Topic: Eastern Kentucky University Foot
Valparaiso vs. Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University Roy Kidd Stadium
Richmond, KY
September 3, 2015
© 2015 by Ron Harrison
Eastern Kentucky rolled to a 52-10 victory over Valparaiso to open their season tonight. EKU held Valparaiso to 38 yards on the ground and took control of the game early with a 14-0 first quarter lead and stretched the advantage to 31-3 at halftime. Eastern recorded 19 first downs and 410 yards of total offense. The Colonels were penalized nine times for 90 yards and had two passes intercepted. Valparaiso recorded 14 first downs and 220 yards of total offense. The Crusaders were penalized four times for 27 yards, lost a fumble, and had two passes intercepted.
Kentayvus Hopkins led Eastern’s ground attack with 60 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Arien Beasley carried the ball twice for 20 yards and a touchdown. Adam Lane and Ethan Thomas also added a touchdown each on the ground. Bennie Coney completed 11 of 20 passes for 20 yards and 153 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Romano completed seven of nine passes for 93 yards. Jeff Glover caught five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Joel Brown added four receptions for 57 yards. Ben Madon recorded four receptions for 48 yards. Stanley Absanon scored on a 56 yard interception return. Absanon also returned three punts on 46 yards and two kickoffs for 80 yards including a kickoff return of 62 yards. D’Vonta Derricott led the defense with three solo and five assisted tackles. Buck Solomon added four solo and one assisted tackles. Noah Spencer recorded three solo and two assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling seven yards.
Jake Hutson led Valparaiso’s ground game with 27 yards on six carries. Brandon Hall carried the ball 11 times for 23 yards. Scott Staal completed 15 of 25 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Dalton Stokes completed 11 of 19 passes for 84 yards with one interception. Frank Catrine caught eight passes for 70 yards. Jake Hutson added five receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Moore also caught five passes for 31 yards. Alex Green led the defense with five solo and four assisted tackles. AJ Bradley added six solo tackles. Jalin LeAndre recorded three solo and two assisted tackles.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Valparaiso | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 14 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| EASTERN | - | Ethan Thomas 4 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EASTERN | - | Stanley Absanon 56 yard interception return (Lucas Williams kick) |
| VALPO | - | Jacob Newman kicks a 25 yard field goal |
| EASTERN | - | Lucas Williams kicks a 32 yard field goal |
| EASTERN | - | Arien Beasley 11 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EASTERN | - | Jeff Glover 3 yard pass from Bennie Coney (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EASTERN | - | Jeff Glover 30 yard pass from Bennie Coney (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EASTERN | - | Adam Lane 3 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EASTERN | - | Kentayvus Hopkins 1 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
| VAPO | - | Jake Hutson 16 yard pass from Scott Staal (Jacob Newman kick) |
Selected Statistics
| Valparaiso | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Jake Hutson | 6 | 27 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Brandon Hall | 11 | 23 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Jean Rene | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 |
| Jarrett Morgan | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 |
| Team | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Legend Choudhry | 4 | -2 | -0.5 | 2 |
| Dalton Stokes | 3 | -11 | -3.7 | 0 |
| Scott Staal | 2 | -13 | -6.5 | 0 |
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| ||||
| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Scott Staal | 25-15-1 | 98 | 1 | 16 |
| Dalton Stokes | 19-11-1 | 84 | 0 | 16 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Frank Catrine | 8 | 70 | 0 | 15 |
| Jake Hutson | 5 | 31 | 1 | 16 |
| Ryan Moore | 5 | 31 | 0 | 11 |
| Jean Rene | 3 | 25 | 0 | 14 |
| Chris Mercer | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Matt Mallon | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Griffin Norberg | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Legend Choudhry | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Jarrett Morgan | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
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| Eastern Kentucky University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Kentayvus Hopkins | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 23 |
| Arien Beasley | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 11 |
| Jared Sanders | 4 | 17 | 4.2 | 12 |
| Adam Lane | 5 | 15 | 3.0 | 9 |
| Kyle Romano | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 |
| Dy’Shawn Mobley | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 5 |
| Ethan Thomas | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Team | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Bennie Coney | 2 | -3 | -1.5 | 2 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Bennie Coney | 20-11-0 | 153 | 2 | 35 |
| Kyle Romano | 9-7-0 | 93 | 0 | 36 |
| Kyle Swafford | 7-5-2 | 28 | 0 | 14 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Jeff Glover | 5 | 95 | 2 | 35 |
| Joel Brown | 4 | 57 | 0 | 36 |
| Ben Madon | 4 | 48 | 0 | 25 |
| Michael Scott | 2 | 29 | 0 | 16 |
| Bryan Green | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Clayton Schmerber | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Scott Daniel | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Dy’Shawn Mobley | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Arien Beasley | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Taylor Miller | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Ethan Thomas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to EKU Stats Crew for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight’s game.
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.