Topic: Eastern Kentucky University Foot
Morehead State vs. Eastern Kentucky University
Roy Kidd Stadium
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY
August 30, 2018
© 2018 by Ron Harrison
Eastern Kentucky University pulled away in the second half to take a commanding 42-7 lead over Morehead State on their way to a 49-23 victory. The Colonels utilized a powerful ground game tonight recording 404 net yards and four touchdowns on 61 carries for a 6.6 yard per carry. EKU recorded 29 first downs and 564 yards of total offense. The Colonels were penalized seven times for 67 yards and lost a fumble. Morehead State recorded 15 first downs and 332 yards of total offense. The Eagles were penalized four times for 45 yards and had two passes intercepted.
Daryl McCleskey led EKU’s ground game with 125 yards on 14 carries. LJ Scott carried the ball 14 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Jason Lewis added 70 yards on 10 carries. Ralph Patton recorded 42 yards on six carries. Alonzo Booth carried the ball five times for 30 yards and a touchdown. Ellis Cain added 18 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Dakota Allen completed nine of 14 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Austin Scott completed four of eight passes for 13 yards and a touchdown. Alphonso Howard completed both his passes for 54 yards. Jaelin Carter caught three passes for 11 yards. Jackson Beerman added two receptions for 31 yards. Neiko Creamer recorded two receptions for 20 yards. Dan Paul caught two passes for 18 yards and two touchdowns. Dakota Allen and Ethan Bradds added one reception each for 28 and 26 yards respectively. BK Smith returned three punts for 34 yards with a long return of 20 yards. LJ Scott returned two kickoffs for 66 yards including a long return of 35 yards. Matthew Jackson led the defense with two solo and five assisted tackles. Gavin Bryant added three solo and three assisted tackles with 1.5 of his tackles resulting in losses totaling eight yards. Aaron Patrick recorded two solo and one assisted tackles with 2.5 of his tackles resulting in losses totaling 14 yards. Josh Hayes and Dillon Denault each intercepted a pass.
Jovan Smith led Morehead State’s ground game with 54 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Issiah Aguero carried the ball six times for 21 yards and two touchdowns. Lawson Page completed 20 of 34 passes for 221 yards with two interceptions. Landon Hurst caught four passes for 44 yards. Jordan Huffman added three receptions for 53 yards. DeVonte Adams caught three passes for 22 yards. J. Higginbotham, Kyle Gilbert, Sugar Ray Wyche Jr., and Cortney Laye each caught two passes for 29, 23, 22, and 19 yards respectively. Issiah Aguero returned two kickoffs for 45 yards including a long return of 25 yards. Aaron Turk returned three kickoffs for 60 yards with a long return of 30 yards. Jamil Butler led the defense with two solo and seven assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling five yards. Sayyid Kanu added three solo and five assisted tackles. Eldee Edwards III and Brandyn Duncan each recorded three solo and four assisted tackles.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Morehead State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 23 |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 18 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 49 |
| EKU | - | Sam Hayworth kicks a 38 yard field goal |
| EKU | - | Alonzo Booth 23 yard run (Alonzo Booth pass from Austin Scott) |
| EKU | - | LJ Scott 4 yard run (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| MOR | - | Issiah Aguero 2 yard run (Sam McDonogh kick) |
| EKU | - | Dan Paul 15 yard pass from Dakota Allen (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EKU | - | Dan Paul 3 yard pass from Austin Scott (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EKU | - | LJ Scott 4 yard run (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EKU | - | Sam Hayworth kicks a 27 yard field goal |
| MOR | - | Issiah Aguero 4 yard run (Malik Richards pass from Lawson Page) |
| MOR | - | Jovan Smith 4 yard run (Jovan Smith run) |
| EKU | - | Ellis Cain 9 yard run (Sam Hayworth kick) |
Selected Statistics
| Morehead State | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Jovan Smith | 8 | 54 | 6.8 | 26 |
| Issiah Aguero | 6 | 21 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Lawson Page | 12 | 15 | 1.2 | 18 |
| Logan Holbrook | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Arien Beasley | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | 2 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Lawson Page | 34-20-2 | 221 | 0 | 35 |
| Zach Hardin | 2-2-0 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Landon Hurst | 4 | 44 | 0 | 26 |
| Jordan Huffman | 3 | 53 | 0 | 35 |
| DeVonte Adams | 3 | 22 | 0 | 10 |
| J. Higginbotham | 2 | 29 | 0 | 23 |
| Kyle Gilbert | 2 | 23 | 0 | 12 |
| Sugar Ray Wyche Jr. | 2 | 22 | 0 | 21 |
| Cortney Laye | 2 | 19 | 0 | 16 |
| Logan Holbrook | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Arien Beasley | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Garrett Lawrence | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
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| Eastern Kentucky University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Daryl McCleskey | 14 | 125 | 8.9 | 51 |
| LJ Scott | 14 | 86 | 6.1 | 23 |
| Jason Lewis | 10 | 70 | 7.0 | 23 |
| Ralph Patton | 6 | 42 | 7.0 | 18 |
| Alonzo Booth | 5 | 30 | 6.0 | 23 |
| Ellis Cain | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 9 |
| Alex Cabrera | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 |
| Jaelin Carter | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 |
| Austin Scott | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 |
| Dakota Allen | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 7 |
| Team | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jaret Pogliano | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 |
| Jerome Gross | 1 | -5 | -5.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Dakota Allen | 14-9-0 | 93 | 1 | 18 |
| Austin Scott | 8-4-0 | 13 | 1 | 5 |
| Alphonso Howard | 2-2-0 | 54 | 0 | 28 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Jaelin Carter | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| Jackson Beerman | 2 | 31 | 0 | 18 |
| Neiko Creamer | 2 | 20 | 0 | 15 |
| Dan Paul | 2 | 18 | 2 | 15 |
| Dakota Allen | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Ethan Bradds | 1 | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| Daryl McCleskey | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| BK Smith | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| LJ Scott | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Jason Lewis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the EKU 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.