Game 2 - Eastern Kentucky

 

                      

When: Saturday, November 21, 2020, at 3:00 pm
Where: Roy Kid Stadium (20,000),  Richmond, Kentucky
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

Talent: Gary Ayers (PxP), Daniel Hooker (Color), Greg McLamb (Sideline)
TV/video:  ESPN3

Talent: Greg Stotelmyer, play-by-play, Jim Tirey, analyst
Live Stats:  EKU Live Stats
Conference:  Ohio Valley
Nickname: Colonels
Colors: Maroon and White
Enrollment:  14,980
EKU Message Board:  Maroon Nation
Game Notes:    Western Carolina    -     Eastern Kentucky

The Series: This is the 6th meeting between the two teams, and the Cats own a 2-3 record overall against the Colonels. Western won the last meeting between the two teams, 24-7 played in Richmond.  This season's game will make the third consecutive game played in Richmond between the two teams (WCU is 1-2 in games played in Richmond). Eastern Kentucky’s all-time record in games played at Roy Kidd Stadium is 227-60-1.

Last Game vs. EKU (November 14, 2009) - Jaynes, Pittman and Special Teams Lead Western Carolina to 24-7 Road Victory over Eastern Kentucky  Western Carolina turned a pair of second-half Eastern Kentucky turnovers into points as quarterback Zack Jaynes tossed three touchdowns, including two to junior Marquel Pittman, as the Catamounts ended an eight-game road losing skid with a 24-7 non-conference victory over the Colonels in front of 4,200 fans Saturday afternoon at Roy Kidd Stadium.

Last Season's (2019) Record (EKU): 7-5 overall, 3-2 home, 4-3 away, 5-3 OVC

This Season's (2020) Record (EKU):  2-6 overall, 1-2 home, 1-4 away, on a 2 game losing streak

Head Coach:  Walt Wells, the first-year head coach is the 15th head coach in EKU program history. He was most recently a quality control assistant at the University of Kentucky during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The 2018 Wildcat team beat Florida for the first time in 32 years, posted the program’s best Southeastern Conference (SEC) record in 41 years, and beat No. 12-ranked Penn State in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. All totaled, the 10-3 record was Kentucky's best season in 41 years and only the third 10-win season in school history.

Offensive Formation: Multiple Spread
- 2019 offense: 27.9 ppg. (56th in FCS)
Defensive Formation: 4-3
- 2019 defense: 22 ppg. (22nd in FCS)
Offensive starters - Returning/Lost: 9 / 2
Defensive starters - Returning/Lost: 7 / 4
Specialist - Returning/Lost: 3 / 5

The inaugural Opportunity Bowl in memory of Dr. Sheila Pressley will feature EKU and Western Carolina. Pressley, who passed away in January of 2020, was the dean of the College of Health Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University. She attended Western Carolina University for her undergraduate education, graduating in 1989.

In November 2019, the Colonels fired fourth-year head coach, Mark Elder, who had compiled a 21-24 record and went 15-16 against Ohio Valley Conference teams. In December, the Colonels hired former EKU assistant coach Walt Wells to fill the head coaching vacancy.

Eastern Kentuck is 1-4 in their last five games and 1-2 in home games this season. The Colonels bring a two-game losing streak into this meeting with the Catamounts.  Both teams are coming into the game off losses on the road, the Colonels lost to Central Arkansas, 25-37 while the Cats fell to #22 Liberty.

  
In last Saturday's loss to Central Arkansas, redshirt freshman Isaiah Velez made his first appearance as a Colonel quarterback and engineered an 11-play, 45-yard scoring drive that ended with a 27-yard field goal by Alexander Woznick. After the halftime break, EKU scored on all three of its third-quarter possessions to complete a comeback from 24 points down. Eastern out-gained the Bears 174-32 in the third quarter. 

The Colonels are averaging 118 years on the ground per game, with junior running back Alonzo Booth the leading rusher on the team. EKU prefers the pass, gaining approx. 231 yards per game in the air. Junior wide receiver Jackson Beerman is the leading target for the pass.  

 

2020 Eastern Kentucky Statistics (8 games):
Rushing Offense: 994 yards
Yards per game: 118
Yards per rush: 3.4 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 49
TDs rushing: 6
Passing Offense: 1854 yards or 231.8 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 12.5 yards
Passing 1st downs: 80
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 148-244-7
TDs Passing: 14
Total Offense: 2798 yards or 348,8 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 8-4
3d Down Conversions: 34 of 106 (32%)
4th Down Conversions: 8 of 14 (57%)
Field goal attempts: 11 - 14
On-side kicks: 0-0
Red Zone Scores: 24 of 29 (83%)
Red Zone Touchdowns: 13 of 29 (45%)

PAT:  15 of 18

Punts:  42 for 1626 yards (Avg. 38.7)


Game prediction: Per the Massey Ratings, the Cats have a 27% probability of winning (24-33) over the Colonels.



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