, D.C. and then play later that afternoon in the Colonels’ game at home against EIU. • The Colonels scored 67 points at Austin Peay (Nov. 12), tying the program record set in 1925 against Morehead State. It was the first time EKU scored 60 points in a game since beating Glenville State, 60-7, on Oct. 6, 2001. • Tyler Swafford won the 2016 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. • Six of Eastern’s eight OVC opponents were ranked or received votes in the national polls during the 2016 season. • Devin Borders concluded his four-year career with 2,157 receiving yards, the fifth most in program history. • Redshirt junior Jeffrey Canady had a career-high 17 tackles at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1) and matched that with 17 against Murray State (Nov. 5). That total tied for the 18th most in one game by any FCS player during the 2016 season. Canady finished second in the OVC and seventh in the nation with an average of 11.2 tackles per game. • Eastern led the OVC in net punting (41.19 yards per punt) and in punt return defense (2.50 yards per punt). The Colonels were third and fourth in the nation in those categories as well. Individually, Keith Wrzuszczak was third in the OVC and 17th in the nation with an average of 42.1 yards per punt. • Sophomore Aaron Patrick was second in the OVC and 42nd in the nation with 0.64 sacks per game. • EKU led the conference and was sixth in the country with 13 fumbles recovered. Overall, Eastern finished third in the OVC and 25th in the nation with 23 turnovers gained in 2016. • Eastern Kentucky registered 21 sacks in the final eight games of the season. The Colonels finished second in the conference and 27th in the nation with an average of 2.45 sacks per game. • Jeffrey Canady was chosen to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Football Team for district two. • In September, Avery Pitt was chosen as a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation from all divisions. • Punter Keith Wrzuszczak was chosen to three preseason All-America teams. • Just six offensive starters and three defensive starters returned from the 2015 team. •
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
GAME-WEEK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE MONDAY - 14
TUESDAY - 15
WEDNESDAY - 16
THURSDAY - 17
FRIDAY - 18
SATURDAY - 19
SUNDAY - 20
Practice 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. At Roy Kidd Stadium
OVC Teleconference 11:07 a.m. Press Conference, 1 p.m. Moberly Building - 221 Practice 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Coach Elder Radio Show Gillum’s 7 p.m.
Practice 4 - 6 p.m. Roy Kidd Stadium
Practice Off No Availability
Practice TBA
Eastern Kentucky vs. Eastern Illinois 1 p.m. ET (OVCDN) Roy Kidd Stadium
Practice Off
Media Information CONTACT INFORMATION Kevin Britton (Football Contact) Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Work Phone: 859-622-2006 Cell: 859-358-8359 E-Mail: [email protected] Fax: 859-622-5108 Roy Kidd Stadium Press Box Phone: 859-622-2226 MEDIA SERVICES CREDENTIALS Credentials are issued to members of the working media only. Requests for credentials should be made to Kevin Britton. PLAYER/COACHES INTERVIEWS All interviews with players, head coach Mark Elder and all assistant coaches must be arranged through the EKUSports Communications office at least 24 hours in advance. Please contact Kevin Britton to arrange all interviews. PRACTICE EKU football practices are generally open to the media. Please contact Kevin Britton in the EKUSports Communications office for schedule, times and location. POST-GAME INTERVIEWS For home games, coach Elder and selected EKU players will be available outside the locker room after a brief cooling off period, generally 10 minutes after the game. For road games, coach Elder and selected players will be available outside the team’s locker room, following the cooling off period. Please direct post-game interview requests to Kevin Britton. Locker Room - The EKU locker room is closed to the media for all home and road games. PRESS ROW SERVICE Complete individual and team statistics and play-by-play will be available to the media following the game. One hour prior to tip-off, media packets containing a game program, flipcard, updated stats and game notes will be available in the media working area. Wireless internet access is available in Roy Kidd Stadium. WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE Head coach Mark Elder and select players meets with the media each game week. The first weekly press conference will be on Tuesday, August 30, at 1 p.m. in room 221 on the second floor of the Moberly Building. OVC TELECONFERENCE The Ohio Valley Conference holds a coaches teleconference weekly during the season. The teleconferences begin at 10:55 a.m. ET. EKU Head Coach Mark Elder will be on the teleconference at 11:07 a.m. ET. For the teleconference phone number and pass code, please contact Kevin Britton. OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE MEDIA RELATIONS Football Contact .............................................. Kyle Schwartz Phone ............................................. 615-371-1698 ext. 6685 E-mail .................................................... [email protected] Web Site .............................................. www.OVCsports.com
Coach Elder Luncheon Golden Corral 12 p.m.
EKU’S 1ST EVER MITCHELL SCHOLAR On Nov. 19, Tyler Swafford was chosen as EKU’s first Mitchell Scholar, and the first from a public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program is a national, competitive scholarship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. The scholarship has become so popular that in the previous three years, of the 10 individuals to be offered both a Mitchell Scholarship and Rhodes Scholarship interview, eight opted for the Mitchell. Swafford will spend the 2017-18 academic year working on a postgraduate degree at University College Dublin. SOPHOMORE ALL-AMERICA Defensive end Aaron Patrick was chosen to the Hero Sports 2016 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Sophomore All-America Team. He was the only OVC player chosen to the first team. He finished the season with seven sacks, a total of 10 tackles for a loss and 53 total tackles. BUSY DAY FOR STARTING QB Starting quarterback Tyler Swafford had a busy day on Nov. 19. He interviewed during the morning for a Mitchell Scholarship in Washington, D.C. and then play later that afternoon in the Colonels’ game at home against Eastern Illinois. Swafford’s interview was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and lasted approximately 30 minutes. He then flew back to Kentucky and arrived at Roy Kidd Stadium around 12:30 p.m. NATIONAL FCS SCHOLAR-ATHLETE Tyler Swafford won the 2016 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. The award is given each year to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) student-athlete who excels not only on the field and in the classroom, but in the community and beyond. The award is named in honor of the wife of the legendary coach at Grambling State, Eddie Robinson.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT Jeffrey Canady was chosen to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Football Team for district two. In the classroom, Canady has a 3.61 grade-point-average while majoring in environmental health science. EKU TOP-10 RECEIVER Senior Devin Borders concluded his four-year career with 2,157 receiving yards, the fifth most in program history. In the final game of the season, he moved past Alex Bannister (2,146). NEW HEAD COACH The 2016 season was the first for Mark Elder is as head coach at EKU. He spent the previous three seasons as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee. Over the previous 11 seasons as an assistant, Elder has helped his teams reach nine bowl games and win four conference championships. In 2015, he was ranked as one of the top-25 recruiters in college football. Elder is the 14th head coach in program history. TOUGH SCHEDULE Six of Eastern’s eight OVC opponents were ranked or received votes in the national polls at some point during the 2016 season. Jacksonville State (No. 2), Tennessee State (RV) and UT Martin (RV) were ranked or receiving votes at the time they faced EKU. Tennessee Tech, Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois were ranked or received votes at some point this season. TYING THE RECORD FOR POINTS The Colonels scored 67 points at Austin Peay (Nov. 12), tying the program record set in 1925 against Morehead State. It was the first time EKU scored 60 or more points in a game since beating Glenville State, 60-7, on Oct. 6, 2001.
TOP-RANKED PUNTING UNIT Eastern led the OVC in net punting (41.19 yards per punt) and in punt return defense (2.50 yards per punt). The Colonels were POSTSEASON OVC HONORS third and fourth in the nation in those categories as well. IndiFour Colonels earned postseason Ohio Valley Conference vidually, Keith Wrzuszczak was third in the OVC and 17th in the honors. Defensive end Aaron Patrick was chosen first team nation with an average of 42.1 yards per punt. all-conference. Defensive back Kiante Northington and punter Keith Wrzuszczak earned second team honors. Tight end Dan FCS Playoff Appearances Crimmins was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST In September, Avery Pitt was chosen as a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation from all divisions. TWO IN NATIONAL BOWL Senior football players Devin Borders and Kiante Northington played in the Third Annual FCS National Bowl on Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Borders caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to help the American team to a 33-16 win. He finished with four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Team Trips Montana 23 Eastern Kentucky 21 Appalachian State 20 Georgia Southern 19 Northern Iowa 18 Furman 16 Eastern Illinois 16 McNeese State 16 9. Delaware 15 New Hampshire 15 11. James Madison 13 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Last 2015 2014 2012 2012 2015 2013 2015 2015 2010 2016 2016
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
FCS Coaches Top 25 Jan. 9, 2017 (Final) Team Points 1. James Madison (26) 650 2. Youngstown State 607 3. North Dakota State 599 4. Eastern Washington 574 5. Sam Houston State 519 6. Jacksonville State 494 7. South Dakota State 450 8. Richmond 444 9. The Citadel 404 10. Chattanooga 388 11. Wofford 374 12. North Dakota 373 13. Villanova 355 14. Charleston Southern 292 15. Grambling State 286 16. Central Arkansas 281 17. New Hampshire 217 18. Lehigh 206 19. North Carolina Central 176 20. North Carolina A&T 169 T-21. Cal Poly 121 T-21. San Diego 121 23. Samford 104 24. Weber State 73 25. Montana 33
Prev 5 12 3 4 1 2 7 13 6 9 19 8 12 10 14 16 21 15 18 17 20 25 24 23 22
Record 14-1 12-4 12-2 12-2 12-1 10-2 9-4 10-4 10-2 9-4 10-4 9-3 9-4 7-4 12-1 10-3 8-5 9-3 9-3 9-3 7-5 10-2 7-5 7-5 6-5
Receiving votes: Illinois State (25), St. Francis (Pa.) (21), Princeton (20), South Dakota (19), Albany (15), Southeastern Louisiana (14), Kennesaw State (9), Southern Utah (7), Fordham (4), Penn (4), Tennessee-Martin (2).
STATS.com Top 25
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Jan. 9, 2017 (Final) Team Record Points Prev James Madison 14-1 3850 (154) 5 Youngstown State 12-4 3631 13 North Dakota State 12-2 3492 4 Eastern Washington 12-2 3428 3 Sam Houston State 12-1 3067 1 South Dakota State 9-4 2944 7 Jacksonville State 10-2 2776 2 Richmond 10-4 2666 12 Wofford 10-4 2532 19 Citadel 10-2 2386 6 Villanova 9-4 2225 9 North Dakota 9-3 2133 8 Chattanooga 9-4 2091 11 Central Arkansas 10-3 1798 14 Charleston Southern 7-4 1605 10 Grambling State 11-1 1496 16 New Hampshire 8-5 1323 22 Coastal Carolina 10-2 1164 15 San Diego 10-2 956 24 North Carolina A&T 9-3 915 17 Lehigh 9-3 776 18 North Carolina Central 9-3 716 20 Samford 7-5 624 23 Cal Poly 7-5 538 21 Weber State 7-5 284 25
Receiving votes: Illinois St. (167), Saint Francis (116), Princeton (83), Albany (65), UT Martin (31), Montana (30), Penn (22), Western Ill. (19), Fordham (17) , Maine (17) , Southeastern La. (17), UNI (8), Kennesaw St. (8), Duquesne (6), Southern (6), Northern Arizona (5), Tennessee St. (5), Southern Utah (4), Stony Brook (4), Dayton (2), McNeese (2).
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 3 GETTING TO THE QB Eastern registered 21 sacks in the final eight games, including six at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1) and four against Murray State (Nov. 5). The Colonels finished second in the conference and 27th in the nation with an average of 2.45 sacks per game. TACKLING THE COMPETITION Redshirt junior Jeffrey Canady had a career-high 17 tackles at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1) and matched that with 17 against Murray State (Nov. 5). That total tied for the 18th most in one game by any FCS player during the 2016 season. Canady finished second in the OVC and seventh in the nation with an average of 11.2 tackles per game. OVC TOP-10 TACKLER Redshirt senior Kiante Northington ranked seventh in the OVC in 2016 with an average of 8.1 tackles per game. GETTING OFFENSIVE The Colonels finished fourth in the conference and 41st nationally with 399.1 yards of offense per game. PASSING OFFENSE EKU was third in the OVC and 32nd in the nation with an average of 247.6 passing yards per game. ON THIRD DOWNS The Colonel offense converted 40 percent of their third downs in 2016, the third highest percentage in the OVC and 37th-best in FCS football. DEFENSIVE RANKINGS EKU was second in the OVC, and 16th in the country, in 2016 with three defensive touchdowns. EKU was third in the conference, and 32nd in FCS, with a team passing efficiency defense of 119.16. The Colonels were also third in the OVC in passing yards allowed (205.6 ypg). Eastern finished third in the league, and 46th nationally, with 6.3 tackles for a loss per game.
Ohio Valley Conference Standings Team Jacksonville State Tennessee-Martin Tennessee Tech Tennessee State Eastern Illinois Murray State Southeast Missouri Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay
OVC Overall 7-0 1.000 10-2 .833 6-2 .750 7-5 .583 5-3 .625 5-6 .455 4-3 .571 7-4 .636 4-4 .500 6-5 .545 4-4 .500 4-7 .364 3-5 .375 3-8 .273 2-6 .250 3-8 .273 0-8 .000 0-11 .000
Preseason Poll (Media) Order of Finish 1. Jacksonville State (16) 2. Eastern Kentucky 3. Eastern Illinois 4. Tennessee-Martin 5. Southeast Missouri 6. Tennessee State 7. Murray State 8. Tennessee Tech 9. Austin Peay
Points 144 119 112 99 66 65 56 38 21
Preseason Poll (Coaches/SIDs) Order of Finish Points 1. Jacksonville State (16) 128 2. Eastern Kentucky 100 3. Eastern Illinois (2) 97 4. Tennessee-Martin 96 5. Southeast Missouri 66 6. Tennessee State 55 7. Tennessee Tech 45 8. Murray State 43 9. Austin Peay 18
BIG PLAY RECEIVERS Three Colonels finished ranked among the top-15 in the Ohio Valley Conference for yards per reception. Tight end Dan Crimmins was seventh (15.62 ypr), redshirt senior Devin Borders was eighth (15.40 ypr) and newcomer Ryan Markush was 14th with an average of 23.62 yards per kickoff return, helping the (13.58 ypr). Borders also ranked fifth in the OVC with six re- Colonel offense start each drive with better field position. Jared ceiving touchdowns and eighth with 739 receiving yards. Sanders was the key component in that ranking. Individually, he finished second in the OVC and 15th in the nation with an ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS average of 26.4 yards per return this season. Kobie Grace was 30th in the country (4th in OVC) with 0.27 forced fumbles per game. Tyler Swafford averaged 12.53 yards SACK ‘EM per completion, the 44th-best (5th in OVC) in FCS football. Jar- Sophomore Aaron Patrick was second in the OVC and 42nd in the ed Sanders finished 56th in the nation (5th in OVC) with 107.5 nation with 0.64 sacks per game. all-purpose yards per game. TRUE FRESHMAN RB SHINES “BLOCK”-ING PARTY Daryl McCleskey Jr. had three rushing touchdowns to go along Devin Borders blocked a field goal attempt against No. 2 Jack- with 109 yards on 11 carries at Austin Peay (Nov. 12). It was the sonville State (Oct. 22). His 13 career blocked kicks and eight first time a Colonel had three rushing scores since Dy’Shawn Mocareer blocked field goals are OVC records. In the FCS career bley totaled five against Murray State on Nov. 15, 2014. rankings, he finished his career second on the blocked kicks list and is tied for second on the blocked field goals list. The HE COULD GO ALL THE WAY ... national records are 17 (total) and 10 (field goals) respectively. Jared Sanders returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Austin Peay (Nov. 12). It was the first kickoff I’LL TAKE THAT return for a touchdown by a Colonel since Jeremy Caldwell reEKU led the conference and was sixth in the country with 13 turned one 88 yards against Missouri State on Sept. 10, 2011. fumbles recovered. Overall, Eastern finished third in the OVC and 25th in the nation with 23 turnovers gained in 2016. BIG RETURNS FOR SANDERS Jared Sanders totaled 209 yards on five kickoff returns at Austin GOOD FIELD POSITION IS KEY Peay (Nov. 12), an average of 41.8 yards per return. In addition Eastern Kentucky led the OVC and finished ninth in the nation to a 90-yard touchdown return, he also had returns of 34, 16, 31
2016 EKU FOOTBALL and 38 yards. SIX RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS Four running backs combined for six rushing touchdowns at Austin Peay (Nov. 12). It was the first time Eastern had six rushing touchdowns in a game since posting half a dozen at Morehead State on Sept. 21, 2013. 300 RUSHING YARDS EKU was among the top-20 passing teams in the country, but showed at Austin Peay (Nov. 12) it can run the ball just as well. Eastern finished with 346 rushing yards, eclipsing the 300 mark for the first time since running for 328 against Murray State on Nov. 15, 2014. NO TURNOVERS - ZERO, ZILCH, NONE Eastern Kentucky did not turn the ball over at Austin Peay (Nov. Eastern Kentucky Quick Facts THE UNIVERSITY Location (Enrollment): .......................... Richmond, Ky. (16,954) Founded: .......................................................................... 1906 Colors: ............................................ Maroon (PMS 209) & White Nickname: ................................................................... Colonels National Affiliation: ...................................... NCAA Division FCS Conference: .................... Ohio Valley (Founding Member 1948) President: ................................................... Dr. Michael Benson Director of Athletics: ................................ Stephen Lochmueller Senior Woman Administrator: ....................... Lindsey McKaskle Athletics Department Phone: ........................... (859) 622-2120 Stadium (Capacity): ........................ Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000) Surface: ..................................................... Synthetic (2009) Press Box Phone: ......................................... (859) 622-2226 COACHING STAFF Head Coach: ............... Mark Elder (Case Western Reserve, 2000) Assistant HC/OL: ........................ Terry Heffernan (Dayton, 2003) Defensive Coord.: ........................ Kurt Mattix (Valparaiso, 1999) Offensive Coord.: ............ Angelo Mirando (Case Western, 2008) Co-Defensive Coord./DBs: ... Shannon Morrison (Marshall, 1995) Linebackers: ............................... Chase Gibson (Marshall, 2007) Wide Receivers: ........................... Kevin Koger (Michigan, 2012) Special Teams/RBs: ................. Greg Meyer (Case Western, 2010) Defensive Line: ...................... Walter Stewart (Cincinnati, 2012) Tight Ends/OTs: ............... Tommy Zagorski (Case Western, 2007) Recruiting Coordinator: ...... Brandon Lawson (Tennessee, 2013) Strength & Conditioning: ... Jon-Michael Davis (App State, 2000) Associate Athletic Trainer: ....... Tim Miesmer (Central Fla., 2007) Dir. of Operations: .............. Kevin Cristello (Morehead St., 2006) 2016 TEAM INFORMATION Offense/Defense: ............................................. Spread/Multiple Offensive Starters Returning/Lost: ....................................... 6/5 Defensive Starters Returning/Lost: ...................................... 3/8 Specialist Returning/Lost: ................................................... 4/3 Lettermen Returning: ..................... 54 (28 off., 18 def., 8 spec.) Lettermen Lost: .............................. 45 (18 off., 24 def., 3 spec.) EKUSports Communications Asst. AD/Communications (FB Contact): ............... Kevin Britton Office Phone: ............................................... (859) 622-2006 Office Fax: ................................................... (859) 622-5108 Cell Phone: .................................................. (859) 358-8359 E-Mail: ............................................ [email protected] Associate Director: .................................................... Steve Fohl Assistant Director: ......................................... Brandon Johnson EKU Athletics Web Site: ............................ www.EKUSports.com Ohio Valley Conf. Web Site: ...................... www.OVCSports.com Overnight Mailing: .......... EKU Athletics, 521 Lancaster Avenue, 115 Alumni Coliseum, Richmond, KY 40475
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 4 12), marking the first time the Colonels didn’t have a turnover since Oct. 17, 2015 at Southeast Missouri. SWAFFORD SETS NEW PERSONAL BEST Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyler Swafford had a career-best 289 passing yards against Murray State (Nov. 5). NO “END” TO THE YARDS Senior tight end Dan Crimmins caught six passes for 124 yards against Murray State (Nov. 5). That’s an average of 21 yards per reception. RETURNING IS MY GAME Jared Sanders returned four kickoffs for 122 yards against Murray State (Nov. 5), averaging 30.5 yards per return. He had a long of 38 yards in that game. DOWN FOR A LOSS Nickel back Ben Bascom was a fixture in the Murray State backfield. He finished with three tackles for a loss of 19 yards against the Racers. DOUBLE, DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLERS Kiante Northington (16) and Jeffrey Canady (14) each had double digit tackle totals at UT Martin (Oct. 29). SEASON-LONG PUNT Keith Wrzuszczak had a season-long punt of 63 yards at UT Martin (Oct. 29). BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO Newcomer Cornelius Floyd had three pass break-ups at UT Martin (Oct. 29). STOPPING ONE OF THE NATION’S BEST The EKU defense held the Jacksonville State offense without a touchdown in a game for the first time since 2012. The Gamecocks entered the game on Oct. 22, 15th in the nation in total offense, but were held 106 yards below their average. OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION The Colonels had a streak of three straight games with 500 yards or more of offense snapped by Jacksonville State (Oct. 22). Eastern had posted 559 yards at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1), 527 versus Southeast Missouri (Oct. 8) and 584 at Tennessee State (Oct. 15). CAREER-HIGH FOR GRACE Junior Kobie Grace had a career-best 13 tackles against Jacksonville State (Oct. 22). His previous career-high of 10 was set last season against JSU.
2016 Honors/Awards 2016 Kentucky Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team Justin Adekoya .......................................... May 11 Kiante Northington .................................. May 11 Avery Pitt ..................................................... May 11 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Justin Adekoya .......................................... July 18 Lucas Williams ............................................ July 18 Keith Wrzuszczak ...................................... July 18 Preseason All-America by STATS Keith Wrzuszczak (2nd team) ........... August 1 Preseason All-America by CollegeSportsMadness Keith Wrzuszczak (1st team) ............. August 8 Preseason All-OVC by CollegeSportsMadness Justin Adekoya (1st team) ................. August 8 Lucas Williams (1st team) .................. August 8 Keith Wrzuszczak (1st team) ............. August 8 Ethan Thomas (2nd team) ................. August 8 Dan Crimmins (2nd team) ................. August 8 Z Stephenson (2nd team) .................. August 8 Kobie Grace (2nd team) ..................... August 8 Kiante Northington (2nd team) ...... August 8 Bennie Coney (3rd team) ................... August 8 Devin Borders (3rd team) .................. August 8 Avery Pitt (3rd team) ........................... August 8 Thomas Owens (3rd team) ................ August 8 Preseason All-America by Hero Sports Keith Wrzuszczak (2nd team) ......... August 17 _____________________________________ William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments Avery Pitt (semifinalist) .......................... Sept. 28 Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week Devin Borders (Co-) ..................................... Oct. 9 CoSIDA Academic All-District Jeffrey Canady ............................................. Nov. 2 2016 Mitchell Scholar Tyler Swafford ........................................... Nov. 19
PARDON THIS INTERCEPTION True sophomore Corey Glass picked off a pass at Tennessee State (Oct. 15) and returned it 38 yards. He leads the team with two interceptions this season.
2016 All-Ohio Valley Conference Aaron Patrick (1st team) ........................ Nov. 22 Kiante Northington (2nd team) ......... Nov. 22 Keith Wrzuszczak (2nd team) .............. Nov. 22
FRESHMAN IMPACT True freshman running back Daryl McCleskey Jr. totaled 122 all-purpose yards at Tennessee State (Oct. 15). He set career-highs for rushing yards (68) and receiving yards (54). His three-yard touchdown run late in the game got the Colonels within a touchdown.
2016 Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team Dan Crimmins ........................................... Nov. 22
THREE TOUCHDOWN CATCHES Devin Borders caught three touchdown passes against Southeast Missouri (Oct. 8), the first Colonel to do so since Tyrone Goard caught four at Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 29, 2012.
FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team Tyler Swafford ............................................... Jan. 6
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
EKU Career Receiving Leaders 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Player Yds Andre Ralston (2002-05) 3,095 Rondel Menendez (1995-98) 2,990 Bobby Washington (1994-97) 2,435 Aaron Marsh (1964-67) 2,246 Devin Borders (2013-16) 2,157 Alex Bannister (1997-00) 2,146 Steve Bird (1979-82) 2,056 Elmo Boyd (1973-76) 1,931 Patrick Bugg (2002-06) 1,856 Tyrone Goard (2009-12) 1,842
Rec 165 150 154 147 157 144 112 119 112 100
Avg 21.3 19.3 16.0 14.2 13.7 14.9 20.6 16.4 17.5 18.4
TD 24 27 16 24 21 22 18 12 23 24
TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS Two Colonels finished with 100 receiving yards at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1). Devin Borders had nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Markush had seven receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. MAUK GOES LONG Playing in just his second game, Maty Mauk threw for 285 yards while completing 19-of-32 passes at Ball State (Sept. 17). He hooked up with Devin Borders for a 28-yard scoring pass. Eight of Mauk’s 19 completions were for 15 yards or more. Five of his final six went for between 27 and 46 yards. 1ST CAREER WIN The Colonels gave Mark Elder his first career coaching victory when they defeated Pikeville, 55-14. 8 IS GREAT EKU forced eight turnovers (four interceptions, four fumble recoveries) against Pikeville (Sept. 8). It is the most turnovers forced by the Colonels since Murray State committed seven on Nov. 5, 2005. PICK SIX CLUB Kiante Northington, Corey Glass and Luder Jean Louis each had an interception return for a touchdown against Pikeville (Sept. 8). Eastern is tied for first in the nation with three defensive touchdowns this season. 1ST HALF OFFENSE Eastern Kentucky had 284 yards of total offense in the first half at Purdue (Sept. 3). The Colonels out-gained the Boilermakers 123 to 85 on the ground in the first half, had five more first downs and converted six more third downs. 1ST INTERCEPTION Newcomer Nigel Bethel made his first interception as a Colonel against Purdue (Sept. 3). The junior had one interception in two seasons at Texas Tech. TACKLING THE OPPOSITION Redshirt senior Kiante Northington had a game-best 11 tackles at Purdue (Sept. 3).
FBS SUCCESS Eastern has played well against FBS teams in recent years. In addition to beating Miami (Ohio) 17-10 in 2014, the Colonels have lost close games at Indiana (19-13), Louisville (23-13), Kansas St. (10-7) and at UK (34-27 OT) last season. EKU trailed Purdue by just 10 points in the fourth quarter this season. NATIONAL PRESEASON POLLS Eastern was ranked 22nd in the CollegeSportsMadness preseason poll and was just outside the top-25 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll (No. 27) and the preseason STATS Poll (No. 29). 3-TIME PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN Punter Keith Wrzuszczak was chosen as a preseason All-American by three organizations -- CollegeSportsMadness (first team), Hero Sports (second team) and STATS (second team). RETURNING STARTERS Eastern Kentucky returns just six offensive starters and three defensive starters from last season’s team that finished 6-5 overall and fourth in the OVC standings. LOT OF NEW FACES Eastern welcomes 44 new players to the team in 2016. IN THE BOX This season, offensive coordinator Angelo Mirando, tight ends coach Tommy Zagorski, defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix and co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Shannon Morrison will be in the coaches booth during games. SPENCE TO STAR FOR TAMPA Noah Spence, the 39th pick in the 2016 draft, is expected to make an immediate impact for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The All-American finished with 11.5 sacks during the 2015 season, fourth on Eastern’s single season sacks list. Spence had a teambest 22.5 tackles for a loss. He finished fifth in the nation with 1.05 sacks and fourth with 2.0 tackles for a loss per game. IN THE LEAGUE Former EKU punter Jordan Berry is in his second season as the punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The native of Victoria, Australia was a Colonel from 2009 to 2013. 3 PICKED ALL-OVC BY COACHES Three Colonels – offensive tackle Justin Adekoya, kicker Lucas Williams and punter Keith Wrzuszczak – were chosen to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team by league coaches and media relations contacts. 12 CHOSEN PRESEASON ALL-OVC CollegeSportsMadness put 12 Colonels on its preseason AllOhio Valley Conference teams. Justin Adekoya (OL), Lucas Williams (K) and Keith Wrzuszczak (P) were first team selections. Ethan Thomas (RB), Dan Crimmins (TE), Z Stephenson (C), Kobie Grace (DB) and Kiante Northington (PR) were second team choices. Bennie Coney (QB), Devin Borders (WR), Thomas Owens (LB) and Avery Pitt (DL) were chosen to the third team.
1ST CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASS Late in the fourth quarter at Purdue (Sept. 3), Tyler Swafford threw his first career touchdown pass. Swafford connected with newcomer Cameron Fogle from two yards out.
WELCOME TO THE HALL Three former Colonel football players were among the group of nine inducted into the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 8. Those three were David Flores (197780), Chuck Siemon (1963-68) and Dale Patton (1976-80).
GO FOR TWO! Neiko Creamer’s two-point conversion in the first quarter at Purdue (Sept. 3) was Eastern’s first two-point conversion since Nov. 15, 2014 against Murray State.
ANOTHER HALL OF FAMER On June 24th, former Colonel and Super Bowl Champion Myron Guyton was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the seventh former Colonel to earn induction.
THE LAST TIME AN EKU PLAYER ... Rushed 30 times in a game Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (40) Rushed for 200 yards Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (224) Rushed for 150 yards Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (224) Rushed for 100 yards Daryl McCleskey Jr. at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (109) Rushed for 100 yards in cons. games Dy’Shawn Mobley on Oct. 11, Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 2014 Rushed for 3 or more touchdowns Daryl McCleskey Jr. at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (3) Passed for 400 yards Bennie Coney at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (464) Passed for 300 yards Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (337) Attempted 50 passes Bennie Coney at Murray State on Nov. 14, 2015 (68) Attempted 40 passes Tyler Swafford vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (46) Threw 5 touchdown passes Bennie Coney vs. Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 7, 2015 (5) Threw 4 touchdown passes Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Threw 3 touchdown passes Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Had 400 yards total offense Bennie Coney at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (459) Accounted for 5 or more touchdowns Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (6) Accounted for 4 or more touchdowns Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Accounted for 3 or more touchdowns Daryl McCleskey Jr. at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (3) Caught 10 or more passes Orlandus Harris at Chattanooga on Sept. 18, 2010 (10) Caught 7 or more passes Ryan Markush vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (9) Had 200 or more yards receiving Orlandus Harris at Tennessee Tech on Nov. 13, 2010 (200) Had 150 or more yards receiving Jeff Glover vs. Murray State on Nov. 15, 2014 (161) Had 100 or more yards receiving Dan Crimmins (124) vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 Caught 3 or more touchdown passes Devin Borders vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (3) Had 2 interceptions Stanley Absanon (2) vs. Indiana State on Nov. 29, 2014 Had 15 or more tackles Jeffrey Canady (15) vs. Eastern Illinois on Nov. 19, 2016
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
Depth Chart (As Of Nov. 14, 2016)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
QB
14 16
Tyler Swafford (6-1, 196, r-So., Brentwood, Tenn.) James “LJ” Smith Jr. (5-11, 170, Fr., Charlotte, N.C.)
DE
44 98
Aaron Patrick (6-4, 227, So., Dayton, Ohio) Luder Jean Louis (6-4, 210, r-Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.)
RB
20 6
Ethan Thomas (5-11, 203, So., Johnson City, Tenn.) Henry Enyenihi (5-11, 215, Sr., Lawrenceville, Ga.)
DT
40 91
Patrick Graffree (6-4, 292, r-Sr., Elizabethtown, Ky.) Sheldon Fleming (6-3, 247, r-Jr., Lehigh Acres, Fla.)
LT
79 78
Justin Adekoya (6-5, 308, r-Sr., Ringgold, Ga.) Justin Myles (6-3, 287, r-So., Cincinnati, Ohio)
DT
97 70
Avery Pitt (6-3, 293, r-Sr., Henderson, Ky.) Connor Foos (6-4, 258, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
LG
62 66
Ryan Garretson (6-5, 314, r-Sr., Russellville, Tenn.) Chance Edwards (6-5, 318, r-Jr., Webster, Fla.)
DE
96 55
Xavier Garcia (6-3, 250, Sr., Austin, Texas) Taquan Evans (6-2, 224, r-Fr., Douglasville, Ga.)
C
65 61
Z Stephenson, (6-2, 280, So., Bloomington, Ind.) Landon Rasnick (6-4, 280, r-Sr., Orange, Va.)
LB
45 5
Corey Glass (5-10, 216, So., Jacksonville, Fla.) Dwight Williams (6-1, 199, r-So., Compton, Calif.)
RG
61 75
Landon Rasnick (6-4, 280, r-Sr., Orange, Va.) De’jour Simpson (6-3, 338, Fr., Charlotte, N.C.)
LB
53 49
Jeffrey Canady (6-0, 233, r-Jr., Barbourville, Ky.) Damon Lowe (6-2, 242, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
RT
64 78
Cameron Kowalewski (6-5, 272, r-So., Dallas, Ga.) Justin Myles (6-3, 287, r-So., Cincinnati, Ohio)
NB
29 12
Ben Bascom (5-9, 178, r-Fr., Apoka, Fla.) Cornelius Floyd (5-11, 176, Jr., Miami, Fla.)
18 89 or 85
Dan Crimmins (6-5, 249, r-Sr., Closter, N.J.) Clayton Schmerber (6-6, 241, So., Centerville, Ohio) Jon Floyd (6-4, 238, r-Sr., Richmond, Ky.)
LCB 1 36
Nigel Bethel II (5-9, 187, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Omari Alexander (5-10, 168, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
RCB 12 36
Cornelius Floyd (5-11, 176, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Omari Alexander (5-10, 168, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
LS
38 25
Kobie Grace (5-9, 190, Jr., Winter Park, Fla.) Tre’ Moore (5-9, 195, So., Indianapolis, Ind.)
RS
13 41
Kiante Northington (5-10, 183, r-Sr., Louisville, Ky.) Eric Reed (5-9, 194, r-Jr., Nashville, Tenn.)
TE
WR
88 87
Devin Borders (6-6, 217, r-Sr., Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) Matt Clark (6-2, 205, r-Fr., Prospect, Ky.)
SL
11 33
Neiko Creamer (6-3, 222, r-So., Wilmington, Del.) Arien Beasley (5-8, 185, So., Louisville, Ky.)
WR
9 82
Ryan Markush (6-2, 183, Jr., Germantown, Md.) Alex Cabrera (6-0, 178, Fr., Melbourne, Fla.)
KO
93 76
Zack Burgy-VanHoose (6-2, 204, r-Sr., Pikeville, Ky.) Lucas Williams (6-1, 210, r-Jr., Russell Springs, Ky.)
LS 46 or 58
Ben Hoffman (6-2, 214, Fr., Farragut, Tenn.) Matt Howard (5-11, 201, r-Jr., Berea, Ky.)
PK
76 93
Lucas Williams (6-1, 199, r-Jr., Russell Springs, Ky.) Zack Burgy-VanHoose (6-2, 204, r-Sr., Pikeville, Ky.)
HO
19 14
Keith Wrzuszczak (5-11, 202, Jr., Victoria, Australia) Tyler Swafford (6-1, 196, r-So., Brentwood, Tenn.)
P
19 76
Keith Wrzuszczak (5-11, 202, Jr., Victoria, Australia) Lucas Williams (6-1, 199, r-Jr., Russell Springs, Ky.)
KR
1 2
Nigel Bethel (5-9, 187, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Jared Sanders (5-7, 157, r-Sr., Hallandale, Fla.)
PR
13 2
Kiante Northington (5-10, 183, r-Sr., Louisville, Ky.) Jared Sanders (5-7, 157, r-Sr., Hallandale, Fla.)
SPECIAL TEAMS
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
HEAD COACH Mark Elder Mark Elder was chosen as EKU’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2015. Elder served as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Tennessee since 2013. “I’m excited, blessed and honored for the opportunity to lead one of the most tradition rich programs in college football,” Elder said. “It didn’t take me long to realize that this is a special place. Lindsey and I look forward to becoming a part of the Richmond community.” Elder is the 14th head coach in program history. “It is humbling to have the opportunity to lead the same program that legendary coach Roy Kidd built into a national powerhouse,” said Elder. “It’s important to me that we maintain the standards, both on and off the field, that coach Kidd established during his Hall of Fame career.” Over his past 11 seasons as an assistant coach, Elder has helped his teams reach nine bowl games and win four conference championships. In 2014 he was ranked as one of the top-50 recruiters in the nation. In 2015 he was recognized as one of the top-25 recruiters. As a member of Butch Jones’ inaugural staff, the Cincinnati native helped lead the revitalization of Volunteer football over the past three seasons. He helped UT to an 9-4 record in 2015 and a second place finish in the Southeastern Conference East Division with a 5-3 mark. It was Tennessee’s first winning record in SEC play since 2007. The Volunteers beat Northwestern in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day. In just their second season in Knoxville, Elder helped Jones and the Vols to a 7-6 mark in 2014 and a 45-28 victory over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl. It was Tennessee’s first winning record in five seasons and first bowl win since the end of the 2007 campaign. “Eastern Kentucky has not only hired an outstanding football coach, but an even better person, teacher, mentor and motivator in Mark Elder,” said Jones. “I would like to congratulate and also thank Mark for nine great years. I am very excited for the opportunity he, his wife Lindsey and son Owen are about to take on and I wish them all the best at Eastern Kentucky.”
The Elder File PERSONAL Hometown ............................................................................. Cincinnati, Ohio Family ..................................................................................... Wife - Lindsey, Children - Owen EDUCATION Undergraduate ....................... Case Western Reserve (2000) - B.S. Economics Graduate ........... Akron (2001) - M.S. Education In Sports Science & Coaching ASSISTANT COACHING EXPERIENCE Year School Coaching Position 2000-01 Akron Defensive Graduate Assistant 2002 Lehigh Asst. Linebackers Coach 2003 Iona Defensive Coord./Linebackers 2004 Wayne State Defensive Coord./ Linebackers 2005-06 Michigan Defensive Quality Control/GA 2007-09 Central Michigan Linebackers Coach 2010-12 Cincinnati TEs, RBs, Special Teams, DBs 2013-15 Tennessee Special Teams/Tight Ends HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE Year School 2016 Eastern Kentucky Totals First Season
Overall 3-8 3-8
OVC 2-6 2-6
Notes 2000 MAC East Co-Champions 18th nationally scoring defense 1st winning season since 1993 Alamo Bowl & Rose Bowl 2x MAC Champs, 3 bowl games 2x Big East Champs, 2 bowl wins 2 bowl wins Notes
NOTABLE - Over past 11 seasons as an assistant, has helped his teams reach nine bowl games - 2014 national top-50 recruiter - 2015 national top-25 recruiter
Elder helped the University of Michigan reach bowl games as a defensive graduate assistant in 2005 and 2006. He then joined Jones’ first staff at Central Michigan University. Elder coached the Chippewa linebackers for three seasons (2007-09). During that time, CMU qualified for three bowl appearances and won two Mid-American Conference titles. When Jones made the jump to the University of Cincinnati before the 2010 season, Elder joined the Bearcat staff as the tight ends coach. He also coached running backs, safeties and special teams at various times. The duo found similar success at UC, winning two Big East Conference Championships and getting Cincinnati into two bowl games. In 2015, Elder’s guidance helped Tennessee lead the nation in kickoff returns (33.41 ypr) and rank fourth in punt returns (17.18 ypr). The Volunteers had the second best kickoff return defense in the SEC and 14th-best in the nation (18.24 ypg). UT’s Evan Berry led the nation, and broke the UT record, with an average of
38.3 yards per kickoff return. Cameron Sutton led the country with an average of 18.7 yards per punt return. Berry was second nationally with three kickoff returns for touchdowns while Sutton was second with two punt returns for touchdowns. Sutton also broke a 46-year-old program record for punt return yards in a season. Trevor Daniel was eighth in the nation with an average of 45.7 yards per punt, setting a new school record. Tight end Ethan Wolf caught 23 passes, including at least one catch in each of the first 11 games of the season, for 301 yards. He hauled in two touchdown receptions and averaged 13.1 yards per reception. Elder’s tight ends also helped UT average 223.7 yards per game on the ground, the second best total in the SEC. In 2014, Elder mentored placekicker Aaron Medley as he made 20-of-26 field goals, the second-most among freshmen in the nation. Tennessee ranked 11th nationally in punt return defense (3.23 ypr) and 14th in kickoff return average (24.03 ypr). In his first season in Knoxville, Elder
2016 EKU FOOTBALL helped punter/placekicker Michael Palardy become a semi-finalist for the prestigious Ray Guy Award. While coaching the running backs at Cincinnati in 2011 Elder tutored Isaiah Pead, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and the first Bearcat in nearly 25 years to record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. UC led the Big East in rushing and averaged 33.3 points per game. Cincinnati capped the season with a victory over Vanderbilt in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. In 2010, Elder guided tight end Ben Guidugli to second team All-Big East honors. In three seasons at Central Michigan, Elder produced an all-conference linebacker each year. Red Keith finished his career with 474 tackles, the second-most in CMU history and seventh-most in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history. Elder worked with All-Big Ten linebackers David Harris and Shawn Crable at Michigan. In 2006 the Wolverine defense led the nation in rushing yards allowed (43.4 ypg) and ranked 10th in total defense (268.3 ypg). Elder also served as the defensive coordinator at Wayne State (2004) and Iona (2003). He was assistant coach at Lehigh in 2002 and a graduate assistant with Akron in 2000 and 2001. Elder graduated cum laude with a degree in economics from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio in 2000. He earned a master’s degree in education in sports science and coaching from Akron in 2001.
Mark Elder vs. All Opponents Team Record Austin Peay ....................................................... 1-0 Ball State ............................................................ 0-1 Eastern Illinois .................................................. 0-1 Jacksonville State ........................................... 0-1 Murray State ..................................................... 0-1 Pikeville .............................................................. 1-0 Purdue ................................................................ 0-1 Southeast Missouri ........................................ 1-0 Tennessee-Martin ........................................... 0-1 Tennessee State .............................................. 0-1 Tennessee Tech ............................................... 0-1 TOTAL ................................................................ 3-8
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THE LAST TIME EASTERN KENTUCKY ... Had 20 or more first downs at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (27) Had 400 yards rushing at Robert Morris on Aug. 28, 2014 (407) Had 300 yards rushing at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (346) Had 50 or more rushing attempts vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (52) Had 5 or more rushing TDs at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (6) Had 4 or more rushing TDs at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (6) Had 400 yards passing at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (464) Had 350 yards passing at Tennessee State on Oct. 15, 2016 (350) Had 300 yards passing vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (328) Had 50 pass attempts at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (50) Completed 40 passes at Murray State on Nov. 14, 2015 (44) Completed 30 passes at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (32) Had 5 TDs passing vs. Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 7, 2015 (5) Had 4 TDs passing vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Had 3 TDs passing vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Had 600 yards total offense vs. Tennessee Tech on Oct. 8, 2015 (629) Had 500 yards total offense at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (531) Had 80 total plays vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (91) Scored 70 points never Scored 60 points at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (67) Scored 50 points at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (67) Scored 40 points at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (67) Committed no turnovers at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 Had two 100-yd. rushers at Tennessee State on Nov. 1, 2014 (Dy’Shawn Mobley, 139; Jared McClain, 139) Had two 100-yd. receivers at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (Devin Borders, 121; Ryan Markush, 104) Returned a punt for TD vs. APSU on Nov. 20, 2010 (Jeremy Caldwell) Returned a KO for TD at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (Jared Sanders – 90 yards) Returned an INT for TD vs. Austin Peay on Sept. 8, 2016 (Kiante Northington – 12 yards, Corey Glass – 54 yards, Luder Jean Louis – 0 yards)
Returned a fumble for TD at Tennessee State on Nov. 1, 2014 (Devin Borders – 33 yards) Returned a blocked punt for TD at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 21, 2015 (Tyrell Curry – 35 yards) Blocked a punt at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 21, 2015 (LaJuan Smith) Blocked a FG vs. Jacksonville State on Oct. 22, 2016 (Devin Borders) Blocked a PAT at Jacksonville State on Nov. 9, 2013 (Devin Borders) Missed a PAT at Kentucky on Oct. 3, 2015 (Lucas Williams) Had a punt blocked at Jacksonville State on Nov. 9, 2013 Had a FG blocked vs. Murray State, Nov. 5, 2016 Was held scoreless vs. Eastern Illinois, Nov. 19, 2016 (24-0) Was held scoreless at home vs. Eastern Illinois, Nov. 19, 2016 (24-0) Held an opponent scoreless at Austin Peay on Oct. 4, 2014 (31-0) Held an oppt. scoreless at home vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 2, 2013 (44-0) Held an oppt. to 10 first downs vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 2, 2013 (10) Held an oppt. to 300 yards total offense vs. Pikeville on Sept. 8, 2016 (263) Held an oppt. to 200 yards total offense at Southeast Missouri on Oct. 17, 2014 (191) Held an oppt. to 150 yards total offense vs. Austin Peay on Oct. 5, 2013 (108) Held an oppt. to 100 yards rushing vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (66) Held an oppt. to 50 yards rushing at Southeast Missouri on Oct. 17, 2015 (31) Held an opponent to 100 yards passing at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (82) Held an opponent without a TD at Austin Peay on Oct. 4, 2014 Scored an offensive 2-pt. conversion at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 Scored a defensive 2-pt. conversion vs. Morehead State on Sept. 13, 2014 Had 10 or more penalties at Tennessee State on Oct. 15, 2016 (12) Had 100 penalty yards at Ball State on Sept. 17, 2016 (128) Had 35 minutes ToP at Murray State on Nov. 14, 2015 (36:37) Played an OT game at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (L, 33-30) Scored a safety vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
NUMERICAL ROSTER
ALPHABETICAL ROSTER No. 79 36 42 71 29 33 90 1 88 34 7 39 93 82 53 67 87 50 35 11 18 92 66 6 55 91 12 85 84 70 96 62 45 38 40 37 28 99 46 22 47 58 52 31 98
Name Pos. Justin Adekoya OL Omari Alexander DB Rhyan Baker CB Jackson Bardall OL Ben Bascom DB Arien Beasley WR Josiah Bennett DL Nigel Bethel II DB Devin Borders WR Demontre Boyd LB Tim Boyle QB Bo Brooks RB Nathan Brown WR Zack Burgy-VanHoose K Alex Cabrera WR Jeffrey Canady LB Nick Cavinee OL Matt Clark WR Devante Colton LB TJ Comstock DB Neiko Creamer WR Dan Crimmins TE Scott Daniel WR Dillon Denault DL Chance Edwards OL Henry Enyenihi RB Brentton Ervin LB Taquan Evans DE Sheldon Fleming DL Cornelius Floyd DB Jon Floyd TE Cameron Fogle WR Connor Foos DL Xavier Garcia DE Ryan Garretson OL Corey Glass LB Kobie Grace DB Patrick Graffree DL Raynaldy Gustave RB Nate Hatcher DB Samuel Hayworth K/P Jeremy Hodowanic DL Ben Hoffman LS Kentayvus Hopkins RB Dylan Hornsby K Matt Howard LS Caperton Humphrey LB AJ Jackson DB Luder Jean Louis DL Derius Jones WR
No. 1 2 3 5 6 7 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 55 56
Player Nigel Bethel II Jared Sanders Thomas Owens Dwight Williams Henry Enyenihi Tim Boyle Maty Mauk Ryan Markush Jordan Whitfield Neiko Creamer Cornelius Floyd Kiante Northington Tyler Swafford Austin Scott James “LJ” Smith Jr. Dan Crimmins Keith Wrzuszczak Ethan Thomas Logan Oce Kentayvus Hopkins Daryl McCleskey Jr. Jared Tucker Tre’ Moore Jamarcus Whitmore Khylil Miller Samuel Hayworth Ben Bascom Ralph Patton AJ Jackson Buck Solomon Arien Beasley Demontre Boyd TJ Comstock Omari Alexander Raynaldy Gustave Kobie Grace Bo Brooks Patrick Graffree Eric Reed Rhyan Baker Dan Paul Aaron Patrick Corey Glass Ben Hoffman Dylan Hornsby Damon Lowe Devante Colton Quinton Locklear Caperton Humphrey Jeffrey Canady Taquan Evans LaJuan Smith
Pos. DB WR/RB LB LB RB QB QB WR DB WR DB DB QB QB QB TE P RB CB RB RB DB DB DB DB K/P DB RB DB DB WR LB DB DB RB DB RB DL DB CB TE DL LB LS K LB LB LB LB LB DE DL
Ht. 5-9 5-7 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-4 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-3 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-11 6-5 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-9 5-11 5-9 5-10 6-1 5-11 5-9 5-9 5-11 6-0 5-8 6-1 5-11 5-10 5-7 5-9 5-8 6-4 5-9 5-9 6-3 6-4 5-10 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2
Wt. 187 157 230 199 215 226 210 183 185 222 176 183 196 221 170 255 202 203 177 185 179 175 195 173 181 168 178 188 175 180 185 187 197 168 181 190 195 292 194 178 240 227 216 214 151 242 220 218 207 233 224 219
Cl. Jr. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. R-So. Jr. R-Sr. R-So. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. Jr. So. R-Jr. R-Jr. Fr. R-So. So. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. R-So. Fr. Jr. So. So. Fr. Fr. R-So. Jr. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-So. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Sr.
Hometown (Previous School) Miami, Fla. (Texas Tech University) Hallandale, Fla. (Hallandale HS) Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods HS) Compton, Calif. (UCLA) Lawrenceville, Ga. (University of Illinois) Middlefield, Conn. (University of Connecticut) Kenton, Ohio (University of Missouri) Germantown, Md. (Fullerton College) Huber Heights, Ohio (Wayne HS) Wilmington, Del. (University of Tennessee) Miami, Fla. (University of Arkansas) Louisville, Ky. (Butler HS) Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy) Moore, S.C. (Spartanburg HS) Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek HS) Closter, N.J. (Boston College) Geelong, Victoria, Australia (Oberon HS) Johnson City, Tenn. (Elizabethton HS) Miami, Fla. (Western Michigan University) Paris, Ky. (Bourbon County HS) Dayton, Ohio (Wayne HS) Stone Mountain, Ga. (University of Kentucky) Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central HS) Fayetteville, Ga. (Langston Hughes HS) Thomasville, N.C. (Fork Union Military Academy) Ormond Beach, Fla. (Seabreeze HS) Apopka, Fla. (Apopka HS) Cincinnati, Ohio (Shorter College) Nashville, Tenn. (Cane Ridge HS) Groveland, Fla. (South Lake HS) Louisville, Ky. (North Oldham HS) Louisville, Ky. (Central HS) Louisville, Ky. (duPont Manuel HS) Louisville, Ky. (duPont Manuel HS) Louisville, Ky. (Western Kentucky University) Winter Park, Fla. (West Orange HS) Lexington, Ky. (Henry Clay HS) Elizabethtown, Ky. (University of Kentucky) Nashville, Tenn. (Goodpasture Christian School) Louisville, Ky. (Ballard HS) Naples, Fla. (Naples Community HS) Dayton, Ohio (Meadowdale HS) Jacksonville, Fla. (Ed White HS) Farragut, Tenn. (Farragut HS) Richmond, Ky. (Madison Central HS) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity HS) Bowling Green, Ky. (South Warren HS) Sanford, N.C. (Southern Lee HS) Ona, W.Va. (Cabell Midland HS) Barbourville, Ky. (Knox Central HS) Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS) Glasgow, Ky. (Glasgow HS)
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
No. 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 75 76 77 78 79 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 96 97 98 99
Player Matt Howard Lucas Williams Landon Rasnick Ryan Garretson Kagen Skidmore Cameron Kowalewski Z Stephenson Chance Edwards Nick Cavinee Antwaun Walker Connor Foos Jackson Bardall Justin Rawlins De’jour Simpson Lucas Williams Nathan Murray Justin Myles Justin Adekoya Bryson Williams Alex Cabrera Billy Reid Cameron Fogle Jon Floyd Tyler Malone Matt Clark Devin Borders Clayton Schmerber Josiah Bennett Sheldon Fleming Dillon Denault Zack Burgy-VanHoose Xavier Garcia Avery Pitt Luder Jean Louis Jeremy Hodowanic Nathan Brown Scott Daniel Brentton Ervin Nate Hatcher Derius Jones Stephen Jones Isaiah Murph Brandon Peege Aaron Riddick
Pos. LS OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR DL OL OL/LS OL K OL OL OL WR WR WR WR TE TE WR WR TE DL DL DL K DE DL DL DL WR WR LB DB WR WR RB K WR
Ht. 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-7 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-7 6-3 6-5 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-6 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-0 5-11 5-8 5-10 5-8 6-2 6-1 5-11
Wt. 201 319 280 314 294 272 280 318 263 160 258 287 274 338 199 333 287 308 200 178 170 203 238 250 205 217 241 281 247 268 204 250 293 210 271 175 198 215 186 153 160 215 198 162
Cl. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Sr. Jr. R-So. So. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. R-Jr. Fr. R-So. R-Sr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Sr. So. Jr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. Sr. R-Sr. r-Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. R-So. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr.
Hometown (Previous School) Berea, Ky. (Madison Southern HS) Owensboro, Ky. (Owensboro HS) Orange, Va. (Orange County HS) Russellville, Tenn. (Morristown East HS) Somerset, Ky. (Somerset HS) Dallas, Ga. (Hillgrove HS) Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington North HS) Webster, Fla. (South Sumter HS) Newark, Ohio (Newark Catholic HS) Miami, Fla. (Coral Gables HS) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity HS) Cumming, Ga. (North Forsyth HS) Lexington, Ky. (Henry Clay HS) Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek HS) Russell Springs, Ky. (Russell County HS) Pineville, Ky. (Bell County HS) Cincinnati, Ohio (Colerain HS) Ringgold, Ga. (Heritage HS) Prestonsburg, Ky. (University of Kentucky) Melbourne, Fla. (Viera HS) Louisville, Ky. (University of Pikeville) Hebron, Ky. (University of Kentucky) Richmond, Ky. (Madison Central HS) Indianapolis, Ind. (Franklin Central HS) Prospect, Ky. (North Oldham HS) Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (Choctawhatchee HS) Centerville, Ohio (Centerville HS) East Stroudsburg, Pa. (Lackawanna College) Lehigh Acres, Fla. (East Lee County HS) Lancaster, Ohio (Lancaster HS) Pikeville, Ky. (Pikeville HS) Austin, Texas (New Mexico Military Institute) Henderson, Ky. (Henderson County HS) Brooklyn, N.Y. (Nassau CC) Forney, Texas (Naval Academy Prep School) Florence, Ky. (Cooper HS) Georgetown, Ky. (Scott County HS) Louisville, Ky. (Kentucky State University) Jacksonville, Fla. (Southwest Baptist University) Louisville, Ky. (Kentucky State University) Louisville, Ky. (Central HS) Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton HS) Goshen, Ky. (North Oldham HS) Louisville, Ky. (DuPont Manual HS)
Head Coach: Mark Elder (Case Western Reserve, 2000), first season Assistant Coaches/Staff: Kurt Mattix (Defensive Coordinator), Angelo Mirando (Offensive Coordinator), Shannon Morrison (Co-Defensive Coordinator/DBs), Chase Gibson (Linebackers), Terry Heffernan (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line), Kevin Koger (Wide Receivers), Greg Meyer (Special Teams/RBs), Walter Stewart (Defensive Line), Tommy Zagorski (Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles), Jon-Michael Davis (Strength & Conditioning), Cory Lanham (Video), Shalyne Walters (Player Development Coordinator), Kevin Cristello (Operations)
Justin Adekoya – ADD-eh-KOY-ah Jackson Bardall – Bar-DOLL Neiko Creamer – CREE-mer Henry Enyenihi – un-YIN-ah-hee Raynaldy Gustave – GOO-stahv
Pronunciation Guide Kentayvus Hopkins – ken-TAY-vus Cameron Kowalewski – KOH-wah-less-skee Ryan Markush – mar-KOOSH Kiante Northington - kee-AHN-tay Keith Wrzuszczak – ROO-sack
No. Name Pos. Stephen Jones WR 64 Cameron Kowalewski OL 51 Quinton Locklear LB 49 Damon Lowe LB 86 Tyler Malone TE 9 Ryan Markush WR 7 Maty Mauk QB 23 Daryl McCleskey Jr. RB 27 Khylil Miller DB 25 Tre’ Moore DB Isaiah Murph RB 77 Nathan Murray OL 78 Justin Myles OL 13 Kiante Northington DB 21 Logan Oce CB 3 Thomas Owens LB 44 Aaron Patrick DL 30 Ralph Patton RB 43 Dan Paul TE Brandon Peege K 97 Avery Pitt DL 61 Landon Rasnick OL 72 Justin Rawlins OL/LS 41 Eric Reed DB 83 Billy Reid WR Aaron Riddick WR 2 Jared Sanders WR/RB 89 Clayton Schmerber TE 15 Austin Scott QB 75 De’jour Simpson OL 63 Kagen Skidmore OL 16 James “LJ” Smith Jr. QB 56 LaJuan Smith DL 32 Buck Solomon DB 65 Z Stephenson OL 14 Tyler Swafford QB 20 Ethan Thomas RB 24 Jared Tucker DB 68 Antwaun Walker WR 10 Jordan Whitfield DB 26 Jamarcus Whitmore DB 80 Bryson Williams WR 5 Dwight Williams LB 60 Lucas Williams OL 76 Lucas Williams K 19 Keith Wrzuszczak P
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 11
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME-BY-GAME STARTERS Offense at Purdue Pikeville at Ball State at Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State Jacksonville State at Tennessee-Martin Murray State at Austin Peay Eastern Illinois
WR Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush
Defense DE at Purdue Patrick Pikeville Patrick at Ball State Patrick at Tennessee Tech Patrick Southeast Missouri Patrick at Tennessee State Jean Louis Jacksonville State Patrick at Tennessee-Martin Patrick Murray State Patrick at Austin Peay Patrick Eastern Illinois Patrick
LT Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya
LG Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson
C Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson
RG Simpson Simpson Simpson Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Rasnick Rasnick
RT Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski
TE Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Schmerber Crimmins Crimmins
SL Smith Jr. Fogle Smith Jr. Fogle Fogle Fogle Smith Jr. Fogle Fogle Fogle Creamer
WR Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders
QB Mauk Swafford Mauk Coney Coney Coney Coney Coney Swafford Swafford Swafford
RB Sanders Sanders Sanders Thomas Sanders Thomas Enyenihi Enyenihi Enyenihi Thomas Thomas
DT Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt
DT Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Foos
DE Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia Jean Louis Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia
LB Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady
LB Owens Owens Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass
NB Bascom Bascom Bascom Williams (LB) L. Smith (LB) C. Floyd Williams (LB) Bascom Bascom Bascom Bascom
LCB Solomon Bethel Solomon Tucker Bethel Bethel C. Floyd Bethel C. Floyd C. Floyd Bethel
RCB Bethel Tucker Tucker Bethel Tucker Tucker Tucker C. Floyd Bethel Bethel C. Floyd
LS Grace Northington Grace Northington Northington Northington Northington Northington Northington Grace Grace
RS Northington Grace Northington Grace Grace Grace Grace Grace Grace Northington Northington
2016 GAME-BY-GAME TEAM STATISTICS Score 45 24
1st Dns 25 22
Rush-Yds. 39-261 47-176
Passes 26-44-1 20-37-3
Pass Yds. 251 222
Total Yds. 512 398
Pen.-Yds. 2-17 4-39
TOs 1 4
Poss. 32:15 27:45
3Dn Con. 8/17 10/20
Sacks By 0-0 0-0
Pikeville at Eastern Kentucky
14 55
21 22
54-103 55-284
12-27-4 11-17-1
160 103
263 387
5-32 13-131
8 3
35:51 24:09
6/15 6/15
1-3 5-35
at Ball State Eastern Kentucky
41 14
28 13
54-193 27-3
28-39-0 20-36-2
238 286
431 289
4-35 13-128
1 2
38:59 21:01
10/19 5/16
8-42 1-5
at Tennessee Tech Eastern Kentucky
33 30
29 23
52-119 22-95
27-42-0 32-50-1
327 464
446 559
5-35 5-33
0 1
42:38 17:22
8/20 6/14
1-5 6-37
Southeast Missouri at Eastern Kentucky
16 31
14 26
26-101 52-190
24-41-0 23-37-1
291 337
392 527
10-80 9-75
2 2
28:59 31:01
7/17 11/19
0-0 3-16
at Tennessee State Eastern Kentucky
35 28
21 31
40-200 38-219
13-24-1 31-47-4
181 365
381 584
10-78 12-89
1 5
34:02 25:58
4/11 7/16
0-0 2-2
Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky
24 7
17 15
54-229 30-81
11-23-1 13-36-5
122 179
351 260
9-85 3-15
2 5
37:46 22:14
6/19 2/14
1-8 2-16
at UT Martin Eastern Kentucky
33 3
27 14
62-364 26-58
9-16-1 14-34-1
145 171
509 229
4-40 6-48
3 1
40:39 19:21
7/14 3/14
2-12 1-3
Murray State at Eastern Kentucky
41 28
17 29
37-66 42-146
21-33-1 25-49-1
338 328
404 474
7-72 6-54
1 4
25:25 34:35
2/16 6/17
2-16 4-25
at Austin Peay Eastern Kentucky
30 67
19 27
45-264 48-364
7-29-1 17-29-0
82 185
346 531
4-31 5-56
3 0
27:25 32:35
5/14 11/17
0-0 2-22
Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky
24 0
14 7
59-304 32-68
8-14-0 9-20-1
127 84
431 152
13-95 7-60
1 4
34:59 25:01
6/18 4/16
3-22 1-6
at Purdue Eastern Kentucky
2016 OPENING DRIVES 1st Half Eastern Opponent
PURDUE INT TD
UPIKE Fumble Punt
BSU Downs TD
TTU Punt Punt
SEMO Punt FG
TSU INT TD
JSU Punt Missed FG
UTM FG Fumble
MUR Punt Punt
APSU TD Punt
EIU Punt Missed FG
2nd Half Eastern Opponent
PURDUE Punt Punt
UPIKE Punt INT
BSU Punt Punt
TTU TD Downs
SEMO TD Punt
TSU TD Punt
JSU Punt Punt
UTM Missed FG TD
MUR Missed FG Safety
APSU TD TD
EIU Punt Punt
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 12
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 1
GAME 2
Sept. 3, 2016 • West Lafayette, Ind. • Ross-Ade Stadium
Sept. 8, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Eastern Kentucky
24
Pikeville
14
Purdue
45
Eastern Kentucky
55
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – EKU entered the fourth quarter down just 10 points at Purdue, however, the Boilermakers pulled away for a 45-24 victory. Purdue took control early with two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game and led 21-0 with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. The second Boilermaker score was set up by a 17-yard interception return to the EKU 23 yard line. The third touchdown was the result of a 78-yard interception return. Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Bennie Coney engineered a drive that Dan Crimmins (#18, left) celebrates his first touchdown catch as a Colonel with teammate Devin Borders. Borders got Eastern on the board. He ended it with a 10-yard scoring pass over the midfinished with seven receptions for 77 yards. dle to Dan Crimmins. Neiko Creamer converted the two-point conversion to make it 21-8 with less than a minute left in the first quarter. EKU continued to inch closer in the second quarter. Lucas Williams hit a 35-yard field goal. Coney let the ground game do the work on an eight-play, 47-yard touchdown drive. Ethan Thomas wrapped it up with a 10-yard touchdown run around the right side. The extra-point got the visitors within 10, 28-18. Purdue drove to the EKU 27 yard line and attempted a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter. The kick was wide left. Eastern Kentucky out-gained the Boilermakers 123 to 85 on the ground in the first half. The Colonel defense held Purdue off the scoreboard in the third quarter, but the offense couldn’t put together a scoring drive to close the gap. The Boilermakers scored 17 straight points in the fourth quarter before Tyler Swafford drove Eastern to a late touchdown. He finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown toss to Cameron Fogle.
RICHMOND, Ky. – Forty-eight unanswered points and three defensive touchdowns helped Eastern Kentucky to a 55-14 win over Pikeville. The Colonels’ three pick sixes all came in the third quarter, as EKU put the game out of reach. Redshirt senior running back Jared Sanders carried the load on offense, finishing with a career-high 100 yards on 16 carries. Eastern finished the contest with 284 Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications yards on the ground, while holding UPike True freshman James Smith Jr. completed 4-of-5 passes for to 103 yards rushing. The Bears had eight 30 yards. He also ran eight times for 54 yards and scored turnovers on the night. a touchdown. The Colonels’ defense tightened in the second half, scoring 21 of EKU’s 31 points in the frame. Kiante Northington took a pass from UPike’s Bowen Smith to the end zone to put EKU up 3014 before the extra point from Lucas Williams. Much was the same on the ensuing UPike possession, as Corey Glass stepped in front of Smith’s pass for the pick. Glass returned the interception 56 yards for the score, and the extra point gave the Colonels a commanding 38-14 advantage. In the closing seconds of the third, redshirt junior Luder Jean Louis tipped a throw from Shannon Patrick and pulled it down in the end zone, extending the Eastern lead to 33 before Williams tacked on the extra point. Henry Enyenihi ran for 63 yards on 10 carries. Jeffrey Canady and Dwight Williams each had 10 tackles for Eastern Kentucky. Kagen Skidmore had 1.5 sacks.
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Purdue
Scoring Summary Pikeville Eastern Kentucky
1 2 3 4 8 10 0 6 21 7 0 17
F 24 45
1st Quarter 13:04 PUR - M. Jones 3 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 10:13 PUR - D. Blough 1 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 3:31 PUR - G. Robinson 78 yd INT return (J. Dellinger kick) 0:50 EKU - D. Crimmins 10 yd pass from B. Coney (N. Creamer 2-pt) 2nd Quarter 10:04 PUR - D. Yancey 35 yd pass from D. Blough (J. Dellinger kick) 6:07 EKU - L. Williams 35 yd FG 2:04 EKU - E. Thomas 10 yd run (L. Williams kick) 4th Quarter 12:48 PUR - D. Blough 1 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 4:56 PUR - J. Dellinger 30 yd FG 4:23 PUR - Lankford 48 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 1:34 EKU - C. Fogle 2 yd pass from T. Swafford (pass failed) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards
PUR 25 39-261 26-44-1 251 83 512 2-0 2-17
EKU 22 47-176 20-37-3 222 84 398 1-1 4-39
Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
5-42.6 8-of-17 32:15
7-43.6 10-of-20 27:45
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-E. Thomas 17-60-1 TD, M. Mauk 8-39, H. Enyenihi 6-35, B. Coney 6-16, K. Hopkins 5-15, D. McCleskey 5-11 PUR-M. Jones 24-145-1 TD, Johnson-Lankford 4-58-1 TD, R. Worship 4-20, D. Blough 4-18, T. Fuller 2-16, C. Posey 1-4 Passing EKU-B. Coney 13-23-0-1 TD, M. Mauk 2-7-2-0 TD, T. Swafford 5-6-0-1 TD, J. Smith 0-1-1-0 TD PUR-D. Blough 25-43-1-1 TD, Sindelar 1-1-0-0 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 7-77, J. Smith 3-39, N. Creamer 3-26, R. Markush 2-34, C. Fogle 2-9-1 TD, M. Clark 1-17, D. Paul 1-10, D. Crimmins 1-10-1 TD PUR-Young 8-74, C. Posey 5-41, M. Jones 4-24, T. Fuller 3-32, B. Marshall 2-16, D. Yancey 1-35-1 TD, C. Herdman 1-22, Burgess 1-4, R. Worship 1-3 Tackles EKU-K. Northington 11 PUR-Ezechukwu, Bentley 9 Interceptions EKU-N. Bethel PUR-L. Clark, J. Hayes, G. Robinson Attendance: 32,074
1 2 3 4 0 14 0 0 7 17 24 7
F 14 55
1st Quarter 4:11 EKU - R. Markush 13 yd pass from T. Swafford (L. Williams kick) 2nd Quarter 14:35 UPIKE - A. Brown 16 yd pass from B. Smith (D. Karapandzic kick) 8:35 UPIKE - J. Mattingly 16 yd fumble recovery (D. Karapandzic kick) 7:28 EKU - H. Enyenihi 12 yd run (L. Williams kick) 3:23 EKU - J. Smith 8 yd run (L. Williams kick) 0:54 EKU - L. Williams 28 yd FG 3rd Quarter 13:15 EKU - K. Northington 12 yd INT return (L. Williams kick) 11:38 EKU - C. Glass 54 yd INT return (L. Williams kick) 7:23 EKU - L. Williams 27 yd FG 0:19 EKU - L. Jean Louis 0 yd INT return (L. Williams kick) 4th Quarter 6:59 EKU - R. Gustave 2 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards
UPIKE 21 54-103 12-27-4 160 81 263 6-4 5-32
EKU 22 55-284 11-17-1 103 72 387 2-2 13-131
Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
4-46.5 6-of-15 35:51
2-45.5 6-of-15 24:09
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-J. Sanders 16-100, H. Enyenihi 10-63-1 TD, J. Smith 8-54-1 TD, D. McCleskey 7-38, R. Patton 8-29, R. Gustave 4-8-1 TD, T. Swafford 2-(-8) UPIKE-X. Willis 17-71, J. Kirksey 16-39, W. McCloud 8-27, B. Smith 5-8, S. Patrick 2-4, S. Warren 4-(-19) Passing EKU-T. Swafford 7-12-1-73-1 TD, J. Smith 4-5-030-0 TD UPIKE-B. Smith 1-11-3-16-1 TD, S. Warren 7-8-065-0 TD, S. Patrick 4-8-1-79-0 TD Receiving EKU-D. Crimmins 2-29, A. Cabrera 2-19, C. Fogle 2-14, R. Markush 1-13-1 TD, C. Schmerber 1-10, D. Borders 1-9, N. Creamer 1-5, D. McCleskey 1-4 UPIKE-B. Whitmore 4-44, A. Pray 3-59, A. Brown 1-16-1 TD, J. Olinger 1-15, B. Randall 1-8, M. Howard 1-8, J. Jarrell 1-0 Tackles EKU-J. Canady 10, D. Williams 10 UPIKE-J. Hopkins 12 Interceptions EKU-K. Northington 1-12-1 TD, L. Jean Louis 1-0-1 TD, C. Glass 1-54-1 TD, E. Reed 1-6 UPIKE-J. Hopkins 1-4 Attendance: 11,400
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 13
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 3
GAME 4
Sept. 17, 2016 • Muncie, Ind. • Scheumann Stadium
Oct. 1, 2016 • Cookeville, Tenn. • Tucker Stadium
Eastern Kentucky
14
Eastern Kentucky
30
Ball State
41
Tennessee Tech
33 OT
MUNCIE, Ind. – Two turnovers and nine penalties in the first half put EKU in a 27-point deficit and the Colonels never recovered in a 41-14 loss at Ball State. A roughing the kicker penalty kept alive BSU’s second possession and allowed Riley Neal to cap it with a 12-yard run to give the home team a 14-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. Two second quarter interceptions gave BSU the ball inside the EKU 25 yard line each time and BSU converted the Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Maty Mauk completed 19-of-32 passes for 285 yards and turnovers into 10 points. A second Mortossed one touchdown pass at Ball State. Eight of Mauk’s gan Hagee field goal, in the final seven seconds of the second quarter, sent Ball 19 completions were for 15 yards or more. State to the locker room in front 27-0. The Colonels (1-2) avoided the shutout with two late touchdown drives. Maty Mauk completed passes for 32 and 16 yards before connecting with Devin Borders for a 28-yard touchdown score. The drive covered 77 yards in 2:24. On Ball State’s next possession, Luder Jean Louis forced and recovered a fumble at the BSU 40 yard line. Mauk began the ensuing drive with a 32-yard toss to Borders. After two penalties he found Dan Crimmins for 27 yards. Freshman running back Daryl McCleskey Jr. finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. EKU Newcomer Ryan Markush caught five passes for a team-best 104 yards. Mauk completed 19-of-32 passes for 285 yards and did not throw an interception. Jeffrey Canady led all players with 11 tackles. Eastern did not turn the ball over in the second half, but committed four more turnovers, finishing with 13 for 128 yards.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Lucas Williams opened overtime with a 25-yard field goal, but Tech scored a touchdown on its possession to beat EKU 33-30. TTU won on Michael Birdsong’s fouryard touchdown pass to Alex Carling. EKU quarterback Bennie Coney broke his own school record with 464 passing yards. He completed 32-of-49 passes, tossed three touchdowns and just one interception. Two receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Devin Borders caught Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Bennie Coney broke his own school record with 464 passing nine passes for 121 yards and a touchyards. He finished 32-of-49 and tossed three touchdown down. Ryan Markush caught seven balls for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Colpasses. onels out-gained Tech 559 to 446. EKU wasted little time in the second half, scoring on its first possession to take the lead. The Colonels covered 65 yards in four plays and took just 44 seconds to score. Coney covered all the real estate through the air, finding Markush for 27 yards and Borders for 12 to the 26 yard line. On the next play, Borders created space with the defender and then went up and grabbed a pass in the end zone. The extra point put Eastern on top 20-17. Trailing 27-20, Coney went to work with 2:30 left in the game and 72 yards away from the tying touchdown. The redshirt senior completed all five attempts on the drive. He hooked up twice with Borders, one for 22 and one for nine yards. After an Ethan Thomas rush for a first down, Coney found Bryan Green for four yards and then Borders again for 10 to the TTU 25 yard line. On the next play, Coney found Dan Crimmins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Lucas Williams made the extra-point to tie the score.
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Ball State
Scoring Summary 1 2 3 4 OT F Eastern Kentucky 6 7 7 7 3 30 Tennessee Tech 7 10 3 7 6 33
1 2 3 4 0 0 0 14 14 13 7 7
F 14 41
1st Quarter 8:12 BSU - D. Reece 3 yd pass from R. Neal (M. Hagee kick) 0:38 BSU - R. Neal 12 yd run (M. Hagee kick) 2nd Quarter 13:04 BSU - M. Hagee 32 yd FG 10:55 BSU - D. Hazelton 5 yd pass from R. Neal (M. Hagee kick) 0:07 BSU - M. Hagee 41 yd FG 3rd Quarter 5:17 BSU - J. Gilbert 1 yd run (M. Hagee kick) 4th Quarter 5:49 BSU - T. Williamson 1 yd run (M. Hagee kick) 3:29 EKU - D. Borders 28 yd pass from M. Mauk (L. Williams kick) 1:26 EKU - D. McCleskey 1 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards
BSU 28 54-193 28-39-0 238 93 431 2-1 4-35
EKU 13 27-3 20-36-2 286 63 289 0-0 13-128
Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
4-47.2 10-of-19 38:59
8-39.6 5-of-16 21:01
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-E. Thomas 6-12, J. Smith 1-12, H. Enyenihi 5-10, D. McCleskey 1-1-1 TD, B. Coney 1-(-4), J. Sanders 1-(-6), M. Mauk 11-(-20) BSU-J. Gilbert 21-67-1 TD, R. Neal 10-44-1 TD, T. Williamson 9-42-1 TD, M. Dunner 9-27, D. Green 4-11, K. Mabon 1-2 Passing EKU-M. Mauk 19-32-0-285-1 TD, B. Coney 1-42-1-0 TD BSU-R. Neal 28-39-0-238-2 TD Receiving EKU-R. Markush 5-104, D. Borders 4-73-1 TD, J. Smith 4-8, D. Crimmins 3-53, N. Creamer 2-34, J. Sanders 1-8, E. Thomas 1-6 BSU-D. Reece 6-64-1 TD, D. Hazelton 6-52-1 TD, J. Hogue 6-35, K. Mabon 4-51, D. Green 4-28, M. Dunner 1-7, S. Brunner 1-1 Tackles EKU-J. Canady 11 BSU-Z. Ryan 9 Interceptions EKU-none BSU-M. Hester 1-10, M. Walton 1-19 Attendance: 10,902
1st Quarter 11:02 EKU - J. Sanders 59 yd run 0:27 TTU - M. Birdsong 1 yd run (N. Madonia kick) 2nd Quarter 9:51 TTU - D. Byrd 22 yd pass from M. Birdsong (N. Madonia kick) 4:53 EKU - R. Markush 27 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 0:28 TTU - N. Madonia 42 yd FG 3rd Quarter 9:37 EKU - D. Borders 26 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 2:38 TTU - N. Madonia 26 yd FG 4th Quarter 6:37 TTU - D. Byrd 9 yd pass from M. Birdsong (N. Madonia kick) 1:06 EKU - D. Crimmins 25 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) Overtime EKU - L. Williams 25 yd FG TTU - A. Carling 4 yd pass from M. Birdsong Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays
TTU 29 52-119 27-42-0 327 94
EKU 23 22-95 32-49-1 464 72
Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
446 0-0 5-35 6-44.5 8-of-20 42:38
559 0-0 5-33 4-39.5 6-of-14 17:22
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-J. Sanders 4-60-1 TD, E. Thomas 12-34, H. Enyenihi 3-12, D. McCleskey 1-1, B. Connie 1-(-5), J. Smith 1-(-7) TTU-Y. Thaenrat 28-62, M. Birdsong 14-26-1 TD, A. Goldsmith 5-13, Kip Patton 1-8, D. Byrd 1-7, J. Cunningham 3-3 Passing EKU-B. Coney 32-49-1-464-3 TD TTU-M. Birdsong 27-42-0-327-3 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 9-121-1 TD, R. Markush 7-104-1 TD, D. Crimmins 6-65-1 TD, B. Green 5-73, C. Fogle 1-50, D. Paul 1-28, J. Sanders 1-20, D. McCleskey 1-4, N. Creamer 1-(-1) TTU-D. Byrd 7-116-2 TD, J. Cunningham 7-69, K. Patton 6-63, Y. Thaenrat 2-27, J. Smith 2-23, A. Hicks 1-13, K. Cates 1-12, A. Carling 1-4-1 TD Tackles EKU-J. Canady 17 TTU-D. Wilson 8, J. Poplar 8 Interceptions EKU-none TTU-M. Hall 1-11 Attendance: 7,165
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 14
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 5
GAME 6
Oct. 8, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Oct. 15, 2016 • Nashville, Tenn. • Nissan Stadium
Southeast Missouri
16
Eastern Kentucky
28
Eastern Kentucky
31
Tennessee State
35
RICHMOND, Ky. – Led by Bennie Coney and Devin Borders, EKU scored 24 unanswered points on its way to a 31-16 win over visiting Southeast Missouri. Coney and the offense racked up 527 yards of total offense. The senior turned in his second consecutive 300-yard passing performance, completing 23-of-37 for 337 yards and four touchdowns. Borders, meanwhile, hauled in three touchdown catches, along with 119 Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications yards, marking his second consecutive Redshirt senior Devin Borders caught three touchdown 100-yard receiving performance. passes. He finished with seven receptions for 119 yards. Leading 24-9 in the fourth, the Colonels forced a SEMO turnover and looked to put the game away with less than 10 minutes to play. Junior Kobie Grace stripped Tremane McCullough at the SEMO six yard line to send the Colonel offense back on the field. Eastern Kentucky was the beneficiary of a pass interference on third-and-10 from the SEMO 12 which put the ball at the Redhawks’ two yard line. After Henry Enyenihi rumbled to the one on the ensuing play, Coney found Borders in the corner to give EKU a commanding lead, 31-9, with 8:42 left to play. The Colonels took their first lead of the contest with Borders’ third touchdown reception of the season. Coney fired a strike on third-and-seven to Borders near the pylon to cap a 16 play, 83-yard EKU drive. Lucas Williams tacked on the extra point to give the Colonels a 7-6 advantage with 8:47 left in the second quarter.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky scored 25 unanswered points in the second half to get within a touchdown, but couldn’t completely overcome a 32-point halftime deficit in a 35-28 loss at Tennessee State. After going into the locker room down 35-3 at halftime, the Colonels scored 25 straight points in the second half to get within a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Eastern opened the second half by driving 75 yards in nine plays to score Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Daryl McCleskey totaled 122 all-purpose yards. He rushed its first touchdown of the game. Henry for a career-best 68 yards and scored a touchdown. He also Enyenihi’s 29-yard scoot up the middle got the Colonels deep in TSU territory. caught four passes for 54 yards. Kentayvus Hopkins finished it off with a three-yard touchdown run. The extra-point made it 35-10. Lucas Williams made a 31-yard field goal with 4:08 left in the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Enyenihi polished off a quick 32-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Dan Crimmins caught the two-point conversion attempt just inside the goal line to make it a 35-21 game. Daryl McCleskey’s three-yard touchdown run with 5:46 to go in the game made it a seven-point margin. EKU had one last chance in the final minute but the game-tying drive ended with the fourth interception of the night. Eastern turned the ball over on each of its first three possessions of the game, and Tennessee State turned those turnovers into a 21-0 lead. Ronald Butler finished 13-for-24 for 181 yards for the Tigers. He rushed for 81 yards on five carries and scored two rushing touchdowns.
Scoring Summary Southeast Missouri Eastern Kentucky
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Tennessee State
1 2 3 4 3 3 3 7 0 14 10 7
F 16 31
1st Quarter 9:48 SEMO - R. McCrum 50 yd FG 2nd Quarter 14:09 SEMO - R. McCrum 30 yd FG 8:47 EKU - D. Borders 7 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 0:06 EKU - C. Fogle 18 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 3rd Quarter 10:00 EKU - D. Borders 56 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 4:21 EKU - L. Williams 49 yd FG 1:54 SEMO - R. McCrum 22 yd FG 4th Quarter 8:42 EKU - D. Borders 1 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 3:42 SEMO - K. Wilkerson 45 yd pass from J. Hosket (R. McCrum kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
SEMO 14 26-101 24-41-0 291 67 392 5-2 10-80 6-40.8 7-of-17 28:59
EKU 26 52-190 23-37-1 337 89 527 1-1 9-75 5-38.6 11-of-19 31:01
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-E. Thomas 20-92, H. Enyenihi 19-66, J. Smith 1-15, B. Coney 6-15, J. Sanders 4-5 SEMO-W. Young 8-81, C. Sanders 3-8, C. Abbington 3-7, J. Hosket 8-5, T. McCullough 2-5, D. Vandeven 1-(-2) Passing EKU-B. Coney 23-37-1-337-4 TD SEMO-J. Hosket 24-41-0-291-1 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 7-119-3 TD, R. Markush 4-57, D. Crimmins 3-57, C. Fogle 3-41-1 TD, J. Smith 2-32, E. Thomas 2-18, C. Schmerber 1-7, J. Sanders 1-6 SEMO-T. McCullough 8-103, A. Davis 5-48, K. Wilkerson 3-67-1 TD, M. Murdock 3-44, T. McLemore 2-13, W. Young 2-11, C.J. Curry 1-5 Tackles EKU-K. Northington 9 SEMO-R. Garrett 12 Interceptions EKU-none SEMO-R. Garrett 1-22 Attendance: 10,100
1 2 3 4 0 3 10 15 14 21 0 0
F 28 35
1st Quarter 11:41 TSU - R. Butler 20 yd run (L. Clark kick) 2:01 TSU - A. Knox 3 yd run (L. Clark kick) 2nd Quarter 12:15 TSU - E. Robinson 93 yd INT return (L.Clark kick) 8:25 TSU - R. Butler 61 yd run (L. Clark kick) 4:47 EKU - L. Williams 25 yd FG 0:00 TSU - S. Curtis 8 yd run (L. Clark kick) 3rd Quarter 12:14 EKU - K. Hopkins 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) 4:08 EKU - L. Williams 31 yd FG 4th Quarter 14:55 EKU - H. Enyenihi 1 yd run (D. Crimmins pass from B. Coney) 5:46 EKU - D. McCleskey 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion
TSU 21 40-200 13-24-1 181 64 381 2-0 10-78 3-40.3 4-of-11
EKU 31 40-234 29-45-4 350 85 584 3-1 12-89 1-48.0 7-of-16
Time of Possession
34:02
25:58
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- D. McCleskey 8-68-1 TD, H. Enyenihi 10-45-1 TD, E. Thomas 9-45, B. Coney 4-30, J. Sanders 5-25, K. Hopkins 2-6 TSU- E. Evans 19-83, R. Butler 5-81-2 TD, S. Curtis 9-34-1 TD, C. Rowland 2-7, A. Knox 3-3-1 TD Passing EKU- B. Coney 31-47-4-365-0 TD TSU- R. Butler 13-24-1-181-0 TD Receiving EKU- D. Borders 6-60, D. Crimmins 5-89, D. McCleskey 4-54, J. Smith 3-27, N. Creamer 3-9, R. Markush 2-67, C. Fogle 2-20, K. Hopkins 2-2, J. Floyd 1-14, E. Thomas 1-10, H. Enyenihi 1-9, C. Schmerber 1-4 TSU- P. Smith 4-46, M. Medley 3-55, Sanders-McCollu 3-39, S. Newbold 1-30, E. Evans 1-10, C. Rowland 1-1 Tackles EKU- J. Canady 7 TSU- C. Collins 11 Interceptions EKU- C. Glass 1-38 TSU- C. Collins 1-11, L. Wilhoite 1-46, E. Robinson 2-94 Attendance: 21,053
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 15
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 7
GAME 8
Oct. 22, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Oct. 29, 2016 • Martin, Tenn. • Hardy Graham Stadium
Jacksonville State
24
Eastern Kentucky
7
Eastern Kentucky Tennessee-Martin
3 33
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky did not allow an offensive touchdown against second-ranked Jacksonville State, but the Gamecocks used five interceptions to fuel a 24-7 win. The Colonel defense was solid, holding the high-scoring Gamecock offense without an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2012. The defense held the JSU offense to 105 yards below its average. However, EKU turnovers proved Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications costly as the Jacksonville State returned Devin Borders blocked a field goal attempt in the second three interceptions for scores, converting quarter. It was his eighth career blocked field goal and 13 the miscues into 21 points. career blocked kick overall. Down 17-0 in the third, redshirt sophomore Tyler Swafford found Ryan Markush down the sideline for an acrobatic 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Colonels on the board with 5:27 on the clock. After forcing another three-and-out from the nation’s 25th ranked scoring offense, the Colonels once again looked to cut into the JSU lead. Swafford and the Colonels started at their own 16 and penetrated JSU territory minutes into the final frame. Following a 16-yard run from Henry Enyenihi, JSU swiped a throw from Swafford and took it 88 yards for the score and put the Gamecocks up 24-7. Devin Borders logged his eighth blocked field goal of his career. Borders, the OVC leader in career blocked kicks (13) and blocked field goals (8), is just two field goal blocks away from tying the national FCS record for blocked field goals.
MARTIN, Tenn. – Eastern forced and recovered a fumble on the first drive of the game, and turned it into an early lead, but Tennessee-Martin scored the next 33 points on the way to a 33-3 Ohio Valley Conference football victory. On the opening possession of the game, Taquan Evans forced and recovered a fumble when he sacked the quarterback to give the Colonels (2-6, 1-4 OVC) the ball at the UTM 19 yard line. Lucas Williams converted a 20 yard field Photo Credit: Nathan Hutchinson, Richmond Register Senior Devin Borders caught two passes for 59 yards against goal moments later to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. UT Martin. However, the Skyhawks (5-4, 4-1 OVC) scored 21 unanswered first half points to put the game away. Ladevin Fair got UT Martin on the board with an eight-yard touchdown run with 3:41 left in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, CJ McElrath connected with Fair for a 33-yard touchdown pass. A nine-yard interception return for a touchdown by James Gilleylen with 23 seconds left in the second quarter sent UT Martin to the locker room up 21-3 at halftime. Tyler Swafford finished 9-for-26 for 129 yards for the Colonels. Devin Borders caught two passes for 59 yards. Kiante Northington had game-best 16 tackles and Jeffrey Canady finished with 14. Fair ran for 181 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Skyhawks. Jamiee Bowe added 92 yards on 20 carries as UT Martin totaled 364 yards on the ground. Troy Cook went 8-for-15 for 112 yards and tossed an interception.
Scoring Summary Jacksonville State Eastern Kentucky
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Tennessee-Martin
1 2 3 0 14 3 0 0 7
4 7 0
F 24 7
2nd Quarter 7:41 JSU - J. McCandless 41 yd INT return (C. Stinnett kick) 0:39 JSU - J. Hill 60 yd INT return (C. Stinnett kick) 3rd Quarter 7:04 JSU - C. Stinnett 25 yd FG 5:27 EKU - R. Markush 30 yd pass from T. Swafford (L. Williams kick) 4th Quarter 9:34 JSU - R. Hall 88 yd INT return (C. Stinnett kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
JSU 17 54-229 11-23-1 122 77 351 2-1 9-85 8-40.1 6-of-19 37:46
EKU 15 30-81 13-36-5 179 66 260 0-0 3-15 9-40.0 2-of-14 22:14
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-H. Enyenihi 13-52, B. Coney 6-15, D. McCleskey 6-10, J. Smith 2-4, K. Hopkins 2-0 JSU-J. Clemons 26-149, T. Flakes 15-61, E. Jenkins 12-25 Passing EKU-T. Swafford 9-19-2-141-1 TD, B. Coney 4-173-38-0 TD JSU-E. Jenkins 11-23-1-122-0 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 3-63, R. Markush 3-36-1 TD, N. Creamer 3-35, D. Crimmins 2-29, C. Fogle 1-15, B. Green 1-1 JSU-J. Barge 6-72, K. Sanders 2-38, T. Demontez 1-7, J. Clemons 1-4, A. Johnson 1-1 Tackles EKU-K. Grace 13 JSU-M. Bridges 8 Interceptions EKU-J. Tucker 1-11 JSU-M. Bridges 1-1, R. Hall 1-88, J. Hill 2-88, J. McCandless 1-41 Attendance: 11,600
1 2 3 3 0 0 7 14 6
4 0 6
F 3 33
1st Quarter 11:45 EKU - L. Williams 20 yd FG 3:41 UTM - L. Fair 8 yd run (M. Mersman kick) 2nd Quarter 14:54 UTM - CJ McElrath 33 yd pass from L. Fair (M. Mersman kick) 0:23 UTM - J. Gilleylen 9 yd INT return (M. Mersman kick) 3rd Quarter 10:21 UTM - L. Fair 26 yd run (kick failed) 4th Quarter 1:13 UTM - Hollingsworth 3 yd run (kick failed) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
UTM 27 62-364 9-16-1 145 78 509 2-2 4-40 3-50.7 7-of-14 40:39
EKU 14 26-58 14-34-1 171 60 229 0-0 6-48 7-47.3 3-of-14 19:21
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- K. Hopkins 10-33, H. Enyenihi 8-23, B. Coney 2-8, J. Sanders 3-7, T. Swafford 2-(-12) UTM- L. Fair 25-181-2 TD, J. Bowe 20-92, T. Cook 8-57, Hollingsworth 8-37-1 TD, M. Grayson 1-(-3) Passing EKU- T. Swafford 9-26-1-129-0 TD, B. Coney 5-8-0-42-0 TD UTM- T. Cook 8-15-1-112-0 TD, L. Fair 1-1-0-33-1 TD Receiving EKU- C. Fogle 6-54, D. Crimmins 3-42, D. Borders 2-59, H. Enyenihi 2-13, R. Markush 1-3 UTM- B. Axline 2-48, K. Kerrick 2-27, L. Fair 2-26, CJ McElrath 1-33-1 TD, J. Bowe 1-8, C. Weathers 1-3 Tackles EKU- K. Northington 16 UTM- K. Hagens 11 Interceptions EKU- T. Moore 1-0 UTM- J. Gilleylen 1-9 Attendance: 3,025
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 16
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 9
GAME 10
Nov. 5, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Nov. 19, 2016 • Clarksville, Tenn. • Fortera Stadium
Murray State
41
Eastern Kentucky
67
Eastern Kentucky
28
Austin Peay
30
RICHMOND, Ky. – Tyler Swafford threw for a career-high 289 yards and senior tight end Dan Crimmins hauled in a career-best 124 yards, but Murray State left Roy Kidd Stadium with a 41-28 win. Jeffrey Canady recorded 17 tackles for the second time this season. He also logged two tackles for loss. The Colonels led until the 4:56 mark of the third when the Racers took their first lead of the game. Trailing 20-7 in Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications the third quarter, Murray State scored 31 Tyler Swafford threw for a career-high 289 yards against unanswered points on its way to the win. Murray State. The Colonels struck first. Facing a third-and-seven, true freshman quarterback James Smith found Ryan Markush for a 10-yard completion. Three plays later, Smith took it himself 33 yards to the end zone. The Colonels converted the two-point conversion on a direct snap to junior Nigel Bethel, putting EKU up 8-0 in the first. EKU’s defense denied a second quarter scoring opportunity for the Racers. Murray State’s KD Humphries’ pass was picked off by sophomore Tre’ Moore to give EKU possession at midfield. With the momentum, Swafford connected with senior Devin Borders for a 48-yard completion, moving the Colonels’ offense all the way to the Murray six-yard line. Ethan Thomas logged his sixth career touchdown for the Colonels on the ensuing play, extending the EKU lead to 14-0. The Colonels added to their lead with an efficient 12-play, 71-yard drive capped by a Lucas Williams field goal to give Eastern an 18-7 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Three scoring drives that lasted 1:35 or less fueled 39 first half points as EKU buried Austin Peay, 67-30. Eastern Kentucky tied the program record of 67 points in a game, set against Morehead State in 1925. True freshman Daryl McCleskey Jr. rushed for three touchdowns, totaling a season-high 109 yards on 11 carries. As a team EKU rushed for 346 yards and totaled 531 yards of offense. Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications The Colonels took their first possesTrue freshman Daryl McCleskey Jr. had three touchdown runs to help EKU tie the school record for points in a game. sion and drove 66 yards in 3:20 for a touchdown. That drive ended with a 45yard touchdown pass from Tyler Swafford to Devin Borders. A run by James Smith Jr. added the two-point conversion. Eastern’s third possession lasted 4:24 and resulted in a field goal for an 11-0 lead. EKU scored four more times in the first half with none of the drives lasting more than 2:59. Its final three scoring drives were 0:59, 1:07 and 1:35. Eastern’s first possession of the second half ended with a 35-yard touchdown run by McCleskey, a drive that took just 2:37 off the clock. Sixteen points in the third quarter and early fourth quarter allowed the Governors to get as close as 16. Jared Sanders answered an APSU field goal with a 90-yard kickoff return for a 53-30 lead with 14:39 left in the game. Austin Peay was held to 346 yards of offense for the game, including just 82 passing yards. The Governors turned the ball over three times while Eastern did not have a turnover. The Colonel defense stopped APSU on third down nine times on 14 tries.
Scoring Summary Murray State Eastern Kentucky
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay
1 2 3 4 0 7 21 13 8 10 2 8
F 41 28
1st Quarter 7:03 EKU - J. Smith 33 yd run (N. Bethel rush) 2nd Quarter 3:05 EKU - E. Thomas 6 yd run (L. Williams kick) 1:49 MUR - M. McGraw 1 yd run (C. Mitchell kick) 0:00 EKU - L. Williams 21 yd FG 3rd Quarter 14:28 EKU - Team safety 8:21 MUR - J. Gandy 9 yd pass from K. Humphries (C. Mitchell kick) 4:56 MUR - J. Gandy 74 yd pass from K. Humphries (C. Mitchell kick) 4:04 MUR - J. Moss 10 yd pass from K. Humphries (C. Mitchell kick) 4th Quarter 10:39 MUR - C. Mitchell 38 yd FG 9:14 MUR - M. McGraw 8 yd run (C. Mitchell kick) 7:04 EKU - T. Swafford 1 yd run (D. Borders pass from T. Swafford) 1:38 MUR - C. Mitchell 30 yd FG Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense
MUR 17 37-66 21-33-1 338 70 404
EKU 29 42-146 25-49-1 328 91 474
Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
1-0 7-72 5-44.4 2-of-12 25:25
5-3 6-54 4-42.0 6-of-17 34:35
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- E. Thomas 12-55-1 TD, J. Smith 6-46-1 TD, H. Enyenihi 10-35, D. McCleskey 4-22, J. Sanders 4-11, T. Swafford 6-(-23) MUR- D. Johnson 11-41, M. McGraw 14-28, J. Gandy 1-5, K. Humphries 8-5, M. Stults 1-(-11) Passing EKU- T. Swafford 22-4-6-1-289-0 TD, J. Smith 3-3-0-39-0 TD MUR- K. Humphries 21-33-1-338-3 TD Receiving EKU- R. Markush 9-82, D. Crimmins 6-124, D. Borders 5-82, C. Fogle 3-24, E. Thomas 2-16 MUR- J. Gandy 6-218-2 TD, J. Moss 4-55-1 TD, J. Feggins 4-34, J. Blackburn 2-25, M. McGraw 2-3, D. Johnson 1-4, R. Perkins 1-1, T. Gray 1-(-2) Tackles EKU- J. Canady 17 MUR- Z. Wade 17 Interceptions EKU- T. Moore 1-4 MUR- T. Quinn 1-0 Attendance: 4,200
1 2 3 4 11 28 7 21 0 14 13 3
F 67 30
1st Quarter 11:40 EKU - D. Borders 45 yd pass from T. Swafford (J. Smith rush) 2:23 EKU - L. Williams 31 yd FG 2nd Quarter 13:19 EKU - J. Sanders 16 yd run (L. Williams kick) 11:31 EKU - D. McCleskey 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) 11:16 APSU - K. Williams 97 yd KO (N. Gauna kick) 10:09 EKU - D. Crimmins 22 yd pass from T. Swafford (L. Williams kick) 6:51 EKU - H. Enyenihi 8 yd run (L. Williams kick) 2:15 APSU - J. Craig 9 yd run (N. Gauna kick) 3rd Quarter 13:38 APSU - J. Craig 2 yd run (pass failed) 10:52 EKU - D. McCleskey 35 yd run (L. Williams kick) 7:19 APSU - K. Williams 7 yd run (N. Gauna kick) 4th Quarter 14:53 APSU - N. Gauna 52 yd FG 14:39 EKU - J. Sanders 90 yd KO (L. Williams kick) 9:37 EKU - D. McCleskey 19 yd run (L. Williams kick) 3:45 EKU - R. Patton 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays
APSU 19 45-264 7-29-1 82 74
EKU 27 48-346 17-29-0 185 77
Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
346 3-2 4-31 4-39.5 5-of-14 27:25
531 0-0 5-56 3-47.3 11-of-17 32:35
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- D. McCleskey 11-109-3 TD, J. Smith 6-89, R. Patton 7-61-1 TD, K. Hopkins 4-32, J. Sanders 4-20-1 TD, H. Enyenihi 7-19-1 TD, R. Gustave 4-9, E. Thomas 5-7 APSU- K. Williams 19-176-1 TD, J. Craig 13-55-2 TD, T. Mitchell 7-35, K. Morris 3-14, R. Coleman 2-2, C. Hopkins 1-(-18) Passing EKU- T. Swafford 15-26-0-182-2 TD, J. Smith 2-2-03-0 TD, Team 0-1-0-0-0 TD APSU- T. Mitchell 5-18-1-59-0 TD, J. Craig 2-11-0-23-0 TD Receiving EKU- N. Creamer 4-57, D. Borders 3-64-1 TD, D. Crimmins 3-33-1 TD, C. Fogle 2-19, R. Markush 2-7, J. Sanders 1-4, A. Cabrera 1-1 APSU- J. Beard 3-22, K. Williams 2-42, J. Marsalis 1-12, C. Hopkins 1-6 Tackles EKU- J. Canady 9 APSU- J. Bond 11 Interceptions EKU- S. Fleming 1-6 APSU- none Attendance: 5,816
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 17
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 11 Nov. 19, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky
24 0
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky ended the 2016 season with a 24-0 loss to Eastern Illinois. The Panthers scored once in the third and early in the fourth quarter to break open a close game. Four turnovers in the game limited the Colonel offense. Eastern Illinois grabbed a 7-0 lead with 4:15 left in the second quarter when Jared Pilson capped a 5-play, 34yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications The Panthers got possession when they Jeffrey Canady finished with a game-high 15 tackles in the recovered a fumble on a punt return at season-finale against Eastern Illinois. the EKU 33 yard line. Pilson moved the visitors to the goal line with a 30-yard pass to Devin Church. Two plays later Pilson took it in himself for the score. Eastern Kentucky had three first half turnovers, but Eastern Illinois was only able to capitalize on one of them. At the 4:32 mark of the third quarter, EIU put the game away when Church scored from eight yards out. The score was set up by a 40-yard pass from Pilson to Anthony Taylor. The extra point made it a 14-0 game. EIU added a fourth quarter field goal and touchdown to cap the scoring. Church finished with 177 rushing yards on 25 carries. The Panthers held a 304 to 68 advantage on the ground. Ethan Thomas ran for 80 yards on 12 carries for the Colonels (3-8, 2-7 OVC). Ryan Markush caught five passes for 49 yards. EKU’s Jeffrey Canady led all players with 15 tackles. Scoring Summary Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky 2nd Quarter 4:15 EIU 3rd Quarter 4:32 EIU 4th Quarter 13:22 EIU 3:59 EIU
1 2 3 4 0 7 7 10 0 0 0 0
F 24 0
- J. Pilson 3 yd run (N. Bruno kick) - D. Church 8 yd run (N. Bruno kick) - N. Bruno 22 yd FG - D. McCullough 4 yd run (N. Bruno kick)
Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
EIU 14 59-304 8-14-0 127 73 431 1-1 13-95 8-35.1 6-of-18 34:59
EKU 7 32-68 9-20-1 84 52 152 5-3 7-60 9-41.4 4-of-16 25:01
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- E. Thomas 12-80, H. Enyenihi 7-20, A. Cabrera 1-9, J. Sanders 7-(-3), T. Swafford 3-(-24) EIU- D. Church 25-177-1 TD, K. Marshall 9-58, J. Pilson 11-41-1 TD, D. McCullough 8-24-1 TD, A. Green 5-4, D. Turner 1-0 Passing EKU- T. Swafford 8-18-1-80-0 TD, A. Cabrera 1-2-0-4-0 TD EIU- J. Pilson 8-11-0-127-0 TD, A. Green 0-3-0-0-0 TD Receiving EKU- R. Markush 5-49, N. Creamer 1-16, D. Borders 1-12, J. Floyd 1-8, J. Sanders 1-(-1) EIU- D. Church 2-31, A. Bounds 2-29, J. Sheehan 2-24, A. Taylor 1-40, K. Marshall 1-3 Tackles EKU- J. Canady 15 EIU- N. Horne 8 Interceptions EKU- None EIU- T. Mitchell 1-6 Attendance: 3,100
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 18
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
#(.8)RRWEDOO (DVWHUQ.HQWXFN\2YHUDOO7HDP6WDWLVWLFV DVRI1RY $OOJDPHV 7HDP6WDWLVWLFV 6&25,1* 3RLQWV3HU*DPH 3RLQWV2II7XUQRYHUV ),567'2:16 5XVKLQJ 3DVVLQJ 3HQDOW\ 586+,1*
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1979 • 1982
2016 FOOTBALL GAME
OVC CHAMPIONS 1954 • 1962 • 1967 • 1968 • 1974 • 1976 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1986 • 1987 1988 • 1990 • 1991 • 1993 • 1994 • 1997 2007 • 2008 • 2011
NOTES
EKUSports Communications • Football Contact: Kevin Britton, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications • [email protected] • (859) 622-2006
GAME
Final 2016 EKU Schedule/Results DATE Sept. 3 Sept. 8 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19
RANK RV/RV RV/RV RV/RV RV/RV RV/NR RV/NR RV/NR NR/NR NR/NR NR/NR
OPPONENT TV/NET TIME at Purdue ESPNNews L, 24-45 PIKEVILLE OVCDN W, 55-14 at Ball State ESPN3 L, 14-41 OPEN at Tennessee Tech* OVCDN L, 30-33 ot SOUTHEAST MO.* OVCDN W, 31-16 at Tennessee St.* ESPN3 L, 28-35 No. 2 JACKSONVILLE ST.* OVCDN L, 7-24 at Tennessee-Martin* OVCDN L, 3-33 MURRAY STATE* OVCDN L, 28-41 at Austin Peay* OVCDN W, 67-30 EASTERN ILLINOIS* OVCDN L, 0-24
EKU Ranking = STATS/Coaches. Home games appear in ALL CAPITALS. Times given are Eastern Time and subject to change. * Denotes Ohio Valley Conference game.
2017 EKU Schedule DATE RANK Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18
OPPONENT TV/NET at Western Kentucky at Kentucky OPEN TENNESSEE TECH* OVCDN at Southeast Missouri* OVCDN TENNESSEE STATE* OVCDN at Jacksonville State* ESPN3 TENNESSEE-MARTIN* OVCDN at Murray State* OVCDN at Eastern Illinois* OVCDN AUSTIN PEAY* OVCDN SAINT FRANCIS* OVCDN
TIME TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA
EKU Ranking = STATS/Coaches. Home games appear in ALL CAPITALS. Times given are Eastern Time and subject to change. * Denotes Ohio Valley Conference game.
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
BREAKDOWN EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS Record: 3-8 (2-6 OVC, 2-3 home, 1-5 away) Ranking: NR, STATS NR, Coaches Last Game: lost to Eastern Illinois, 24-0 Nov. 19 at Richmond, Ky. Head Coach: Mark Elder (Case Western, 2000) Record: 3-8 (first season) at EKU: 3-8 (first season) QUICK NOTES Defensive end Aaron Patrick was chosen to the Hero Sports 2016 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Sophomore All-America Team. • Aaron Patrick was chosen first team All-OVC. Defensive back Kiante Northington and punter Keith Wrzuszczak earned second team honors. Tight end Dan Crimmins was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. • The 2016 season was the first for Mark Elder is as head coach at EKU. He spent the previous three seasons as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee. Over the previous 11 seasons as an assistant, Elder has helped his teams reach nine bowl games and win four conference championships. In 2015, he was ranked as one of the top-25 recruiters in college football. Elder is the 14th head coach in program history. • On Nov. 19, Tyler Swafford was chosen as EKU’s first Mitchell Scholar, and the first from a public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program is a national, competitive scholarship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. Swafford will spend the 2017-18 academic year working on a postgraduate degree at University College Dublin. • Starting quarterback Tyler Swafford had a busy day on Nov. 19. He interviewed during the morning for a Mitchell Scholarship in Washington, D.C. and then play later that afternoon in the Colonels’ game at home against EIU. • The Colonels scored 67 points at Austin Peay (Nov. 12), tying the program record set in 1925 against Morehead State. It was the first time EKU scored 60 points in a game since beating Glenville State, 60-7, on Oct. 6, 2001. • Tyler Swafford won the 2016 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. • Six of Eastern’s eight OVC opponents were ranked or received votes in the national polls during the 2016 season. • Devin Borders concluded his four-year career with 2,157 receiving yards, the fifth most in program history. • Redshirt junior Jeffrey Canady had a career-high 17 tackles at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1) and matched that with 17 against Murray State (Nov. 5). That total tied for the 18th most in one game by any FCS player during the 2016 season. Canady finished second in the OVC and seventh in the nation with an average of 11.2 tackles per game. • Eastern led the OVC in net punting (41.19 yards per punt) and in punt return defense (2.50 yards per punt). The Colonels were third and fourth in the nation in those categories as well. Individually, Keith Wrzuszczak was third in the OVC and 17th in the nation with an average of 42.1 yards per punt. • Sophomore Aaron Patrick was second in the OVC and 42nd in the nation with 0.64 sacks per game. • EKU led the conference and was sixth in the country with 13 fumbles recovered. Overall, Eastern finished third in the OVC and 25th in the nation with 23 turnovers gained in 2016. • Eastern Kentucky registered 21 sacks in the final eight games of the season. The Colonels finished second in the conference and 27th in the nation with an average of 2.45 sacks per game. • Jeffrey Canady was chosen to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Football Team for district two. • In September, Avery Pitt was chosen as a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation from all divisions. • Punter Keith Wrzuszczak was chosen to three preseason All-America teams. • Just six offensive starters and three defensive starters returned from the 2015 team. •
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
GAME-WEEK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE MONDAY - 14
TUESDAY - 15
WEDNESDAY - 16
THURSDAY - 17
FRIDAY - 18
SATURDAY - 19
SUNDAY - 20
Practice 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. At Roy Kidd Stadium
OVC Teleconference 11:07 a.m. Press Conference, 1 p.m. Moberly Building - 221 Practice 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Coach Elder Radio Show Gillum’s 7 p.m.
Practice 4 - 6 p.m. Roy Kidd Stadium
Practice Off No Availability
Practice TBA
Eastern Kentucky vs. Eastern Illinois 1 p.m. ET (OVCDN) Roy Kidd Stadium
Practice Off
Media Information CONTACT INFORMATION Kevin Britton (Football Contact) Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Work Phone: 859-622-2006 Cell: 859-358-8359 E-Mail: [email protected] Fax: 859-622-5108 Roy Kidd Stadium Press Box Phone: 859-622-2226 MEDIA SERVICES CREDENTIALS Credentials are issued to members of the working media only. Requests for credentials should be made to Kevin Britton. PLAYER/COACHES INTERVIEWS All interviews with players, head coach Mark Elder and all assistant coaches must be arranged through the EKUSports Communications office at least 24 hours in advance. Please contact Kevin Britton to arrange all interviews. PRACTICE EKU football practices are generally open to the media. Please contact Kevin Britton in the EKUSports Communications office for schedule, times and location. POST-GAME INTERVIEWS For home games, coach Elder and selected EKU players will be available outside the locker room after a brief cooling off period, generally 10 minutes after the game. For road games, coach Elder and selected players will be available outside the team’s locker room, following the cooling off period. Please direct post-game interview requests to Kevin Britton. Locker Room - The EKU locker room is closed to the media for all home and road games. PRESS ROW SERVICE Complete individual and team statistics and play-by-play will be available to the media following the game. One hour prior to tip-off, media packets containing a game program, flipcard, updated stats and game notes will be available in the media working area. Wireless internet access is available in Roy Kidd Stadium. WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE Head coach Mark Elder and select players meets with the media each game week. The first weekly press conference will be on Tuesday, August 30, at 1 p.m. in room 221 on the second floor of the Moberly Building. OVC TELECONFERENCE The Ohio Valley Conference holds a coaches teleconference weekly during the season. The teleconferences begin at 10:55 a.m. ET. EKU Head Coach Mark Elder will be on the teleconference at 11:07 a.m. ET. For the teleconference phone number and pass code, please contact Kevin Britton. OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE MEDIA RELATIONS Football Contact .............................................. Kyle Schwartz Phone ............................................. 615-371-1698 ext. 6685 E-mail .................................................... [email protected] Web Site .............................................. www.OVCsports.com
Coach Elder Luncheon Golden Corral 12 p.m.
EKU’S 1ST EVER MITCHELL SCHOLAR On Nov. 19, Tyler Swafford was chosen as EKU’s first Mitchell Scholar, and the first from a public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program is a national, competitive scholarship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. The scholarship has become so popular that in the previous three years, of the 10 individuals to be offered both a Mitchell Scholarship and Rhodes Scholarship interview, eight opted for the Mitchell. Swafford will spend the 2017-18 academic year working on a postgraduate degree at University College Dublin. SOPHOMORE ALL-AMERICA Defensive end Aaron Patrick was chosen to the Hero Sports 2016 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Sophomore All-America Team. He was the only OVC player chosen to the first team. He finished the season with seven sacks, a total of 10 tackles for a loss and 53 total tackles. BUSY DAY FOR STARTING QB Starting quarterback Tyler Swafford had a busy day on Nov. 19. He interviewed during the morning for a Mitchell Scholarship in Washington, D.C. and then play later that afternoon in the Colonels’ game at home against Eastern Illinois. Swafford’s interview was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and lasted approximately 30 minutes. He then flew back to Kentucky and arrived at Roy Kidd Stadium around 12:30 p.m. NATIONAL FCS SCHOLAR-ATHLETE Tyler Swafford won the 2016 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. The award is given each year to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) student-athlete who excels not only on the field and in the classroom, but in the community and beyond. The award is named in honor of the wife of the legendary coach at Grambling State, Eddie Robinson.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT Jeffrey Canady was chosen to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Football Team for district two. In the classroom, Canady has a 3.61 grade-point-average while majoring in environmental health science. EKU TOP-10 RECEIVER Senior Devin Borders concluded his four-year career with 2,157 receiving yards, the fifth most in program history. In the final game of the season, he moved past Alex Bannister (2,146). NEW HEAD COACH The 2016 season was the first for Mark Elder is as head coach at EKU. He spent the previous three seasons as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee. Over the previous 11 seasons as an assistant, Elder has helped his teams reach nine bowl games and win four conference championships. In 2015, he was ranked as one of the top-25 recruiters in college football. Elder is the 14th head coach in program history. TOUGH SCHEDULE Six of Eastern’s eight OVC opponents were ranked or received votes in the national polls at some point during the 2016 season. Jacksonville State (No. 2), Tennessee State (RV) and UT Martin (RV) were ranked or receiving votes at the time they faced EKU. Tennessee Tech, Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois were ranked or received votes at some point this season. TYING THE RECORD FOR POINTS The Colonels scored 67 points at Austin Peay (Nov. 12), tying the program record set in 1925 against Morehead State. It was the first time EKU scored 60 or more points in a game since beating Glenville State, 60-7, on Oct. 6, 2001.
TOP-RANKED PUNTING UNIT Eastern led the OVC in net punting (41.19 yards per punt) and in punt return defense (2.50 yards per punt). The Colonels were POSTSEASON OVC HONORS third and fourth in the nation in those categories as well. IndiFour Colonels earned postseason Ohio Valley Conference vidually, Keith Wrzuszczak was third in the OVC and 17th in the honors. Defensive end Aaron Patrick was chosen first team nation with an average of 42.1 yards per punt. all-conference. Defensive back Kiante Northington and punter Keith Wrzuszczak earned second team honors. Tight end Dan FCS Playoff Appearances Crimmins was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST In September, Avery Pitt was chosen as a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation from all divisions. TWO IN NATIONAL BOWL Senior football players Devin Borders and Kiante Northington played in the Third Annual FCS National Bowl on Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Borders caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to help the American team to a 33-16 win. He finished with four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Team Trips Montana 23 Eastern Kentucky 21 Appalachian State 20 Georgia Southern 19 Northern Iowa 18 Furman 16 Eastern Illinois 16 McNeese State 16 9. Delaware 15 New Hampshire 15 11. James Madison 13 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Last 2015 2014 2012 2012 2015 2013 2015 2015 2010 2016 2016
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
FCS Coaches Top 25 Jan. 9, 2017 (Final) Team Points 1. James Madison (26) 650 2. Youngstown State 607 3. North Dakota State 599 4. Eastern Washington 574 5. Sam Houston State 519 6. Jacksonville State 494 7. South Dakota State 450 8. Richmond 444 9. The Citadel 404 10. Chattanooga 388 11. Wofford 374 12. North Dakota 373 13. Villanova 355 14. Charleston Southern 292 15. Grambling State 286 16. Central Arkansas 281 17. New Hampshire 217 18. Lehigh 206 19. North Carolina Central 176 20. North Carolina A&T 169 T-21. Cal Poly 121 T-21. San Diego 121 23. Samford 104 24. Weber State 73 25. Montana 33
Prev 5 12 3 4 1 2 7 13 6 9 19 8 12 10 14 16 21 15 18 17 20 25 24 23 22
Record 14-1 12-4 12-2 12-2 12-1 10-2 9-4 10-4 10-2 9-4 10-4 9-3 9-4 7-4 12-1 10-3 8-5 9-3 9-3 9-3 7-5 10-2 7-5 7-5 6-5
Receiving votes: Illinois State (25), St. Francis (Pa.) (21), Princeton (20), South Dakota (19), Albany (15), Southeastern Louisiana (14), Kennesaw State (9), Southern Utah (7), Fordham (4), Penn (4), Tennessee-Martin (2).
STATS.com Top 25
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Jan. 9, 2017 (Final) Team Record Points Prev James Madison 14-1 3850 (154) 5 Youngstown State 12-4 3631 13 North Dakota State 12-2 3492 4 Eastern Washington 12-2 3428 3 Sam Houston State 12-1 3067 1 South Dakota State 9-4 2944 7 Jacksonville State 10-2 2776 2 Richmond 10-4 2666 12 Wofford 10-4 2532 19 Citadel 10-2 2386 6 Villanova 9-4 2225 9 North Dakota 9-3 2133 8 Chattanooga 9-4 2091 11 Central Arkansas 10-3 1798 14 Charleston Southern 7-4 1605 10 Grambling State 11-1 1496 16 New Hampshire 8-5 1323 22 Coastal Carolina 10-2 1164 15 San Diego 10-2 956 24 North Carolina A&T 9-3 915 17 Lehigh 9-3 776 18 North Carolina Central 9-3 716 20 Samford 7-5 624 23 Cal Poly 7-5 538 21 Weber State 7-5 284 25
Receiving votes: Illinois St. (167), Saint Francis (116), Princeton (83), Albany (65), UT Martin (31), Montana (30), Penn (22), Western Ill. (19), Fordham (17) , Maine (17) , Southeastern La. (17), UNI (8), Kennesaw St. (8), Duquesne (6), Southern (6), Northern Arizona (5), Tennessee St. (5), Southern Utah (4), Stony Brook (4), Dayton (2), McNeese (2).
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 3 GETTING TO THE QB Eastern registered 21 sacks in the final eight games, including six at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1) and four against Murray State (Nov. 5). The Colonels finished second in the conference and 27th in the nation with an average of 2.45 sacks per game. TACKLING THE COMPETITION Redshirt junior Jeffrey Canady had a career-high 17 tackles at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1) and matched that with 17 against Murray State (Nov. 5). That total tied for the 18th most in one game by any FCS player during the 2016 season. Canady finished second in the OVC and seventh in the nation with an average of 11.2 tackles per game. OVC TOP-10 TACKLER Redshirt senior Kiante Northington ranked seventh in the OVC in 2016 with an average of 8.1 tackles per game. GETTING OFFENSIVE The Colonels finished fourth in the conference and 41st nationally with 399.1 yards of offense per game. PASSING OFFENSE EKU was third in the OVC and 32nd in the nation with an average of 247.6 passing yards per game. ON THIRD DOWNS The Colonel offense converted 40 percent of their third downs in 2016, the third highest percentage in the OVC and 37th-best in FCS football. DEFENSIVE RANKINGS EKU was second in the OVC, and 16th in the country, in 2016 with three defensive touchdowns. EKU was third in the conference, and 32nd in FCS, with a team passing efficiency defense of 119.16. The Colonels were also third in the OVC in passing yards allowed (205.6 ypg). Eastern finished third in the league, and 46th nationally, with 6.3 tackles for a loss per game.
Ohio Valley Conference Standings Team Jacksonville State Tennessee-Martin Tennessee Tech Tennessee State Eastern Illinois Murray State Southeast Missouri Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay
OVC Overall 7-0 1.000 10-2 .833 6-2 .750 7-5 .583 5-3 .625 5-6 .455 4-3 .571 7-4 .636 4-4 .500 6-5 .545 4-4 .500 4-7 .364 3-5 .375 3-8 .273 2-6 .250 3-8 .273 0-8 .000 0-11 .000
Preseason Poll (Media) Order of Finish 1. Jacksonville State (16) 2. Eastern Kentucky 3. Eastern Illinois 4. Tennessee-Martin 5. Southeast Missouri 6. Tennessee State 7. Murray State 8. Tennessee Tech 9. Austin Peay
Points 144 119 112 99 66 65 56 38 21
Preseason Poll (Coaches/SIDs) Order of Finish Points 1. Jacksonville State (16) 128 2. Eastern Kentucky 100 3. Eastern Illinois (2) 97 4. Tennessee-Martin 96 5. Southeast Missouri 66 6. Tennessee State 55 7. Tennessee Tech 45 8. Murray State 43 9. Austin Peay 18
BIG PLAY RECEIVERS Three Colonels finished ranked among the top-15 in the Ohio Valley Conference for yards per reception. Tight end Dan Crimmins was seventh (15.62 ypr), redshirt senior Devin Borders was eighth (15.40 ypr) and newcomer Ryan Markush was 14th with an average of 23.62 yards per kickoff return, helping the (13.58 ypr). Borders also ranked fifth in the OVC with six re- Colonel offense start each drive with better field position. Jared ceiving touchdowns and eighth with 739 receiving yards. Sanders was the key component in that ranking. Individually, he finished second in the OVC and 15th in the nation with an ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS average of 26.4 yards per return this season. Kobie Grace was 30th in the country (4th in OVC) with 0.27 forced fumbles per game. Tyler Swafford averaged 12.53 yards SACK ‘EM per completion, the 44th-best (5th in OVC) in FCS football. Jar- Sophomore Aaron Patrick was second in the OVC and 42nd in the ed Sanders finished 56th in the nation (5th in OVC) with 107.5 nation with 0.64 sacks per game. all-purpose yards per game. TRUE FRESHMAN RB SHINES “BLOCK”-ING PARTY Daryl McCleskey Jr. had three rushing touchdowns to go along Devin Borders blocked a field goal attempt against No. 2 Jack- with 109 yards on 11 carries at Austin Peay (Nov. 12). It was the sonville State (Oct. 22). His 13 career blocked kicks and eight first time a Colonel had three rushing scores since Dy’Shawn Mocareer blocked field goals are OVC records. In the FCS career bley totaled five against Murray State on Nov. 15, 2014. rankings, he finished his career second on the blocked kicks list and is tied for second on the blocked field goals list. The HE COULD GO ALL THE WAY ... national records are 17 (total) and 10 (field goals) respectively. Jared Sanders returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Austin Peay (Nov. 12). It was the first kickoff I’LL TAKE THAT return for a touchdown by a Colonel since Jeremy Caldwell reEKU led the conference and was sixth in the country with 13 turned one 88 yards against Missouri State on Sept. 10, 2011. fumbles recovered. Overall, Eastern finished third in the OVC and 25th in the nation with 23 turnovers gained in 2016. BIG RETURNS FOR SANDERS Jared Sanders totaled 209 yards on five kickoff returns at Austin GOOD FIELD POSITION IS KEY Peay (Nov. 12), an average of 41.8 yards per return. In addition Eastern Kentucky led the OVC and finished ninth in the nation to a 90-yard touchdown return, he also had returns of 34, 16, 31
2016 EKU FOOTBALL and 38 yards. SIX RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS Four running backs combined for six rushing touchdowns at Austin Peay (Nov. 12). It was the first time Eastern had six rushing touchdowns in a game since posting half a dozen at Morehead State on Sept. 21, 2013. 300 RUSHING YARDS EKU was among the top-20 passing teams in the country, but showed at Austin Peay (Nov. 12) it can run the ball just as well. Eastern finished with 346 rushing yards, eclipsing the 300 mark for the first time since running for 328 against Murray State on Nov. 15, 2014. NO TURNOVERS - ZERO, ZILCH, NONE Eastern Kentucky did not turn the ball over at Austin Peay (Nov. Eastern Kentucky Quick Facts THE UNIVERSITY Location (Enrollment): .......................... Richmond, Ky. (16,954) Founded: .......................................................................... 1906 Colors: ............................................ Maroon (PMS 209) & White Nickname: ................................................................... Colonels National Affiliation: ...................................... NCAA Division FCS Conference: .................... Ohio Valley (Founding Member 1948) President: ................................................... Dr. Michael Benson Director of Athletics: ................................ Stephen Lochmueller Senior Woman Administrator: ....................... Lindsey McKaskle Athletics Department Phone: ........................... (859) 622-2120 Stadium (Capacity): ........................ Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000) Surface: ..................................................... Synthetic (2009) Press Box Phone: ......................................... (859) 622-2226 COACHING STAFF Head Coach: ............... Mark Elder (Case Western Reserve, 2000) Assistant HC/OL: ........................ Terry Heffernan (Dayton, 2003) Defensive Coord.: ........................ Kurt Mattix (Valparaiso, 1999) Offensive Coord.: ............ Angelo Mirando (Case Western, 2008) Co-Defensive Coord./DBs: ... Shannon Morrison (Marshall, 1995) Linebackers: ............................... Chase Gibson (Marshall, 2007) Wide Receivers: ........................... Kevin Koger (Michigan, 2012) Special Teams/RBs: ................. Greg Meyer (Case Western, 2010) Defensive Line: ...................... Walter Stewart (Cincinnati, 2012) Tight Ends/OTs: ............... Tommy Zagorski (Case Western, 2007) Recruiting Coordinator: ...... Brandon Lawson (Tennessee, 2013) Strength & Conditioning: ... Jon-Michael Davis (App State, 2000) Associate Athletic Trainer: ....... Tim Miesmer (Central Fla., 2007) Dir. of Operations: .............. Kevin Cristello (Morehead St., 2006) 2016 TEAM INFORMATION Offense/Defense: ............................................. Spread/Multiple Offensive Starters Returning/Lost: ....................................... 6/5 Defensive Starters Returning/Lost: ...................................... 3/8 Specialist Returning/Lost: ................................................... 4/3 Lettermen Returning: ..................... 54 (28 off., 18 def., 8 spec.) Lettermen Lost: .............................. 45 (18 off., 24 def., 3 spec.) EKUSports Communications Asst. AD/Communications (FB Contact): ............... Kevin Britton Office Phone: ............................................... (859) 622-2006 Office Fax: ................................................... (859) 622-5108 Cell Phone: .................................................. (859) 358-8359 E-Mail: ............................................ [email protected] Associate Director: .................................................... Steve Fohl Assistant Director: ......................................... Brandon Johnson EKU Athletics Web Site: ............................ www.EKUSports.com Ohio Valley Conf. Web Site: ...................... www.OVCSports.com Overnight Mailing: .......... EKU Athletics, 521 Lancaster Avenue, 115 Alumni Coliseum, Richmond, KY 40475
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 4 12), marking the first time the Colonels didn’t have a turnover since Oct. 17, 2015 at Southeast Missouri. SWAFFORD SETS NEW PERSONAL BEST Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyler Swafford had a career-best 289 passing yards against Murray State (Nov. 5). NO “END” TO THE YARDS Senior tight end Dan Crimmins caught six passes for 124 yards against Murray State (Nov. 5). That’s an average of 21 yards per reception. RETURNING IS MY GAME Jared Sanders returned four kickoffs for 122 yards against Murray State (Nov. 5), averaging 30.5 yards per return. He had a long of 38 yards in that game. DOWN FOR A LOSS Nickel back Ben Bascom was a fixture in the Murray State backfield. He finished with three tackles for a loss of 19 yards against the Racers. DOUBLE, DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLERS Kiante Northington (16) and Jeffrey Canady (14) each had double digit tackle totals at UT Martin (Oct. 29). SEASON-LONG PUNT Keith Wrzuszczak had a season-long punt of 63 yards at UT Martin (Oct. 29). BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO Newcomer Cornelius Floyd had three pass break-ups at UT Martin (Oct. 29). STOPPING ONE OF THE NATION’S BEST The EKU defense held the Jacksonville State offense without a touchdown in a game for the first time since 2012. The Gamecocks entered the game on Oct. 22, 15th in the nation in total offense, but were held 106 yards below their average. OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION The Colonels had a streak of three straight games with 500 yards or more of offense snapped by Jacksonville State (Oct. 22). Eastern had posted 559 yards at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1), 527 versus Southeast Missouri (Oct. 8) and 584 at Tennessee State (Oct. 15). CAREER-HIGH FOR GRACE Junior Kobie Grace had a career-best 13 tackles against Jacksonville State (Oct. 22). His previous career-high of 10 was set last season against JSU.
2016 Honors/Awards 2016 Kentucky Collegiate All-Commonwealth Team Justin Adekoya .......................................... May 11 Kiante Northington .................................. May 11 Avery Pitt ..................................................... May 11 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Justin Adekoya .......................................... July 18 Lucas Williams ............................................ July 18 Keith Wrzuszczak ...................................... July 18 Preseason All-America by STATS Keith Wrzuszczak (2nd team) ........... August 1 Preseason All-America by CollegeSportsMadness Keith Wrzuszczak (1st team) ............. August 8 Preseason All-OVC by CollegeSportsMadness Justin Adekoya (1st team) ................. August 8 Lucas Williams (1st team) .................. August 8 Keith Wrzuszczak (1st team) ............. August 8 Ethan Thomas (2nd team) ................. August 8 Dan Crimmins (2nd team) ................. August 8 Z Stephenson (2nd team) .................. August 8 Kobie Grace (2nd team) ..................... August 8 Kiante Northington (2nd team) ...... August 8 Bennie Coney (3rd team) ................... August 8 Devin Borders (3rd team) .................. August 8 Avery Pitt (3rd team) ........................... August 8 Thomas Owens (3rd team) ................ August 8 Preseason All-America by Hero Sports Keith Wrzuszczak (2nd team) ......... August 17 _____________________________________ William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments Avery Pitt (semifinalist) .......................... Sept. 28 Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week Devin Borders (Co-) ..................................... Oct. 9 CoSIDA Academic All-District Jeffrey Canady ............................................. Nov. 2 2016 Mitchell Scholar Tyler Swafford ........................................... Nov. 19
PARDON THIS INTERCEPTION True sophomore Corey Glass picked off a pass at Tennessee State (Oct. 15) and returned it 38 yards. He leads the team with two interceptions this season.
2016 All-Ohio Valley Conference Aaron Patrick (1st team) ........................ Nov. 22 Kiante Northington (2nd team) ......... Nov. 22 Keith Wrzuszczak (2nd team) .............. Nov. 22
FRESHMAN IMPACT True freshman running back Daryl McCleskey Jr. totaled 122 all-purpose yards at Tennessee State (Oct. 15). He set career-highs for rushing yards (68) and receiving yards (54). His three-yard touchdown run late in the game got the Colonels within a touchdown.
2016 Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team Dan Crimmins ........................................... Nov. 22
THREE TOUCHDOWN CATCHES Devin Borders caught three touchdown passes against Southeast Missouri (Oct. 8), the first Colonel to do so since Tyrone Goard caught four at Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 29, 2012.
FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team Tyler Swafford ............................................... Jan. 6
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
EKU Career Receiving Leaders 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Player Yds Andre Ralston (2002-05) 3,095 Rondel Menendez (1995-98) 2,990 Bobby Washington (1994-97) 2,435 Aaron Marsh (1964-67) 2,246 Devin Borders (2013-16) 2,157 Alex Bannister (1997-00) 2,146 Steve Bird (1979-82) 2,056 Elmo Boyd (1973-76) 1,931 Patrick Bugg (2002-06) 1,856 Tyrone Goard (2009-12) 1,842
Rec 165 150 154 147 157 144 112 119 112 100
Avg 21.3 19.3 16.0 14.2 13.7 14.9 20.6 16.4 17.5 18.4
TD 24 27 16 24 21 22 18 12 23 24
TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS Two Colonels finished with 100 receiving yards at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 1). Devin Borders had nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Markush had seven receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. MAUK GOES LONG Playing in just his second game, Maty Mauk threw for 285 yards while completing 19-of-32 passes at Ball State (Sept. 17). He hooked up with Devin Borders for a 28-yard scoring pass. Eight of Mauk’s 19 completions were for 15 yards or more. Five of his final six went for between 27 and 46 yards. 1ST CAREER WIN The Colonels gave Mark Elder his first career coaching victory when they defeated Pikeville, 55-14. 8 IS GREAT EKU forced eight turnovers (four interceptions, four fumble recoveries) against Pikeville (Sept. 8). It is the most turnovers forced by the Colonels since Murray State committed seven on Nov. 5, 2005. PICK SIX CLUB Kiante Northington, Corey Glass and Luder Jean Louis each had an interception return for a touchdown against Pikeville (Sept. 8). Eastern is tied for first in the nation with three defensive touchdowns this season. 1ST HALF OFFENSE Eastern Kentucky had 284 yards of total offense in the first half at Purdue (Sept. 3). The Colonels out-gained the Boilermakers 123 to 85 on the ground in the first half, had five more first downs and converted six more third downs. 1ST INTERCEPTION Newcomer Nigel Bethel made his first interception as a Colonel against Purdue (Sept. 3). The junior had one interception in two seasons at Texas Tech. TACKLING THE OPPOSITION Redshirt senior Kiante Northington had a game-best 11 tackles at Purdue (Sept. 3).
FBS SUCCESS Eastern has played well against FBS teams in recent years. In addition to beating Miami (Ohio) 17-10 in 2014, the Colonels have lost close games at Indiana (19-13), Louisville (23-13), Kansas St. (10-7) and at UK (34-27 OT) last season. EKU trailed Purdue by just 10 points in the fourth quarter this season. NATIONAL PRESEASON POLLS Eastern was ranked 22nd in the CollegeSportsMadness preseason poll and was just outside the top-25 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll (No. 27) and the preseason STATS Poll (No. 29). 3-TIME PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN Punter Keith Wrzuszczak was chosen as a preseason All-American by three organizations -- CollegeSportsMadness (first team), Hero Sports (second team) and STATS (second team). RETURNING STARTERS Eastern Kentucky returns just six offensive starters and three defensive starters from last season’s team that finished 6-5 overall and fourth in the OVC standings. LOT OF NEW FACES Eastern welcomes 44 new players to the team in 2016. IN THE BOX This season, offensive coordinator Angelo Mirando, tight ends coach Tommy Zagorski, defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix and co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Shannon Morrison will be in the coaches booth during games. SPENCE TO STAR FOR TAMPA Noah Spence, the 39th pick in the 2016 draft, is expected to make an immediate impact for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The All-American finished with 11.5 sacks during the 2015 season, fourth on Eastern’s single season sacks list. Spence had a teambest 22.5 tackles for a loss. He finished fifth in the nation with 1.05 sacks and fourth with 2.0 tackles for a loss per game. IN THE LEAGUE Former EKU punter Jordan Berry is in his second season as the punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The native of Victoria, Australia was a Colonel from 2009 to 2013. 3 PICKED ALL-OVC BY COACHES Three Colonels – offensive tackle Justin Adekoya, kicker Lucas Williams and punter Keith Wrzuszczak – were chosen to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team by league coaches and media relations contacts. 12 CHOSEN PRESEASON ALL-OVC CollegeSportsMadness put 12 Colonels on its preseason AllOhio Valley Conference teams. Justin Adekoya (OL), Lucas Williams (K) and Keith Wrzuszczak (P) were first team selections. Ethan Thomas (RB), Dan Crimmins (TE), Z Stephenson (C), Kobie Grace (DB) and Kiante Northington (PR) were second team choices. Bennie Coney (QB), Devin Borders (WR), Thomas Owens (LB) and Avery Pitt (DL) were chosen to the third team.
1ST CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASS Late in the fourth quarter at Purdue (Sept. 3), Tyler Swafford threw his first career touchdown pass. Swafford connected with newcomer Cameron Fogle from two yards out.
WELCOME TO THE HALL Three former Colonel football players were among the group of nine inducted into the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 8. Those three were David Flores (197780), Chuck Siemon (1963-68) and Dale Patton (1976-80).
GO FOR TWO! Neiko Creamer’s two-point conversion in the first quarter at Purdue (Sept. 3) was Eastern’s first two-point conversion since Nov. 15, 2014 against Murray State.
ANOTHER HALL OF FAMER On June 24th, former Colonel and Super Bowl Champion Myron Guyton was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the seventh former Colonel to earn induction.
THE LAST TIME AN EKU PLAYER ... Rushed 30 times in a game Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (40) Rushed for 200 yards Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (224) Rushed for 150 yards Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (224) Rushed for 100 yards Daryl McCleskey Jr. at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (109) Rushed for 100 yards in cons. games Dy’Shawn Mobley on Oct. 11, Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 2014 Rushed for 3 or more touchdowns Daryl McCleskey Jr. at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (3) Passed for 400 yards Bennie Coney at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (464) Passed for 300 yards Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (337) Attempted 50 passes Bennie Coney at Murray State on Nov. 14, 2015 (68) Attempted 40 passes Tyler Swafford vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (46) Threw 5 touchdown passes Bennie Coney vs. Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 7, 2015 (5) Threw 4 touchdown passes Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Threw 3 touchdown passes Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Had 400 yards total offense Bennie Coney at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (459) Accounted for 5 or more touchdowns Dy’Shawn Mobley vs. MUR on Nov. 15, 2014 (6) Accounted for 4 or more touchdowns Bennie Coney vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Accounted for 3 or more touchdowns Daryl McCleskey Jr. at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (3) Caught 10 or more passes Orlandus Harris at Chattanooga on Sept. 18, 2010 (10) Caught 7 or more passes Ryan Markush vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (9) Had 200 or more yards receiving Orlandus Harris at Tennessee Tech on Nov. 13, 2010 (200) Had 150 or more yards receiving Jeff Glover vs. Murray State on Nov. 15, 2014 (161) Had 100 or more yards receiving Dan Crimmins (124) vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 Caught 3 or more touchdown passes Devin Borders vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (3) Had 2 interceptions Stanley Absanon (2) vs. Indiana State on Nov. 29, 2014 Had 15 or more tackles Jeffrey Canady (15) vs. Eastern Illinois on Nov. 19, 2016
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
Depth Chart (As Of Nov. 14, 2016)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
QB
14 16
Tyler Swafford (6-1, 196, r-So., Brentwood, Tenn.) James “LJ” Smith Jr. (5-11, 170, Fr., Charlotte, N.C.)
DE
44 98
Aaron Patrick (6-4, 227, So., Dayton, Ohio) Luder Jean Louis (6-4, 210, r-Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.)
RB
20 6
Ethan Thomas (5-11, 203, So., Johnson City, Tenn.) Henry Enyenihi (5-11, 215, Sr., Lawrenceville, Ga.)
DT
40 91
Patrick Graffree (6-4, 292, r-Sr., Elizabethtown, Ky.) Sheldon Fleming (6-3, 247, r-Jr., Lehigh Acres, Fla.)
LT
79 78
Justin Adekoya (6-5, 308, r-Sr., Ringgold, Ga.) Justin Myles (6-3, 287, r-So., Cincinnati, Ohio)
DT
97 70
Avery Pitt (6-3, 293, r-Sr., Henderson, Ky.) Connor Foos (6-4, 258, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
LG
62 66
Ryan Garretson (6-5, 314, r-Sr., Russellville, Tenn.) Chance Edwards (6-5, 318, r-Jr., Webster, Fla.)
DE
96 55
Xavier Garcia (6-3, 250, Sr., Austin, Texas) Taquan Evans (6-2, 224, r-Fr., Douglasville, Ga.)
C
65 61
Z Stephenson, (6-2, 280, So., Bloomington, Ind.) Landon Rasnick (6-4, 280, r-Sr., Orange, Va.)
LB
45 5
Corey Glass (5-10, 216, So., Jacksonville, Fla.) Dwight Williams (6-1, 199, r-So., Compton, Calif.)
RG
61 75
Landon Rasnick (6-4, 280, r-Sr., Orange, Va.) De’jour Simpson (6-3, 338, Fr., Charlotte, N.C.)
LB
53 49
Jeffrey Canady (6-0, 233, r-Jr., Barbourville, Ky.) Damon Lowe (6-2, 242, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
RT
64 78
Cameron Kowalewski (6-5, 272, r-So., Dallas, Ga.) Justin Myles (6-3, 287, r-So., Cincinnati, Ohio)
NB
29 12
Ben Bascom (5-9, 178, r-Fr., Apoka, Fla.) Cornelius Floyd (5-11, 176, Jr., Miami, Fla.)
18 89 or 85
Dan Crimmins (6-5, 249, r-Sr., Closter, N.J.) Clayton Schmerber (6-6, 241, So., Centerville, Ohio) Jon Floyd (6-4, 238, r-Sr., Richmond, Ky.)
LCB 1 36
Nigel Bethel II (5-9, 187, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Omari Alexander (5-10, 168, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
RCB 12 36
Cornelius Floyd (5-11, 176, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Omari Alexander (5-10, 168, Fr., Louisville, Ky.)
LS
38 25
Kobie Grace (5-9, 190, Jr., Winter Park, Fla.) Tre’ Moore (5-9, 195, So., Indianapolis, Ind.)
RS
13 41
Kiante Northington (5-10, 183, r-Sr., Louisville, Ky.) Eric Reed (5-9, 194, r-Jr., Nashville, Tenn.)
TE
WR
88 87
Devin Borders (6-6, 217, r-Sr., Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) Matt Clark (6-2, 205, r-Fr., Prospect, Ky.)
SL
11 33
Neiko Creamer (6-3, 222, r-So., Wilmington, Del.) Arien Beasley (5-8, 185, So., Louisville, Ky.)
WR
9 82
Ryan Markush (6-2, 183, Jr., Germantown, Md.) Alex Cabrera (6-0, 178, Fr., Melbourne, Fla.)
KO
93 76
Zack Burgy-VanHoose (6-2, 204, r-Sr., Pikeville, Ky.) Lucas Williams (6-1, 210, r-Jr., Russell Springs, Ky.)
LS 46 or 58
Ben Hoffman (6-2, 214, Fr., Farragut, Tenn.) Matt Howard (5-11, 201, r-Jr., Berea, Ky.)
PK
76 93
Lucas Williams (6-1, 199, r-Jr., Russell Springs, Ky.) Zack Burgy-VanHoose (6-2, 204, r-Sr., Pikeville, Ky.)
HO
19 14
Keith Wrzuszczak (5-11, 202, Jr., Victoria, Australia) Tyler Swafford (6-1, 196, r-So., Brentwood, Tenn.)
P
19 76
Keith Wrzuszczak (5-11, 202, Jr., Victoria, Australia) Lucas Williams (6-1, 199, r-Jr., Russell Springs, Ky.)
KR
1 2
Nigel Bethel (5-9, 187, Jr., Miami, Fla.) Jared Sanders (5-7, 157, r-Sr., Hallandale, Fla.)
PR
13 2
Kiante Northington (5-10, 183, r-Sr., Louisville, Ky.) Jared Sanders (5-7, 157, r-Sr., Hallandale, Fla.)
SPECIAL TEAMS
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
HEAD COACH Mark Elder Mark Elder was chosen as EKU’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2015. Elder served as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Tennessee since 2013. “I’m excited, blessed and honored for the opportunity to lead one of the most tradition rich programs in college football,” Elder said. “It didn’t take me long to realize that this is a special place. Lindsey and I look forward to becoming a part of the Richmond community.” Elder is the 14th head coach in program history. “It is humbling to have the opportunity to lead the same program that legendary coach Roy Kidd built into a national powerhouse,” said Elder. “It’s important to me that we maintain the standards, both on and off the field, that coach Kidd established during his Hall of Fame career.” Over his past 11 seasons as an assistant coach, Elder has helped his teams reach nine bowl games and win four conference championships. In 2014 he was ranked as one of the top-50 recruiters in the nation. In 2015 he was recognized as one of the top-25 recruiters. As a member of Butch Jones’ inaugural staff, the Cincinnati native helped lead the revitalization of Volunteer football over the past three seasons. He helped UT to an 9-4 record in 2015 and a second place finish in the Southeastern Conference East Division with a 5-3 mark. It was Tennessee’s first winning record in SEC play since 2007. The Volunteers beat Northwestern in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day. In just their second season in Knoxville, Elder helped Jones and the Vols to a 7-6 mark in 2014 and a 45-28 victory over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl. It was Tennessee’s first winning record in five seasons and first bowl win since the end of the 2007 campaign. “Eastern Kentucky has not only hired an outstanding football coach, but an even better person, teacher, mentor and motivator in Mark Elder,” said Jones. “I would like to congratulate and also thank Mark for nine great years. I am very excited for the opportunity he, his wife Lindsey and son Owen are about to take on and I wish them all the best at Eastern Kentucky.”
The Elder File PERSONAL Hometown ............................................................................. Cincinnati, Ohio Family ..................................................................................... Wife - Lindsey, Children - Owen EDUCATION Undergraduate ....................... Case Western Reserve (2000) - B.S. Economics Graduate ........... Akron (2001) - M.S. Education In Sports Science & Coaching ASSISTANT COACHING EXPERIENCE Year School Coaching Position 2000-01 Akron Defensive Graduate Assistant 2002 Lehigh Asst. Linebackers Coach 2003 Iona Defensive Coord./Linebackers 2004 Wayne State Defensive Coord./ Linebackers 2005-06 Michigan Defensive Quality Control/GA 2007-09 Central Michigan Linebackers Coach 2010-12 Cincinnati TEs, RBs, Special Teams, DBs 2013-15 Tennessee Special Teams/Tight Ends HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE Year School 2016 Eastern Kentucky Totals First Season
Overall 3-8 3-8
OVC 2-6 2-6
Notes 2000 MAC East Co-Champions 18th nationally scoring defense 1st winning season since 1993 Alamo Bowl & Rose Bowl 2x MAC Champs, 3 bowl games 2x Big East Champs, 2 bowl wins 2 bowl wins Notes
NOTABLE - Over past 11 seasons as an assistant, has helped his teams reach nine bowl games - 2014 national top-50 recruiter - 2015 national top-25 recruiter
Elder helped the University of Michigan reach bowl games as a defensive graduate assistant in 2005 and 2006. He then joined Jones’ first staff at Central Michigan University. Elder coached the Chippewa linebackers for three seasons (2007-09). During that time, CMU qualified for three bowl appearances and won two Mid-American Conference titles. When Jones made the jump to the University of Cincinnati before the 2010 season, Elder joined the Bearcat staff as the tight ends coach. He also coached running backs, safeties and special teams at various times. The duo found similar success at UC, winning two Big East Conference Championships and getting Cincinnati into two bowl games. In 2015, Elder’s guidance helped Tennessee lead the nation in kickoff returns (33.41 ypr) and rank fourth in punt returns (17.18 ypr). The Volunteers had the second best kickoff return defense in the SEC and 14th-best in the nation (18.24 ypg). UT’s Evan Berry led the nation, and broke the UT record, with an average of
38.3 yards per kickoff return. Cameron Sutton led the country with an average of 18.7 yards per punt return. Berry was second nationally with three kickoff returns for touchdowns while Sutton was second with two punt returns for touchdowns. Sutton also broke a 46-year-old program record for punt return yards in a season. Trevor Daniel was eighth in the nation with an average of 45.7 yards per punt, setting a new school record. Tight end Ethan Wolf caught 23 passes, including at least one catch in each of the first 11 games of the season, for 301 yards. He hauled in two touchdown receptions and averaged 13.1 yards per reception. Elder’s tight ends also helped UT average 223.7 yards per game on the ground, the second best total in the SEC. In 2014, Elder mentored placekicker Aaron Medley as he made 20-of-26 field goals, the second-most among freshmen in the nation. Tennessee ranked 11th nationally in punt return defense (3.23 ypr) and 14th in kickoff return average (24.03 ypr). In his first season in Knoxville, Elder
2016 EKU FOOTBALL helped punter/placekicker Michael Palardy become a semi-finalist for the prestigious Ray Guy Award. While coaching the running backs at Cincinnati in 2011 Elder tutored Isaiah Pead, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and the first Bearcat in nearly 25 years to record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. UC led the Big East in rushing and averaged 33.3 points per game. Cincinnati capped the season with a victory over Vanderbilt in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. In 2010, Elder guided tight end Ben Guidugli to second team All-Big East honors. In three seasons at Central Michigan, Elder produced an all-conference linebacker each year. Red Keith finished his career with 474 tackles, the second-most in CMU history and seventh-most in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history. Elder worked with All-Big Ten linebackers David Harris and Shawn Crable at Michigan. In 2006 the Wolverine defense led the nation in rushing yards allowed (43.4 ypg) and ranked 10th in total defense (268.3 ypg). Elder also served as the defensive coordinator at Wayne State (2004) and Iona (2003). He was assistant coach at Lehigh in 2002 and a graduate assistant with Akron in 2000 and 2001. Elder graduated cum laude with a degree in economics from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio in 2000. He earned a master’s degree in education in sports science and coaching from Akron in 2001.
Mark Elder vs. All Opponents Team Record Austin Peay ....................................................... 1-0 Ball State ............................................................ 0-1 Eastern Illinois .................................................. 0-1 Jacksonville State ........................................... 0-1 Murray State ..................................................... 0-1 Pikeville .............................................................. 1-0 Purdue ................................................................ 0-1 Southeast Missouri ........................................ 1-0 Tennessee-Martin ........................................... 0-1 Tennessee State .............................................. 0-1 Tennessee Tech ............................................... 0-1 TOTAL ................................................................ 3-8
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THE LAST TIME EASTERN KENTUCKY ... Had 20 or more first downs at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (27) Had 400 yards rushing at Robert Morris on Aug. 28, 2014 (407) Had 300 yards rushing at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (346) Had 50 or more rushing attempts vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (52) Had 5 or more rushing TDs at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (6) Had 4 or more rushing TDs at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (6) Had 400 yards passing at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (464) Had 350 yards passing at Tennessee State on Oct. 15, 2016 (350) Had 300 yards passing vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (328) Had 50 pass attempts at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (50) Completed 40 passes at Murray State on Nov. 14, 2015 (44) Completed 30 passes at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (32) Had 5 TDs passing vs. Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 7, 2015 (5) Had 4 TDs passing vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Had 3 TDs passing vs. Southeast Missouri on Oct. 8, 2016 (4) Had 600 yards total offense vs. Tennessee Tech on Oct. 8, 2015 (629) Had 500 yards total offense at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (531) Had 80 total plays vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (91) Scored 70 points never Scored 60 points at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (67) Scored 50 points at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (67) Scored 40 points at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (67) Committed no turnovers at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 Had two 100-yd. rushers at Tennessee State on Nov. 1, 2014 (Dy’Shawn Mobley, 139; Jared McClain, 139) Had two 100-yd. receivers at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (Devin Borders, 121; Ryan Markush, 104) Returned a punt for TD vs. APSU on Nov. 20, 2010 (Jeremy Caldwell) Returned a KO for TD at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (Jared Sanders – 90 yards) Returned an INT for TD vs. Austin Peay on Sept. 8, 2016 (Kiante Northington – 12 yards, Corey Glass – 54 yards, Luder Jean Louis – 0 yards)
Returned a fumble for TD at Tennessee State on Nov. 1, 2014 (Devin Borders – 33 yards) Returned a blocked punt for TD at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 21, 2015 (Tyrell Curry – 35 yards) Blocked a punt at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 21, 2015 (LaJuan Smith) Blocked a FG vs. Jacksonville State on Oct. 22, 2016 (Devin Borders) Blocked a PAT at Jacksonville State on Nov. 9, 2013 (Devin Borders) Missed a PAT at Kentucky on Oct. 3, 2015 (Lucas Williams) Had a punt blocked at Jacksonville State on Nov. 9, 2013 Had a FG blocked vs. Murray State, Nov. 5, 2016 Was held scoreless vs. Eastern Illinois, Nov. 19, 2016 (24-0) Was held scoreless at home vs. Eastern Illinois, Nov. 19, 2016 (24-0) Held an opponent scoreless at Austin Peay on Oct. 4, 2014 (31-0) Held an oppt. scoreless at home vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 2, 2013 (44-0) Held an oppt. to 10 first downs vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 2, 2013 (10) Held an oppt. to 300 yards total offense vs. Pikeville on Sept. 8, 2016 (263) Held an oppt. to 200 yards total offense at Southeast Missouri on Oct. 17, 2014 (191) Held an oppt. to 150 yards total offense vs. Austin Peay on Oct. 5, 2013 (108) Held an oppt. to 100 yards rushing vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016 (66) Held an oppt. to 50 yards rushing at Southeast Missouri on Oct. 17, 2015 (31) Held an opponent to 100 yards passing at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 (82) Held an opponent without a TD at Austin Peay on Oct. 4, 2014 Scored an offensive 2-pt. conversion at Austin Peay on Nov. 12, 2016 Scored a defensive 2-pt. conversion vs. Morehead State on Sept. 13, 2014 Had 10 or more penalties at Tennessee State on Oct. 15, 2016 (12) Had 100 penalty yards at Ball State on Sept. 17, 2016 (128) Had 35 minutes ToP at Murray State on Nov. 14, 2015 (36:37) Played an OT game at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 1, 2016 (L, 33-30) Scored a safety vs. Murray State on Nov. 5, 2016
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
NUMERICAL ROSTER
ALPHABETICAL ROSTER No. 79 36 42 71 29 33 90 1 88 34 7 39 93 82 53 67 87 50 35 11 18 92 66 6 55 91 12 85 84 70 96 62 45 38 40 37 28 99 46 22 47 58 52 31 98
Name Pos. Justin Adekoya OL Omari Alexander DB Rhyan Baker CB Jackson Bardall OL Ben Bascom DB Arien Beasley WR Josiah Bennett DL Nigel Bethel II DB Devin Borders WR Demontre Boyd LB Tim Boyle QB Bo Brooks RB Nathan Brown WR Zack Burgy-VanHoose K Alex Cabrera WR Jeffrey Canady LB Nick Cavinee OL Matt Clark WR Devante Colton LB TJ Comstock DB Neiko Creamer WR Dan Crimmins TE Scott Daniel WR Dillon Denault DL Chance Edwards OL Henry Enyenihi RB Brentton Ervin LB Taquan Evans DE Sheldon Fleming DL Cornelius Floyd DB Jon Floyd TE Cameron Fogle WR Connor Foos DL Xavier Garcia DE Ryan Garretson OL Corey Glass LB Kobie Grace DB Patrick Graffree DL Raynaldy Gustave RB Nate Hatcher DB Samuel Hayworth K/P Jeremy Hodowanic DL Ben Hoffman LS Kentayvus Hopkins RB Dylan Hornsby K Matt Howard LS Caperton Humphrey LB AJ Jackson DB Luder Jean Louis DL Derius Jones WR
No. 1 2 3 5 6 7 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 55 56
Player Nigel Bethel II Jared Sanders Thomas Owens Dwight Williams Henry Enyenihi Tim Boyle Maty Mauk Ryan Markush Jordan Whitfield Neiko Creamer Cornelius Floyd Kiante Northington Tyler Swafford Austin Scott James “LJ” Smith Jr. Dan Crimmins Keith Wrzuszczak Ethan Thomas Logan Oce Kentayvus Hopkins Daryl McCleskey Jr. Jared Tucker Tre’ Moore Jamarcus Whitmore Khylil Miller Samuel Hayworth Ben Bascom Ralph Patton AJ Jackson Buck Solomon Arien Beasley Demontre Boyd TJ Comstock Omari Alexander Raynaldy Gustave Kobie Grace Bo Brooks Patrick Graffree Eric Reed Rhyan Baker Dan Paul Aaron Patrick Corey Glass Ben Hoffman Dylan Hornsby Damon Lowe Devante Colton Quinton Locklear Caperton Humphrey Jeffrey Canady Taquan Evans LaJuan Smith
Pos. DB WR/RB LB LB RB QB QB WR DB WR DB DB QB QB QB TE P RB CB RB RB DB DB DB DB K/P DB RB DB DB WR LB DB DB RB DB RB DL DB CB TE DL LB LS K LB LB LB LB LB DE DL
Ht. 5-9 5-7 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-4 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-3 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-11 6-5 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-9 5-11 5-9 5-10 6-1 5-11 5-9 5-9 5-11 6-0 5-8 6-1 5-11 5-10 5-7 5-9 5-8 6-4 5-9 5-9 6-3 6-4 5-10 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2
Wt. 187 157 230 199 215 226 210 183 185 222 176 183 196 221 170 255 202 203 177 185 179 175 195 173 181 168 178 188 175 180 185 187 197 168 181 190 195 292 194 178 240 227 216 214 151 242 220 218 207 233 224 219
Cl. Jr. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. R-So. Jr. R-Sr. R-So. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. Jr. So. R-Jr. R-Jr. Fr. R-So. So. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. R-So. Fr. Jr. So. So. Fr. Fr. R-So. Jr. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-So. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Sr.
Hometown (Previous School) Miami, Fla. (Texas Tech University) Hallandale, Fla. (Hallandale HS) Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods HS) Compton, Calif. (UCLA) Lawrenceville, Ga. (University of Illinois) Middlefield, Conn. (University of Connecticut) Kenton, Ohio (University of Missouri) Germantown, Md. (Fullerton College) Huber Heights, Ohio (Wayne HS) Wilmington, Del. (University of Tennessee) Miami, Fla. (University of Arkansas) Louisville, Ky. (Butler HS) Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy) Moore, S.C. (Spartanburg HS) Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek HS) Closter, N.J. (Boston College) Geelong, Victoria, Australia (Oberon HS) Johnson City, Tenn. (Elizabethton HS) Miami, Fla. (Western Michigan University) Paris, Ky. (Bourbon County HS) Dayton, Ohio (Wayne HS) Stone Mountain, Ga. (University of Kentucky) Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central HS) Fayetteville, Ga. (Langston Hughes HS) Thomasville, N.C. (Fork Union Military Academy) Ormond Beach, Fla. (Seabreeze HS) Apopka, Fla. (Apopka HS) Cincinnati, Ohio (Shorter College) Nashville, Tenn. (Cane Ridge HS) Groveland, Fla. (South Lake HS) Louisville, Ky. (North Oldham HS) Louisville, Ky. (Central HS) Louisville, Ky. (duPont Manuel HS) Louisville, Ky. (duPont Manuel HS) Louisville, Ky. (Western Kentucky University) Winter Park, Fla. (West Orange HS) Lexington, Ky. (Henry Clay HS) Elizabethtown, Ky. (University of Kentucky) Nashville, Tenn. (Goodpasture Christian School) Louisville, Ky. (Ballard HS) Naples, Fla. (Naples Community HS) Dayton, Ohio (Meadowdale HS) Jacksonville, Fla. (Ed White HS) Farragut, Tenn. (Farragut HS) Richmond, Ky. (Madison Central HS) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity HS) Bowling Green, Ky. (South Warren HS) Sanford, N.C. (Southern Lee HS) Ona, W.Va. (Cabell Midland HS) Barbourville, Ky. (Knox Central HS) Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS) Glasgow, Ky. (Glasgow HS)
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2016 EKU FOOTBALL
No. 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 75 76 77 78 79 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 96 97 98 99
Player Matt Howard Lucas Williams Landon Rasnick Ryan Garretson Kagen Skidmore Cameron Kowalewski Z Stephenson Chance Edwards Nick Cavinee Antwaun Walker Connor Foos Jackson Bardall Justin Rawlins De’jour Simpson Lucas Williams Nathan Murray Justin Myles Justin Adekoya Bryson Williams Alex Cabrera Billy Reid Cameron Fogle Jon Floyd Tyler Malone Matt Clark Devin Borders Clayton Schmerber Josiah Bennett Sheldon Fleming Dillon Denault Zack Burgy-VanHoose Xavier Garcia Avery Pitt Luder Jean Louis Jeremy Hodowanic Nathan Brown Scott Daniel Brentton Ervin Nate Hatcher Derius Jones Stephen Jones Isaiah Murph Brandon Peege Aaron Riddick
Pos. LS OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR DL OL OL/LS OL K OL OL OL WR WR WR WR TE TE WR WR TE DL DL DL K DE DL DL DL WR WR LB DB WR WR RB K WR
Ht. 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-7 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-7 6-3 6-5 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-6 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-0 5-11 5-8 5-10 5-8 6-2 6-1 5-11
Wt. 201 319 280 314 294 272 280 318 263 160 258 287 274 338 199 333 287 308 200 178 170 203 238 250 205 217 241 281 247 268 204 250 293 210 271 175 198 215 186 153 160 215 198 162
Cl. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Sr. Jr. R-So. So. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. R-Jr. Fr. R-So. R-Sr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Sr. So. Jr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Sr. Sr. R-Sr. r-Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. R-So. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr.
Hometown (Previous School) Berea, Ky. (Madison Southern HS) Owensboro, Ky. (Owensboro HS) Orange, Va. (Orange County HS) Russellville, Tenn. (Morristown East HS) Somerset, Ky. (Somerset HS) Dallas, Ga. (Hillgrove HS) Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington North HS) Webster, Fla. (South Sumter HS) Newark, Ohio (Newark Catholic HS) Miami, Fla. (Coral Gables HS) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity HS) Cumming, Ga. (North Forsyth HS) Lexington, Ky. (Henry Clay HS) Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek HS) Russell Springs, Ky. (Russell County HS) Pineville, Ky. (Bell County HS) Cincinnati, Ohio (Colerain HS) Ringgold, Ga. (Heritage HS) Prestonsburg, Ky. (University of Kentucky) Melbourne, Fla. (Viera HS) Louisville, Ky. (University of Pikeville) Hebron, Ky. (University of Kentucky) Richmond, Ky. (Madison Central HS) Indianapolis, Ind. (Franklin Central HS) Prospect, Ky. (North Oldham HS) Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (Choctawhatchee HS) Centerville, Ohio (Centerville HS) East Stroudsburg, Pa. (Lackawanna College) Lehigh Acres, Fla. (East Lee County HS) Lancaster, Ohio (Lancaster HS) Pikeville, Ky. (Pikeville HS) Austin, Texas (New Mexico Military Institute) Henderson, Ky. (Henderson County HS) Brooklyn, N.Y. (Nassau CC) Forney, Texas (Naval Academy Prep School) Florence, Ky. (Cooper HS) Georgetown, Ky. (Scott County HS) Louisville, Ky. (Kentucky State University) Jacksonville, Fla. (Southwest Baptist University) Louisville, Ky. (Kentucky State University) Louisville, Ky. (Central HS) Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton HS) Goshen, Ky. (North Oldham HS) Louisville, Ky. (DuPont Manual HS)
Head Coach: Mark Elder (Case Western Reserve, 2000), first season Assistant Coaches/Staff: Kurt Mattix (Defensive Coordinator), Angelo Mirando (Offensive Coordinator), Shannon Morrison (Co-Defensive Coordinator/DBs), Chase Gibson (Linebackers), Terry Heffernan (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line), Kevin Koger (Wide Receivers), Greg Meyer (Special Teams/RBs), Walter Stewart (Defensive Line), Tommy Zagorski (Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles), Jon-Michael Davis (Strength & Conditioning), Cory Lanham (Video), Shalyne Walters (Player Development Coordinator), Kevin Cristello (Operations)
Justin Adekoya – ADD-eh-KOY-ah Jackson Bardall – Bar-DOLL Neiko Creamer – CREE-mer Henry Enyenihi – un-YIN-ah-hee Raynaldy Gustave – GOO-stahv
Pronunciation Guide Kentayvus Hopkins – ken-TAY-vus Cameron Kowalewski – KOH-wah-less-skee Ryan Markush – mar-KOOSH Kiante Northington - kee-AHN-tay Keith Wrzuszczak – ROO-sack
No. Name Pos. Stephen Jones WR 64 Cameron Kowalewski OL 51 Quinton Locklear LB 49 Damon Lowe LB 86 Tyler Malone TE 9 Ryan Markush WR 7 Maty Mauk QB 23 Daryl McCleskey Jr. RB 27 Khylil Miller DB 25 Tre’ Moore DB Isaiah Murph RB 77 Nathan Murray OL 78 Justin Myles OL 13 Kiante Northington DB 21 Logan Oce CB 3 Thomas Owens LB 44 Aaron Patrick DL 30 Ralph Patton RB 43 Dan Paul TE Brandon Peege K 97 Avery Pitt DL 61 Landon Rasnick OL 72 Justin Rawlins OL/LS 41 Eric Reed DB 83 Billy Reid WR Aaron Riddick WR 2 Jared Sanders WR/RB 89 Clayton Schmerber TE 15 Austin Scott QB 75 De’jour Simpson OL 63 Kagen Skidmore OL 16 James “LJ” Smith Jr. QB 56 LaJuan Smith DL 32 Buck Solomon DB 65 Z Stephenson OL 14 Tyler Swafford QB 20 Ethan Thomas RB 24 Jared Tucker DB 68 Antwaun Walker WR 10 Jordan Whitfield DB 26 Jamarcus Whitmore DB 80 Bryson Williams WR 5 Dwight Williams LB 60 Lucas Williams OL 76 Lucas Williams K 19 Keith Wrzuszczak P
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 11
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME-BY-GAME STARTERS Offense at Purdue Pikeville at Ball State at Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State Jacksonville State at Tennessee-Martin Murray State at Austin Peay Eastern Illinois
WR Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush Markush
Defense DE at Purdue Patrick Pikeville Patrick at Ball State Patrick at Tennessee Tech Patrick Southeast Missouri Patrick at Tennessee State Jean Louis Jacksonville State Patrick at Tennessee-Martin Patrick Murray State Patrick at Austin Peay Patrick Eastern Illinois Patrick
LT Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya Adekoya
LG Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson Garretson
C Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson Stephenson
RG Simpson Simpson Simpson Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Rasnick Rasnick
RT Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski Kowalewski
TE Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Crimmins Schmerber Crimmins Crimmins
SL Smith Jr. Fogle Smith Jr. Fogle Fogle Fogle Smith Jr. Fogle Fogle Fogle Creamer
WR Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders Borders
QB Mauk Swafford Mauk Coney Coney Coney Coney Coney Swafford Swafford Swafford
RB Sanders Sanders Sanders Thomas Sanders Thomas Enyenihi Enyenihi Enyenihi Thomas Thomas
DT Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt Pitt
DT Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Graffree Foos
DE Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia Jean Louis Garcia Garcia Garcia Garcia
LB Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady Canady
LB Owens Owens Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass
NB Bascom Bascom Bascom Williams (LB) L. Smith (LB) C. Floyd Williams (LB) Bascom Bascom Bascom Bascom
LCB Solomon Bethel Solomon Tucker Bethel Bethel C. Floyd Bethel C. Floyd C. Floyd Bethel
RCB Bethel Tucker Tucker Bethel Tucker Tucker Tucker C. Floyd Bethel Bethel C. Floyd
LS Grace Northington Grace Northington Northington Northington Northington Northington Northington Grace Grace
RS Northington Grace Northington Grace Grace Grace Grace Grace Grace Northington Northington
2016 GAME-BY-GAME TEAM STATISTICS Score 45 24
1st Dns 25 22
Rush-Yds. 39-261 47-176
Passes 26-44-1 20-37-3
Pass Yds. 251 222
Total Yds. 512 398
Pen.-Yds. 2-17 4-39
TOs 1 4
Poss. 32:15 27:45
3Dn Con. 8/17 10/20
Sacks By 0-0 0-0
Pikeville at Eastern Kentucky
14 55
21 22
54-103 55-284
12-27-4 11-17-1
160 103
263 387
5-32 13-131
8 3
35:51 24:09
6/15 6/15
1-3 5-35
at Ball State Eastern Kentucky
41 14
28 13
54-193 27-3
28-39-0 20-36-2
238 286
431 289
4-35 13-128
1 2
38:59 21:01
10/19 5/16
8-42 1-5
at Tennessee Tech Eastern Kentucky
33 30
29 23
52-119 22-95
27-42-0 32-50-1
327 464
446 559
5-35 5-33
0 1
42:38 17:22
8/20 6/14
1-5 6-37
Southeast Missouri at Eastern Kentucky
16 31
14 26
26-101 52-190
24-41-0 23-37-1
291 337
392 527
10-80 9-75
2 2
28:59 31:01
7/17 11/19
0-0 3-16
at Tennessee State Eastern Kentucky
35 28
21 31
40-200 38-219
13-24-1 31-47-4
181 365
381 584
10-78 12-89
1 5
34:02 25:58
4/11 7/16
0-0 2-2
Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky
24 7
17 15
54-229 30-81
11-23-1 13-36-5
122 179
351 260
9-85 3-15
2 5
37:46 22:14
6/19 2/14
1-8 2-16
at UT Martin Eastern Kentucky
33 3
27 14
62-364 26-58
9-16-1 14-34-1
145 171
509 229
4-40 6-48
3 1
40:39 19:21
7/14 3/14
2-12 1-3
Murray State at Eastern Kentucky
41 28
17 29
37-66 42-146
21-33-1 25-49-1
338 328
404 474
7-72 6-54
1 4
25:25 34:35
2/16 6/17
2-16 4-25
at Austin Peay Eastern Kentucky
30 67
19 27
45-264 48-364
7-29-1 17-29-0
82 185
346 531
4-31 5-56
3 0
27:25 32:35
5/14 11/17
0-0 2-22
Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky
24 0
14 7
59-304 32-68
8-14-0 9-20-1
127 84
431 152
13-95 7-60
1 4
34:59 25:01
6/18 4/16
3-22 1-6
at Purdue Eastern Kentucky
2016 OPENING DRIVES 1st Half Eastern Opponent
PURDUE INT TD
UPIKE Fumble Punt
BSU Downs TD
TTU Punt Punt
SEMO Punt FG
TSU INT TD
JSU Punt Missed FG
UTM FG Fumble
MUR Punt Punt
APSU TD Punt
EIU Punt Missed FG
2nd Half Eastern Opponent
PURDUE Punt Punt
UPIKE Punt INT
BSU Punt Punt
TTU TD Downs
SEMO TD Punt
TSU TD Punt
JSU Punt Punt
UTM Missed FG TD
MUR Missed FG Safety
APSU TD TD
EIU Punt Punt
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 12
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 1
GAME 2
Sept. 3, 2016 • West Lafayette, Ind. • Ross-Ade Stadium
Sept. 8, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Eastern Kentucky
24
Pikeville
14
Purdue
45
Eastern Kentucky
55
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – EKU entered the fourth quarter down just 10 points at Purdue, however, the Boilermakers pulled away for a 45-24 victory. Purdue took control early with two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game and led 21-0 with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. The second Boilermaker score was set up by a 17-yard interception return to the EKU 23 yard line. The third touchdown was the result of a 78-yard interception return. Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Bennie Coney engineered a drive that Dan Crimmins (#18, left) celebrates his first touchdown catch as a Colonel with teammate Devin Borders. Borders got Eastern on the board. He ended it with a 10-yard scoring pass over the midfinished with seven receptions for 77 yards. dle to Dan Crimmins. Neiko Creamer converted the two-point conversion to make it 21-8 with less than a minute left in the first quarter. EKU continued to inch closer in the second quarter. Lucas Williams hit a 35-yard field goal. Coney let the ground game do the work on an eight-play, 47-yard touchdown drive. Ethan Thomas wrapped it up with a 10-yard touchdown run around the right side. The extra-point got the visitors within 10, 28-18. Purdue drove to the EKU 27 yard line and attempted a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter. The kick was wide left. Eastern Kentucky out-gained the Boilermakers 123 to 85 on the ground in the first half. The Colonel defense held Purdue off the scoreboard in the third quarter, but the offense couldn’t put together a scoring drive to close the gap. The Boilermakers scored 17 straight points in the fourth quarter before Tyler Swafford drove Eastern to a late touchdown. He finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown toss to Cameron Fogle.
RICHMOND, Ky. – Forty-eight unanswered points and three defensive touchdowns helped Eastern Kentucky to a 55-14 win over Pikeville. The Colonels’ three pick sixes all came in the third quarter, as EKU put the game out of reach. Redshirt senior running back Jared Sanders carried the load on offense, finishing with a career-high 100 yards on 16 carries. Eastern finished the contest with 284 Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications yards on the ground, while holding UPike True freshman James Smith Jr. completed 4-of-5 passes for to 103 yards rushing. The Bears had eight 30 yards. He also ran eight times for 54 yards and scored turnovers on the night. a touchdown. The Colonels’ defense tightened in the second half, scoring 21 of EKU’s 31 points in the frame. Kiante Northington took a pass from UPike’s Bowen Smith to the end zone to put EKU up 3014 before the extra point from Lucas Williams. Much was the same on the ensuing UPike possession, as Corey Glass stepped in front of Smith’s pass for the pick. Glass returned the interception 56 yards for the score, and the extra point gave the Colonels a commanding 38-14 advantage. In the closing seconds of the third, redshirt junior Luder Jean Louis tipped a throw from Shannon Patrick and pulled it down in the end zone, extending the Eastern lead to 33 before Williams tacked on the extra point. Henry Enyenihi ran for 63 yards on 10 carries. Jeffrey Canady and Dwight Williams each had 10 tackles for Eastern Kentucky. Kagen Skidmore had 1.5 sacks.
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Purdue
Scoring Summary Pikeville Eastern Kentucky
1 2 3 4 8 10 0 6 21 7 0 17
F 24 45
1st Quarter 13:04 PUR - M. Jones 3 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 10:13 PUR - D. Blough 1 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 3:31 PUR - G. Robinson 78 yd INT return (J. Dellinger kick) 0:50 EKU - D. Crimmins 10 yd pass from B. Coney (N. Creamer 2-pt) 2nd Quarter 10:04 PUR - D. Yancey 35 yd pass from D. Blough (J. Dellinger kick) 6:07 EKU - L. Williams 35 yd FG 2:04 EKU - E. Thomas 10 yd run (L. Williams kick) 4th Quarter 12:48 PUR - D. Blough 1 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 4:56 PUR - J. Dellinger 30 yd FG 4:23 PUR - Lankford 48 yd run (J. Dellinger kick) 1:34 EKU - C. Fogle 2 yd pass from T. Swafford (pass failed) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards
PUR 25 39-261 26-44-1 251 83 512 2-0 2-17
EKU 22 47-176 20-37-3 222 84 398 1-1 4-39
Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
5-42.6 8-of-17 32:15
7-43.6 10-of-20 27:45
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-E. Thomas 17-60-1 TD, M. Mauk 8-39, H. Enyenihi 6-35, B. Coney 6-16, K. Hopkins 5-15, D. McCleskey 5-11 PUR-M. Jones 24-145-1 TD, Johnson-Lankford 4-58-1 TD, R. Worship 4-20, D. Blough 4-18, T. Fuller 2-16, C. Posey 1-4 Passing EKU-B. Coney 13-23-0-1 TD, M. Mauk 2-7-2-0 TD, T. Swafford 5-6-0-1 TD, J. Smith 0-1-1-0 TD PUR-D. Blough 25-43-1-1 TD, Sindelar 1-1-0-0 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 7-77, J. Smith 3-39, N. Creamer 3-26, R. Markush 2-34, C. Fogle 2-9-1 TD, M. Clark 1-17, D. Paul 1-10, D. Crimmins 1-10-1 TD PUR-Young 8-74, C. Posey 5-41, M. Jones 4-24, T. Fuller 3-32, B. Marshall 2-16, D. Yancey 1-35-1 TD, C. Herdman 1-22, Burgess 1-4, R. Worship 1-3 Tackles EKU-K. Northington 11 PUR-Ezechukwu, Bentley 9 Interceptions EKU-N. Bethel PUR-L. Clark, J. Hayes, G. Robinson Attendance: 32,074
1 2 3 4 0 14 0 0 7 17 24 7
F 14 55
1st Quarter 4:11 EKU - R. Markush 13 yd pass from T. Swafford (L. Williams kick) 2nd Quarter 14:35 UPIKE - A. Brown 16 yd pass from B. Smith (D. Karapandzic kick) 8:35 UPIKE - J. Mattingly 16 yd fumble recovery (D. Karapandzic kick) 7:28 EKU - H. Enyenihi 12 yd run (L. Williams kick) 3:23 EKU - J. Smith 8 yd run (L. Williams kick) 0:54 EKU - L. Williams 28 yd FG 3rd Quarter 13:15 EKU - K. Northington 12 yd INT return (L. Williams kick) 11:38 EKU - C. Glass 54 yd INT return (L. Williams kick) 7:23 EKU - L. Williams 27 yd FG 0:19 EKU - L. Jean Louis 0 yd INT return (L. Williams kick) 4th Quarter 6:59 EKU - R. Gustave 2 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards
UPIKE 21 54-103 12-27-4 160 81 263 6-4 5-32
EKU 22 55-284 11-17-1 103 72 387 2-2 13-131
Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
4-46.5 6-of-15 35:51
2-45.5 6-of-15 24:09
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-J. Sanders 16-100, H. Enyenihi 10-63-1 TD, J. Smith 8-54-1 TD, D. McCleskey 7-38, R. Patton 8-29, R. Gustave 4-8-1 TD, T. Swafford 2-(-8) UPIKE-X. Willis 17-71, J. Kirksey 16-39, W. McCloud 8-27, B. Smith 5-8, S. Patrick 2-4, S. Warren 4-(-19) Passing EKU-T. Swafford 7-12-1-73-1 TD, J. Smith 4-5-030-0 TD UPIKE-B. Smith 1-11-3-16-1 TD, S. Warren 7-8-065-0 TD, S. Patrick 4-8-1-79-0 TD Receiving EKU-D. Crimmins 2-29, A. Cabrera 2-19, C. Fogle 2-14, R. Markush 1-13-1 TD, C. Schmerber 1-10, D. Borders 1-9, N. Creamer 1-5, D. McCleskey 1-4 UPIKE-B. Whitmore 4-44, A. Pray 3-59, A. Brown 1-16-1 TD, J. Olinger 1-15, B. Randall 1-8, M. Howard 1-8, J. Jarrell 1-0 Tackles EKU-J. Canady 10, D. Williams 10 UPIKE-J. Hopkins 12 Interceptions EKU-K. Northington 1-12-1 TD, L. Jean Louis 1-0-1 TD, C. Glass 1-54-1 TD, E. Reed 1-6 UPIKE-J. Hopkins 1-4 Attendance: 11,400
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 13
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 3
GAME 4
Sept. 17, 2016 • Muncie, Ind. • Scheumann Stadium
Oct. 1, 2016 • Cookeville, Tenn. • Tucker Stadium
Eastern Kentucky
14
Eastern Kentucky
30
Ball State
41
Tennessee Tech
33 OT
MUNCIE, Ind. – Two turnovers and nine penalties in the first half put EKU in a 27-point deficit and the Colonels never recovered in a 41-14 loss at Ball State. A roughing the kicker penalty kept alive BSU’s second possession and allowed Riley Neal to cap it with a 12-yard run to give the home team a 14-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. Two second quarter interceptions gave BSU the ball inside the EKU 25 yard line each time and BSU converted the Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Maty Mauk completed 19-of-32 passes for 285 yards and turnovers into 10 points. A second Mortossed one touchdown pass at Ball State. Eight of Mauk’s gan Hagee field goal, in the final seven seconds of the second quarter, sent Ball 19 completions were for 15 yards or more. State to the locker room in front 27-0. The Colonels (1-2) avoided the shutout with two late touchdown drives. Maty Mauk completed passes for 32 and 16 yards before connecting with Devin Borders for a 28-yard touchdown score. The drive covered 77 yards in 2:24. On Ball State’s next possession, Luder Jean Louis forced and recovered a fumble at the BSU 40 yard line. Mauk began the ensuing drive with a 32-yard toss to Borders. After two penalties he found Dan Crimmins for 27 yards. Freshman running back Daryl McCleskey Jr. finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. EKU Newcomer Ryan Markush caught five passes for a team-best 104 yards. Mauk completed 19-of-32 passes for 285 yards and did not throw an interception. Jeffrey Canady led all players with 11 tackles. Eastern did not turn the ball over in the second half, but committed four more turnovers, finishing with 13 for 128 yards.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Lucas Williams opened overtime with a 25-yard field goal, but Tech scored a touchdown on its possession to beat EKU 33-30. TTU won on Michael Birdsong’s fouryard touchdown pass to Alex Carling. EKU quarterback Bennie Coney broke his own school record with 464 passing yards. He completed 32-of-49 passes, tossed three touchdowns and just one interception. Two receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Devin Borders caught Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Bennie Coney broke his own school record with 464 passing nine passes for 121 yards and a touchyards. He finished 32-of-49 and tossed three touchdown down. Ryan Markush caught seven balls for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Colpasses. onels out-gained Tech 559 to 446. EKU wasted little time in the second half, scoring on its first possession to take the lead. The Colonels covered 65 yards in four plays and took just 44 seconds to score. Coney covered all the real estate through the air, finding Markush for 27 yards and Borders for 12 to the 26 yard line. On the next play, Borders created space with the defender and then went up and grabbed a pass in the end zone. The extra point put Eastern on top 20-17. Trailing 27-20, Coney went to work with 2:30 left in the game and 72 yards away from the tying touchdown. The redshirt senior completed all five attempts on the drive. He hooked up twice with Borders, one for 22 and one for nine yards. After an Ethan Thomas rush for a first down, Coney found Bryan Green for four yards and then Borders again for 10 to the TTU 25 yard line. On the next play, Coney found Dan Crimmins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Lucas Williams made the extra-point to tie the score.
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Ball State
Scoring Summary 1 2 3 4 OT F Eastern Kentucky 6 7 7 7 3 30 Tennessee Tech 7 10 3 7 6 33
1 2 3 4 0 0 0 14 14 13 7 7
F 14 41
1st Quarter 8:12 BSU - D. Reece 3 yd pass from R. Neal (M. Hagee kick) 0:38 BSU - R. Neal 12 yd run (M. Hagee kick) 2nd Quarter 13:04 BSU - M. Hagee 32 yd FG 10:55 BSU - D. Hazelton 5 yd pass from R. Neal (M. Hagee kick) 0:07 BSU - M. Hagee 41 yd FG 3rd Quarter 5:17 BSU - J. Gilbert 1 yd run (M. Hagee kick) 4th Quarter 5:49 BSU - T. Williamson 1 yd run (M. Hagee kick) 3:29 EKU - D. Borders 28 yd pass from M. Mauk (L. Williams kick) 1:26 EKU - D. McCleskey 1 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards
BSU 28 54-193 28-39-0 238 93 431 2-1 4-35
EKU 13 27-3 20-36-2 286 63 289 0-0 13-128
Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
4-47.2 10-of-19 38:59
8-39.6 5-of-16 21:01
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-E. Thomas 6-12, J. Smith 1-12, H. Enyenihi 5-10, D. McCleskey 1-1-1 TD, B. Coney 1-(-4), J. Sanders 1-(-6), M. Mauk 11-(-20) BSU-J. Gilbert 21-67-1 TD, R. Neal 10-44-1 TD, T. Williamson 9-42-1 TD, M. Dunner 9-27, D. Green 4-11, K. Mabon 1-2 Passing EKU-M. Mauk 19-32-0-285-1 TD, B. Coney 1-42-1-0 TD BSU-R. Neal 28-39-0-238-2 TD Receiving EKU-R. Markush 5-104, D. Borders 4-73-1 TD, J. Smith 4-8, D. Crimmins 3-53, N. Creamer 2-34, J. Sanders 1-8, E. Thomas 1-6 BSU-D. Reece 6-64-1 TD, D. Hazelton 6-52-1 TD, J. Hogue 6-35, K. Mabon 4-51, D. Green 4-28, M. Dunner 1-7, S. Brunner 1-1 Tackles EKU-J. Canady 11 BSU-Z. Ryan 9 Interceptions EKU-none BSU-M. Hester 1-10, M. Walton 1-19 Attendance: 10,902
1st Quarter 11:02 EKU - J. Sanders 59 yd run 0:27 TTU - M. Birdsong 1 yd run (N. Madonia kick) 2nd Quarter 9:51 TTU - D. Byrd 22 yd pass from M. Birdsong (N. Madonia kick) 4:53 EKU - R. Markush 27 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 0:28 TTU - N. Madonia 42 yd FG 3rd Quarter 9:37 EKU - D. Borders 26 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 2:38 TTU - N. Madonia 26 yd FG 4th Quarter 6:37 TTU - D. Byrd 9 yd pass from M. Birdsong (N. Madonia kick) 1:06 EKU - D. Crimmins 25 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) Overtime EKU - L. Williams 25 yd FG TTU - A. Carling 4 yd pass from M. Birdsong Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays
TTU 29 52-119 27-42-0 327 94
EKU 23 22-95 32-49-1 464 72
Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
446 0-0 5-35 6-44.5 8-of-20 42:38
559 0-0 5-33 4-39.5 6-of-14 17:22
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-J. Sanders 4-60-1 TD, E. Thomas 12-34, H. Enyenihi 3-12, D. McCleskey 1-1, B. Connie 1-(-5), J. Smith 1-(-7) TTU-Y. Thaenrat 28-62, M. Birdsong 14-26-1 TD, A. Goldsmith 5-13, Kip Patton 1-8, D. Byrd 1-7, J. Cunningham 3-3 Passing EKU-B. Coney 32-49-1-464-3 TD TTU-M. Birdsong 27-42-0-327-3 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 9-121-1 TD, R. Markush 7-104-1 TD, D. Crimmins 6-65-1 TD, B. Green 5-73, C. Fogle 1-50, D. Paul 1-28, J. Sanders 1-20, D. McCleskey 1-4, N. Creamer 1-(-1) TTU-D. Byrd 7-116-2 TD, J. Cunningham 7-69, K. Patton 6-63, Y. Thaenrat 2-27, J. Smith 2-23, A. Hicks 1-13, K. Cates 1-12, A. Carling 1-4-1 TD Tackles EKU-J. Canady 17 TTU-D. Wilson 8, J. Poplar 8 Interceptions EKU-none TTU-M. Hall 1-11 Attendance: 7,165
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 14
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 5
GAME 6
Oct. 8, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Oct. 15, 2016 • Nashville, Tenn. • Nissan Stadium
Southeast Missouri
16
Eastern Kentucky
28
Eastern Kentucky
31
Tennessee State
35
RICHMOND, Ky. – Led by Bennie Coney and Devin Borders, EKU scored 24 unanswered points on its way to a 31-16 win over visiting Southeast Missouri. Coney and the offense racked up 527 yards of total offense. The senior turned in his second consecutive 300-yard passing performance, completing 23-of-37 for 337 yards and four touchdowns. Borders, meanwhile, hauled in three touchdown catches, along with 119 Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications yards, marking his second consecutive Redshirt senior Devin Borders caught three touchdown 100-yard receiving performance. passes. He finished with seven receptions for 119 yards. Leading 24-9 in the fourth, the Colonels forced a SEMO turnover and looked to put the game away with less than 10 minutes to play. Junior Kobie Grace stripped Tremane McCullough at the SEMO six yard line to send the Colonel offense back on the field. Eastern Kentucky was the beneficiary of a pass interference on third-and-10 from the SEMO 12 which put the ball at the Redhawks’ two yard line. After Henry Enyenihi rumbled to the one on the ensuing play, Coney found Borders in the corner to give EKU a commanding lead, 31-9, with 8:42 left to play. The Colonels took their first lead of the contest with Borders’ third touchdown reception of the season. Coney fired a strike on third-and-seven to Borders near the pylon to cap a 16 play, 83-yard EKU drive. Lucas Williams tacked on the extra point to give the Colonels a 7-6 advantage with 8:47 left in the second quarter.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky scored 25 unanswered points in the second half to get within a touchdown, but couldn’t completely overcome a 32-point halftime deficit in a 35-28 loss at Tennessee State. After going into the locker room down 35-3 at halftime, the Colonels scored 25 straight points in the second half to get within a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Eastern opened the second half by driving 75 yards in nine plays to score Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications Daryl McCleskey totaled 122 all-purpose yards. He rushed its first touchdown of the game. Henry for a career-best 68 yards and scored a touchdown. He also Enyenihi’s 29-yard scoot up the middle got the Colonels deep in TSU territory. caught four passes for 54 yards. Kentayvus Hopkins finished it off with a three-yard touchdown run. The extra-point made it 35-10. Lucas Williams made a 31-yard field goal with 4:08 left in the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Enyenihi polished off a quick 32-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Dan Crimmins caught the two-point conversion attempt just inside the goal line to make it a 35-21 game. Daryl McCleskey’s three-yard touchdown run with 5:46 to go in the game made it a seven-point margin. EKU had one last chance in the final minute but the game-tying drive ended with the fourth interception of the night. Eastern turned the ball over on each of its first three possessions of the game, and Tennessee State turned those turnovers into a 21-0 lead. Ronald Butler finished 13-for-24 for 181 yards for the Tigers. He rushed for 81 yards on five carries and scored two rushing touchdowns.
Scoring Summary Southeast Missouri Eastern Kentucky
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Tennessee State
1 2 3 4 3 3 3 7 0 14 10 7
F 16 31
1st Quarter 9:48 SEMO - R. McCrum 50 yd FG 2nd Quarter 14:09 SEMO - R. McCrum 30 yd FG 8:47 EKU - D. Borders 7 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 0:06 EKU - C. Fogle 18 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 3rd Quarter 10:00 EKU - D. Borders 56 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 4:21 EKU - L. Williams 49 yd FG 1:54 SEMO - R. McCrum 22 yd FG 4th Quarter 8:42 EKU - D. Borders 1 yd pass from B. Coney (L. Williams kick) 3:42 SEMO - K. Wilkerson 45 yd pass from J. Hosket (R. McCrum kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
SEMO 14 26-101 24-41-0 291 67 392 5-2 10-80 6-40.8 7-of-17 28:59
EKU 26 52-190 23-37-1 337 89 527 1-1 9-75 5-38.6 11-of-19 31:01
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-E. Thomas 20-92, H. Enyenihi 19-66, J. Smith 1-15, B. Coney 6-15, J. Sanders 4-5 SEMO-W. Young 8-81, C. Sanders 3-8, C. Abbington 3-7, J. Hosket 8-5, T. McCullough 2-5, D. Vandeven 1-(-2) Passing EKU-B. Coney 23-37-1-337-4 TD SEMO-J. Hosket 24-41-0-291-1 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 7-119-3 TD, R. Markush 4-57, D. Crimmins 3-57, C. Fogle 3-41-1 TD, J. Smith 2-32, E. Thomas 2-18, C. Schmerber 1-7, J. Sanders 1-6 SEMO-T. McCullough 8-103, A. Davis 5-48, K. Wilkerson 3-67-1 TD, M. Murdock 3-44, T. McLemore 2-13, W. Young 2-11, C.J. Curry 1-5 Tackles EKU-K. Northington 9 SEMO-R. Garrett 12 Interceptions EKU-none SEMO-R. Garrett 1-22 Attendance: 10,100
1 2 3 4 0 3 10 15 14 21 0 0
F 28 35
1st Quarter 11:41 TSU - R. Butler 20 yd run (L. Clark kick) 2:01 TSU - A. Knox 3 yd run (L. Clark kick) 2nd Quarter 12:15 TSU - E. Robinson 93 yd INT return (L.Clark kick) 8:25 TSU - R. Butler 61 yd run (L. Clark kick) 4:47 EKU - L. Williams 25 yd FG 0:00 TSU - S. Curtis 8 yd run (L. Clark kick) 3rd Quarter 12:14 EKU - K. Hopkins 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) 4:08 EKU - L. Williams 31 yd FG 4th Quarter 14:55 EKU - H. Enyenihi 1 yd run (D. Crimmins pass from B. Coney) 5:46 EKU - D. McCleskey 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion
TSU 21 40-200 13-24-1 181 64 381 2-0 10-78 3-40.3 4-of-11
EKU 31 40-234 29-45-4 350 85 584 3-1 12-89 1-48.0 7-of-16
Time of Possession
34:02
25:58
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- D. McCleskey 8-68-1 TD, H. Enyenihi 10-45-1 TD, E. Thomas 9-45, B. Coney 4-30, J. Sanders 5-25, K. Hopkins 2-6 TSU- E. Evans 19-83, R. Butler 5-81-2 TD, S. Curtis 9-34-1 TD, C. Rowland 2-7, A. Knox 3-3-1 TD Passing EKU- B. Coney 31-47-4-365-0 TD TSU- R. Butler 13-24-1-181-0 TD Receiving EKU- D. Borders 6-60, D. Crimmins 5-89, D. McCleskey 4-54, J. Smith 3-27, N. Creamer 3-9, R. Markush 2-67, C. Fogle 2-20, K. Hopkins 2-2, J. Floyd 1-14, E. Thomas 1-10, H. Enyenihi 1-9, C. Schmerber 1-4 TSU- P. Smith 4-46, M. Medley 3-55, Sanders-McCollu 3-39, S. Newbold 1-30, E. Evans 1-10, C. Rowland 1-1 Tackles EKU- J. Canady 7 TSU- C. Collins 11 Interceptions EKU- C. Glass 1-38 TSU- C. Collins 1-11, L. Wilhoite 1-46, E. Robinson 2-94 Attendance: 21,053
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 15
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 7
GAME 8
Oct. 22, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Oct. 29, 2016 • Martin, Tenn. • Hardy Graham Stadium
Jacksonville State
24
Eastern Kentucky
7
Eastern Kentucky Tennessee-Martin
3 33
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky did not allow an offensive touchdown against second-ranked Jacksonville State, but the Gamecocks used five interceptions to fuel a 24-7 win. The Colonel defense was solid, holding the high-scoring Gamecock offense without an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2012. The defense held the JSU offense to 105 yards below its average. However, EKU turnovers proved Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications costly as the Jacksonville State returned Devin Borders blocked a field goal attempt in the second three interceptions for scores, converting quarter. It was his eighth career blocked field goal and 13 the miscues into 21 points. career blocked kick overall. Down 17-0 in the third, redshirt sophomore Tyler Swafford found Ryan Markush down the sideline for an acrobatic 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Colonels on the board with 5:27 on the clock. After forcing another three-and-out from the nation’s 25th ranked scoring offense, the Colonels once again looked to cut into the JSU lead. Swafford and the Colonels started at their own 16 and penetrated JSU territory minutes into the final frame. Following a 16-yard run from Henry Enyenihi, JSU swiped a throw from Swafford and took it 88 yards for the score and put the Gamecocks up 24-7. Devin Borders logged his eighth blocked field goal of his career. Borders, the OVC leader in career blocked kicks (13) and blocked field goals (8), is just two field goal blocks away from tying the national FCS record for blocked field goals.
MARTIN, Tenn. – Eastern forced and recovered a fumble on the first drive of the game, and turned it into an early lead, but Tennessee-Martin scored the next 33 points on the way to a 33-3 Ohio Valley Conference football victory. On the opening possession of the game, Taquan Evans forced and recovered a fumble when he sacked the quarterback to give the Colonels (2-6, 1-4 OVC) the ball at the UTM 19 yard line. Lucas Williams converted a 20 yard field Photo Credit: Nathan Hutchinson, Richmond Register Senior Devin Borders caught two passes for 59 yards against goal moments later to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. UT Martin. However, the Skyhawks (5-4, 4-1 OVC) scored 21 unanswered first half points to put the game away. Ladevin Fair got UT Martin on the board with an eight-yard touchdown run with 3:41 left in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, CJ McElrath connected with Fair for a 33-yard touchdown pass. A nine-yard interception return for a touchdown by James Gilleylen with 23 seconds left in the second quarter sent UT Martin to the locker room up 21-3 at halftime. Tyler Swafford finished 9-for-26 for 129 yards for the Colonels. Devin Borders caught two passes for 59 yards. Kiante Northington had game-best 16 tackles and Jeffrey Canady finished with 14. Fair ran for 181 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Skyhawks. Jamiee Bowe added 92 yards on 20 carries as UT Martin totaled 364 yards on the ground. Troy Cook went 8-for-15 for 112 yards and tossed an interception.
Scoring Summary Jacksonville State Eastern Kentucky
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Tennessee-Martin
1 2 3 0 14 3 0 0 7
4 7 0
F 24 7
2nd Quarter 7:41 JSU - J. McCandless 41 yd INT return (C. Stinnett kick) 0:39 JSU - J. Hill 60 yd INT return (C. Stinnett kick) 3rd Quarter 7:04 JSU - C. Stinnett 25 yd FG 5:27 EKU - R. Markush 30 yd pass from T. Swafford (L. Williams kick) 4th Quarter 9:34 JSU - R. Hall 88 yd INT return (C. Stinnett kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
JSU 17 54-229 11-23-1 122 77 351 2-1 9-85 8-40.1 6-of-19 37:46
EKU 15 30-81 13-36-5 179 66 260 0-0 3-15 9-40.0 2-of-14 22:14
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU-H. Enyenihi 13-52, B. Coney 6-15, D. McCleskey 6-10, J. Smith 2-4, K. Hopkins 2-0 JSU-J. Clemons 26-149, T. Flakes 15-61, E. Jenkins 12-25 Passing EKU-T. Swafford 9-19-2-141-1 TD, B. Coney 4-173-38-0 TD JSU-E. Jenkins 11-23-1-122-0 TD Receiving EKU-D. Borders 3-63, R. Markush 3-36-1 TD, N. Creamer 3-35, D. Crimmins 2-29, C. Fogle 1-15, B. Green 1-1 JSU-J. Barge 6-72, K. Sanders 2-38, T. Demontez 1-7, J. Clemons 1-4, A. Johnson 1-1 Tackles EKU-K. Grace 13 JSU-M. Bridges 8 Interceptions EKU-J. Tucker 1-11 JSU-M. Bridges 1-1, R. Hall 1-88, J. Hill 2-88, J. McCandless 1-41 Attendance: 11,600
1 2 3 3 0 0 7 14 6
4 0 6
F 3 33
1st Quarter 11:45 EKU - L. Williams 20 yd FG 3:41 UTM - L. Fair 8 yd run (M. Mersman kick) 2nd Quarter 14:54 UTM - CJ McElrath 33 yd pass from L. Fair (M. Mersman kick) 0:23 UTM - J. Gilleylen 9 yd INT return (M. Mersman kick) 3rd Quarter 10:21 UTM - L. Fair 26 yd run (kick failed) 4th Quarter 1:13 UTM - Hollingsworth 3 yd run (kick failed) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
UTM 27 62-364 9-16-1 145 78 509 2-2 4-40 3-50.7 7-of-14 40:39
EKU 14 26-58 14-34-1 171 60 229 0-0 6-48 7-47.3 3-of-14 19:21
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- K. Hopkins 10-33, H. Enyenihi 8-23, B. Coney 2-8, J. Sanders 3-7, T. Swafford 2-(-12) UTM- L. Fair 25-181-2 TD, J. Bowe 20-92, T. Cook 8-57, Hollingsworth 8-37-1 TD, M. Grayson 1-(-3) Passing EKU- T. Swafford 9-26-1-129-0 TD, B. Coney 5-8-0-42-0 TD UTM- T. Cook 8-15-1-112-0 TD, L. Fair 1-1-0-33-1 TD Receiving EKU- C. Fogle 6-54, D. Crimmins 3-42, D. Borders 2-59, H. Enyenihi 2-13, R. Markush 1-3 UTM- B. Axline 2-48, K. Kerrick 2-27, L. Fair 2-26, CJ McElrath 1-33-1 TD, J. Bowe 1-8, C. Weathers 1-3 Tackles EKU- K. Northington 16 UTM- K. Hagens 11 Interceptions EKU- T. Moore 1-0 UTM- J. Gilleylen 1-9 Attendance: 3,025
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 16
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 9
GAME 10
Nov. 5, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Nov. 19, 2016 • Clarksville, Tenn. • Fortera Stadium
Murray State
41
Eastern Kentucky
67
Eastern Kentucky
28
Austin Peay
30
RICHMOND, Ky. – Tyler Swafford threw for a career-high 289 yards and senior tight end Dan Crimmins hauled in a career-best 124 yards, but Murray State left Roy Kidd Stadium with a 41-28 win. Jeffrey Canady recorded 17 tackles for the second time this season. He also logged two tackles for loss. The Colonels led until the 4:56 mark of the third when the Racers took their first lead of the game. Trailing 20-7 in Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications the third quarter, Murray State scored 31 Tyler Swafford threw for a career-high 289 yards against unanswered points on its way to the win. Murray State. The Colonels struck first. Facing a third-and-seven, true freshman quarterback James Smith found Ryan Markush for a 10-yard completion. Three plays later, Smith took it himself 33 yards to the end zone. The Colonels converted the two-point conversion on a direct snap to junior Nigel Bethel, putting EKU up 8-0 in the first. EKU’s defense denied a second quarter scoring opportunity for the Racers. Murray State’s KD Humphries’ pass was picked off by sophomore Tre’ Moore to give EKU possession at midfield. With the momentum, Swafford connected with senior Devin Borders for a 48-yard completion, moving the Colonels’ offense all the way to the Murray six-yard line. Ethan Thomas logged his sixth career touchdown for the Colonels on the ensuing play, extending the EKU lead to 14-0. The Colonels added to their lead with an efficient 12-play, 71-yard drive capped by a Lucas Williams field goal to give Eastern an 18-7 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Three scoring drives that lasted 1:35 or less fueled 39 first half points as EKU buried Austin Peay, 67-30. Eastern Kentucky tied the program record of 67 points in a game, set against Morehead State in 1925. True freshman Daryl McCleskey Jr. rushed for three touchdowns, totaling a season-high 109 yards on 11 carries. As a team EKU rushed for 346 yards and totaled 531 yards of offense. Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications The Colonels took their first possesTrue freshman Daryl McCleskey Jr. had three touchdown runs to help EKU tie the school record for points in a game. sion and drove 66 yards in 3:20 for a touchdown. That drive ended with a 45yard touchdown pass from Tyler Swafford to Devin Borders. A run by James Smith Jr. added the two-point conversion. Eastern’s third possession lasted 4:24 and resulted in a field goal for an 11-0 lead. EKU scored four more times in the first half with none of the drives lasting more than 2:59. Its final three scoring drives were 0:59, 1:07 and 1:35. Eastern’s first possession of the second half ended with a 35-yard touchdown run by McCleskey, a drive that took just 2:37 off the clock. Sixteen points in the third quarter and early fourth quarter allowed the Governors to get as close as 16. Jared Sanders answered an APSU field goal with a 90-yard kickoff return for a 53-30 lead with 14:39 left in the game. Austin Peay was held to 346 yards of offense for the game, including just 82 passing yards. The Governors turned the ball over three times while Eastern did not have a turnover. The Colonel defense stopped APSU on third down nine times on 14 tries.
Scoring Summary Murray State Eastern Kentucky
Scoring Summary Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay
1 2 3 4 0 7 21 13 8 10 2 8
F 41 28
1st Quarter 7:03 EKU - J. Smith 33 yd run (N. Bethel rush) 2nd Quarter 3:05 EKU - E. Thomas 6 yd run (L. Williams kick) 1:49 MUR - M. McGraw 1 yd run (C. Mitchell kick) 0:00 EKU - L. Williams 21 yd FG 3rd Quarter 14:28 EKU - Team safety 8:21 MUR - J. Gandy 9 yd pass from K. Humphries (C. Mitchell kick) 4:56 MUR - J. Gandy 74 yd pass from K. Humphries (C. Mitchell kick) 4:04 MUR - J. Moss 10 yd pass from K. Humphries (C. Mitchell kick) 4th Quarter 10:39 MUR - C. Mitchell 38 yd FG 9:14 MUR - M. McGraw 8 yd run (C. Mitchell kick) 7:04 EKU - T. Swafford 1 yd run (D. Borders pass from T. Swafford) 1:38 MUR - C. Mitchell 30 yd FG Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense
MUR 17 37-66 21-33-1 338 70 404
EKU 29 42-146 25-49-1 328 91 474
Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
1-0 7-72 5-44.4 2-of-12 25:25
5-3 6-54 4-42.0 6-of-17 34:35
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- E. Thomas 12-55-1 TD, J. Smith 6-46-1 TD, H. Enyenihi 10-35, D. McCleskey 4-22, J. Sanders 4-11, T. Swafford 6-(-23) MUR- D. Johnson 11-41, M. McGraw 14-28, J. Gandy 1-5, K. Humphries 8-5, M. Stults 1-(-11) Passing EKU- T. Swafford 22-4-6-1-289-0 TD, J. Smith 3-3-0-39-0 TD MUR- K. Humphries 21-33-1-338-3 TD Receiving EKU- R. Markush 9-82, D. Crimmins 6-124, D. Borders 5-82, C. Fogle 3-24, E. Thomas 2-16 MUR- J. Gandy 6-218-2 TD, J. Moss 4-55-1 TD, J. Feggins 4-34, J. Blackburn 2-25, M. McGraw 2-3, D. Johnson 1-4, R. Perkins 1-1, T. Gray 1-(-2) Tackles EKU- J. Canady 17 MUR- Z. Wade 17 Interceptions EKU- T. Moore 1-4 MUR- T. Quinn 1-0 Attendance: 4,200
1 2 3 4 11 28 7 21 0 14 13 3
F 67 30
1st Quarter 11:40 EKU - D. Borders 45 yd pass from T. Swafford (J. Smith rush) 2:23 EKU - L. Williams 31 yd FG 2nd Quarter 13:19 EKU - J. Sanders 16 yd run (L. Williams kick) 11:31 EKU - D. McCleskey 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) 11:16 APSU - K. Williams 97 yd KO (N. Gauna kick) 10:09 EKU - D. Crimmins 22 yd pass from T. Swafford (L. Williams kick) 6:51 EKU - H. Enyenihi 8 yd run (L. Williams kick) 2:15 APSU - J. Craig 9 yd run (N. Gauna kick) 3rd Quarter 13:38 APSU - J. Craig 2 yd run (pass failed) 10:52 EKU - D. McCleskey 35 yd run (L. Williams kick) 7:19 APSU - K. Williams 7 yd run (N. Gauna kick) 4th Quarter 14:53 APSU - N. Gauna 52 yd FG 14:39 EKU - J. Sanders 90 yd KO (L. Williams kick) 9:37 EKU - D. McCleskey 19 yd run (L. Williams kick) 3:45 EKU - R. Patton 3 yd run (L. Williams kick) Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays
APSU 19 45-264 7-29-1 82 74
EKU 27 48-346 17-29-0 185 77
Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
346 3-2 4-31 4-39.5 5-of-14 27:25
531 0-0 5-56 3-47.3 11-of-17 32:35
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- D. McCleskey 11-109-3 TD, J. Smith 6-89, R. Patton 7-61-1 TD, K. Hopkins 4-32, J. Sanders 4-20-1 TD, H. Enyenihi 7-19-1 TD, R. Gustave 4-9, E. Thomas 5-7 APSU- K. Williams 19-176-1 TD, J. Craig 13-55-2 TD, T. Mitchell 7-35, K. Morris 3-14, R. Coleman 2-2, C. Hopkins 1-(-18) Passing EKU- T. Swafford 15-26-0-182-2 TD, J. Smith 2-2-03-0 TD, Team 0-1-0-0-0 TD APSU- T. Mitchell 5-18-1-59-0 TD, J. Craig 2-11-0-23-0 TD Receiving EKU- N. Creamer 4-57, D. Borders 3-64-1 TD, D. Crimmins 3-33-1 TD, C. Fogle 2-19, R. Markush 2-7, J. Sanders 1-4, A. Cabrera 1-1 APSU- J. Beard 3-22, K. Williams 2-42, J. Marsalis 1-12, C. Hopkins 1-6 Tackles EKU- J. Canady 9 APSU- J. Bond 11 Interceptions EKU- S. Fleming 1-6 APSU- none Attendance: 5,816
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 17
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
2016 GAME SUMMARIES GAME 11 Nov. 19, 2016 • Richmond, Ky. • Roy Kidd Stadium
Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky
24 0
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky ended the 2016 season with a 24-0 loss to Eastern Illinois. The Panthers scored once in the third and early in the fourth quarter to break open a close game. Four turnovers in the game limited the Colonel offense. Eastern Illinois grabbed a 7-0 lead with 4:15 left in the second quarter when Jared Pilson capped a 5-play, 34yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Photo Credit: EKUSports Communications The Panthers got possession when they Jeffrey Canady finished with a game-high 15 tackles in the recovered a fumble on a punt return at season-finale against Eastern Illinois. the EKU 33 yard line. Pilson moved the visitors to the goal line with a 30-yard pass to Devin Church. Two plays later Pilson took it in himself for the score. Eastern Kentucky had three first half turnovers, but Eastern Illinois was only able to capitalize on one of them. At the 4:32 mark of the third quarter, EIU put the game away when Church scored from eight yards out. The score was set up by a 40-yard pass from Pilson to Anthony Taylor. The extra point made it a 14-0 game. EIU added a fourth quarter field goal and touchdown to cap the scoring. Church finished with 177 rushing yards on 25 carries. The Panthers held a 304 to 68 advantage on the ground. Ethan Thomas ran for 80 yards on 12 carries for the Colonels (3-8, 2-7 OVC). Ryan Markush caught five passes for 49 yards. EKU’s Jeffrey Canady led all players with 15 tackles. Scoring Summary Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky 2nd Quarter 4:15 EIU 3rd Quarter 4:32 EIU 4th Quarter 13:22 EIU 3:59 EIU
1 2 3 4 0 7 7 10 0 0 0 0
F 24 0
- J. Pilson 3 yd run (N. Bruno kick) - D. Church 8 yd run (N. Bruno kick) - N. Bruno 22 yd FG - D. McCullough 4 yd run (N. Bruno kick)
Team Statistics First Downs Rush Att.-Net Yards Passing C-A-Int. Net Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties/-Yards Punts-Average 3rd Down Conversion Time of Possession
EIU 14 59-304 8-14-0 127 73 431 1-1 13-95 8-35.1 6-of-18 34:59
EKU 7 32-68 9-20-1 84 52 152 5-3 7-60 9-41.4 4-of-16 25:01
Individual Statistics Rushing EKU- E. Thomas 12-80, H. Enyenihi 7-20, A. Cabrera 1-9, J. Sanders 7-(-3), T. Swafford 3-(-24) EIU- D. Church 25-177-1 TD, K. Marshall 9-58, J. Pilson 11-41-1 TD, D. McCullough 8-24-1 TD, A. Green 5-4, D. Turner 1-0 Passing EKU- T. Swafford 8-18-1-80-0 TD, A. Cabrera 1-2-0-4-0 TD EIU- J. Pilson 8-11-0-127-0 TD, A. Green 0-3-0-0-0 TD Receiving EKU- R. Markush 5-49, N. Creamer 1-16, D. Borders 1-12, J. Floyd 1-8, J. Sanders 1-(-1) EIU- D. Church 2-31, A. Bounds 2-29, J. Sheehan 2-24, A. Taylor 1-40, K. Marshall 1-3 Tackles EKU- J. Canady 15 EIU- N. Horne 8 Interceptions EKU- None EIU- T. Mitchell 1-6 Attendance: 3,100
www. EKU EKUSports.com com | 18
2016 EKU FOOTBALL
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