Topic: Eastern Kentucky University Foot
Eastern Kentucky University vs. Tennessee State University
Nissan Stadium
Tennessee State University
Nashville, KY
October15, 2016
© 2016 by Ron Harrison
Tennessee State raced out to a 35-3 halftime lead and withstood a frantic second half rally by Eastern Kentucky to earn a 35-28 victory. Eastern got off to a rough start by turning the ball over on their first three possessions and Tennessee State turned the miscues into a 21-0 lead. Eastern roared back in the second half scoring 25 unanswered points and actually had one last opportunity to mount a potentially game tying drive but suffered their fourth interception of the game. Eastern led in most of the offensive categories but five turnovers were too much to overcome. Tennessee State recorded 21 first downs and 381 yards of total offense. The Tigers were penalized 10 times for 78 yards and had one pass intercepted. Eastern Kentucky recorded 31 first downs and 584 yards of total offense, The Colonels were penalized 12 times for 89 yards, lost a fumble, and had four passes intercepted.
Erick Evans led Tennessee State’s ground game with 83 yards on 19 carries. Ronald Butler carried the ball five times for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Sabree Curtis recorded 34 yards and one touchdown on nine carries. Ronald Butler completed 13 of 24 passes for 181 yards with one interception. Patrick Smith caught four passes for 46 yards. Mahlon Medley added three receptions for 55 yards. McCollu Sanders also caught three passes for 30 yards. Chris Rowland returned three kickoffs for 78 yards with a long return of 35 yards. Chris Collins led the defense with nine solo and two assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling seven yards and intercepted a pass he returned 11 yards. A, Justice added six solo and one assisted tackles and recovered a fumble. L. Wilhoite recorded four solo and two assisted tackles and intercepted a pass he returned 46 yards. Ezra Robinson added four solo and one assisted tackles and intercepted two passes he returned for a total of 94 yards with a return for a touchdown of 93 yards.
D. McCleskey led Eastern Kentucky’s ground game with 68 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Ethan Thomas carried the ball nine times for 45 yards. Henry Enyenihi added 45 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Bennie Coney completed 29 of 45 passes for 350 yards with four interceptions. Devin Borders caught six passes for 60 yards. Dan Crimmins added five receptions for 89 yards. D. McCleskey chipped in with four catches for 54 yards and Ryan Markush added 67 yards on two receptions. Jeffrey Canady led the defense with four solo and three assisted tackles. Corey Glass added six solo tackles and intercepted a pass he returned 38 yards. Kiante Northington recorded three solo and two assisted tackles and L. Jean Louis chipped in with four sol tackles.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 28 |
| Tennessee State university | 14 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| TSU | - | Ronald Butler 20 yard run (Lane Clark kick) |
| TSU | - | Andrew Knox 3 yard run (Lane Clark kick) |
| TSU | - | Ezra Robinson 93 yard interception return (Lane Clark kick) |
| TSU | - | Ronald Butler 61 yard run (Lane Clark kick) |
| EKU | - | Lucas Williams kicks a 25 yard field goal |
| TSU | - | Sabree Curtis 8 yard run (Lane Clark kick) |
| EKU | - | K. Hopkins 3 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EKU | - | Lucas Williams kicks a 31 yard field goal |
| EKU | - | Henry Enyenihi 1 yard run (Dan Crimmins pass from Bennie Coney) |
| EKU | - | D. McCleskey 3 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
Selected Statistics
| Eastern Kentucky University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| D. McCleskey | 8 | 68 | 8.5 | 42 |
| Ethan Thomas | 9 | 45 | 5.0 | 31 |
| Henry Enyenihi | 10 | 45 | 4.5 | 29 |
| Bennie Coney | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 15 |
| Jared Sanders | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 13 |
| James Smith | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 11 |
| K, Hopkins | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 3 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Bennie Coney | 45-29-4 | 350 | 0 | 57 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Devin Borders | 6 | 60 | 0 | 26 |
| Dan Crimmins | 5 | 89 | 0 | 36 |
| D. McCleskey | 4 | 54 | 0 | 33 |
| Neiko Creamer | 3 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Ryan Markush | 2 | 67 | 0 | 57 |
| Cameron Fogle | 2 | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| K. Hopkins | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Jon Floyd | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| James Smith | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Ethan Thomas | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Henry Enyenihi | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| C. Schmerber | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
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| Tennessee State University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Erick Evans | 19 | 83 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Ronald Butler | 5 | 81 | 16.2 | 61 |
| Sabree Curtis | 9 | 34 | 3.8 | 14 |
| Chris Rowland | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Andrew Knox | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Team | 2 | -8 | -4.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Ronald Butler | 24-13-1 | 181 | 0 | 30 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Patrick Smith | 4 | 46 | 0 | 16 |
| Mahlon Medley | 3 | 55 | 0 | 26 |
| McCollu Sanders | 3 | 39 | 0 | 22 |
| Steven Newbold | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Erick Evans | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Chris Rowland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the Tennessee State University Stats Crew for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.