10-03-2010, 12:20 PM
The Richmond Register
FOOTBALL: Colonels hammer Kentucky State, 58-7
By Nathan Hutchinson Register Sports Editor The Richmond Register Sun Oct 03, 2010, 12:51 AM EDT
RICHMOND â After opening the season with three-straight double-digit setbacks on the road, the Colonels desperately needed a win.
And they needed that victory to be decisive, thorough and impressive.
âWe just needed a win,â Eastern Kentucky University coach Dean Hood said on Saturday after his team blasted Kentucky State. âWe hadnât won a game since Oct. 31 of last year. Itâs been almost a year. We needed a win. Winning heals a lot of wounds, and winning gives you confidence.â
The Colonels (1-3) got the dominant kind of victory they needed so badly, as they rolled past Kentucky State, 58-7, Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium. EKU scored 24 points in the first quarter and took a 38-0 lead into halftime.
The win snapped a six-game losing streak (which stretched back to last season) and gave EKU some badly needed confidence heading into next weekâs Ohio Valley Conference opener against Eastern Illinois.
âItâs like a new season,â EKU running back Kyle Lumpkin said.
Led by a re-energized rushing attack, the Colonels took control early and were never challenged by the NCAA Division II Thorobreds. EKU finished with 286 yards rushing, which far surpassed the teamâs total in the first three games combined, and finished with six rushing touchdowns.
The Colonels much-maligned rushing attack had averaged just 61 yards a game in the first three games of the season.
âWe worked on (running the ball) during the open week,â Hood said. âIn the earlier games, we werenât ready to do that. We felt like throwing the ball more gave us a better chance to win. We needed to be more balanced and we had an opportunity to run the ball with what they were doing schematically.â
Matt Denham finished with 101 yards rushing on three carries, including a 62-yard touchdown and a 31-yard touchdown, and Lumpkin had 85 yards on seven carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run.
Freshman quarterback Jacob Russell also rushed for two touchdowns (1 and 14 yards) and starting quarterback T.J. Pryor had two TDs (one passing, one rushing).
Pryorâs 31-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was EKUâs first rushing touchdown on the season.
âWeâve got to be able to (run and pass),â Lumpkin said. âWeâve got a good core of running backs. We just do what the coaches say. We do the best we can. Today, we were successful. We ran the ball more than we have in the past.â
After relying almost exclusively on a passing attack to generate offense in the first three games, the Colonels attempted only 10 passes against Kentucky State. Pryor was 3-of-8 with an interception and a 34-yard touchdown to Tyrone Goard. Russell was 2-for-2 for 13 yards.
The EKU coaching staff prefers to redshirt all true freshman, but they decided the showdown with Kentucky State was a perfect opportunity to get Russell some game experience.
âWe probably should have done it at Chattanooga,â Hood said. âHe does two things for us. First, he allows us to not be concerned about T.J. (Pryor). If we get into week seven or eight and T.J. gets hurt, then youâve got a guy who has never played in a college football game. The other reason we wanted to get him in there is because he adds another dimension to our offense as a more power-type runner.â
The decision to take the redshirt off Russell might have turned out to be very timely.
Sophomore Brendon Gregory, EKUâs No. 2 quarterback, left the game in the third quarter and had to be helped off the field.
âI think it is a knee and its a bad situation,â Hood said.
After allowing almost 550 yards of total offense in the loss at Chattanooga (Sept. 18), the EKU defense responded with a dominant performance.
Kentucky State averaged just 1.4 yards per play and Tyson Patrick provided the defensive highlight of the game when he returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
âThe bye week was kind of bitter just because we were coming off a loss and we played as bad as we did,â EKU defensive lineman Emory Attiq said.
The Colonels are set to open OVC play next weekend at home against Eastern Illinois.
FOOTBALL: Colonels hammer Kentucky State, 58-7
By Nathan Hutchinson Register Sports Editor The Richmond Register Sun Oct 03, 2010, 12:51 AM EDT
RICHMOND â After opening the season with three-straight double-digit setbacks on the road, the Colonels desperately needed a win.
And they needed that victory to be decisive, thorough and impressive.
âWe just needed a win,â Eastern Kentucky University coach Dean Hood said on Saturday after his team blasted Kentucky State. âWe hadnât won a game since Oct. 31 of last year. Itâs been almost a year. We needed a win. Winning heals a lot of wounds, and winning gives you confidence.â
The Colonels (1-3) got the dominant kind of victory they needed so badly, as they rolled past Kentucky State, 58-7, Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium. EKU scored 24 points in the first quarter and took a 38-0 lead into halftime.
The win snapped a six-game losing streak (which stretched back to last season) and gave EKU some badly needed confidence heading into next weekâs Ohio Valley Conference opener against Eastern Illinois.
âItâs like a new season,â EKU running back Kyle Lumpkin said.
Led by a re-energized rushing attack, the Colonels took control early and were never challenged by the NCAA Division II Thorobreds. EKU finished with 286 yards rushing, which far surpassed the teamâs total in the first three games combined, and finished with six rushing touchdowns.
The Colonels much-maligned rushing attack had averaged just 61 yards a game in the first three games of the season.
âWe worked on (running the ball) during the open week,â Hood said. âIn the earlier games, we werenât ready to do that. We felt like throwing the ball more gave us a better chance to win. We needed to be more balanced and we had an opportunity to run the ball with what they were doing schematically.â
Matt Denham finished with 101 yards rushing on three carries, including a 62-yard touchdown and a 31-yard touchdown, and Lumpkin had 85 yards on seven carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run.
Freshman quarterback Jacob Russell also rushed for two touchdowns (1 and 14 yards) and starting quarterback T.J. Pryor had two TDs (one passing, one rushing).
Pryorâs 31-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was EKUâs first rushing touchdown on the season.
âWeâve got to be able to (run and pass),â Lumpkin said. âWeâve got a good core of running backs. We just do what the coaches say. We do the best we can. Today, we were successful. We ran the ball more than we have in the past.â
After relying almost exclusively on a passing attack to generate offense in the first three games, the Colonels attempted only 10 passes against Kentucky State. Pryor was 3-of-8 with an interception and a 34-yard touchdown to Tyrone Goard. Russell was 2-for-2 for 13 yards.
The EKU coaching staff prefers to redshirt all true freshman, but they decided the showdown with Kentucky State was a perfect opportunity to get Russell some game experience.
âWe probably should have done it at Chattanooga,â Hood said. âHe does two things for us. First, he allows us to not be concerned about T.J. (Pryor). If we get into week seven or eight and T.J. gets hurt, then youâve got a guy who has never played in a college football game. The other reason we wanted to get him in there is because he adds another dimension to our offense as a more power-type runner.â
The decision to take the redshirt off Russell might have turned out to be very timely.
Sophomore Brendon Gregory, EKUâs No. 2 quarterback, left the game in the third quarter and had to be helped off the field.
âI think it is a knee and its a bad situation,â Hood said.
After allowing almost 550 yards of total offense in the loss at Chattanooga (Sept. 18), the EKU defense responded with a dominant performance.
Kentucky State averaged just 1.4 yards per play and Tyson Patrick provided the defensive highlight of the game when he returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
âThe bye week was kind of bitter just because we were coming off a loss and we played as bad as we did,â EKU defensive lineman Emory Attiq said.
The Colonels are set to open OVC play next weekend at home against Eastern Illinois.