Topic: Eastern Kentucky University Foot
Eastern Kentucky University vs. Murray State University
Roy Stewart Stadium
Murray State University
Murray, KY
October 28, 2017
© 2017 by Ron Harrison
Eastern Kentucky University utilized a balanced offense and a strong defense to earn a 26-13 victory over Murray State. Eastern Kentucky recorded 23 first downs and 480 yards of total offense. The Colonels were penalized six times for 53 yards, lost a fumble, and had two passes intercepted. Murray State recorded 13 first downs and 273 yards of total offense. They were penalized seven times for 52 yard and lost three fumbles.
Daryl McCleskey led Eastern Kentucky’s ground game with 144 yards on 21 carries. Ralph Patton added 54 yards on nine carries. LJ Scott carried the ball 13 times for 35 yards and two touchdowns. Tim Boyle completed 15 of 25 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. BK Smith caught five passes for 39 yards. Neiko Creamer added three receptions for 66 yards. Ryan Markush recorded three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Dan Paul added three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. LJ Scott returned one kickoff for 29 yards. Luder Jean Louis led the defense with four solo and two assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling 12 yards. Gavin Bryant added three solo and three assisted tackles and recovered a fumble. Jeffrey Canady recorded four solo and one assisted tackles. Kobie Grace added two solo and two assisted tackles and recovered a fumble he returned 52 yards. Brenton Ervin also recovered a fumble.
DJ Penick led Murray State’s ground game with 40 yards on eight carries. Nolan Nichols carried the ball six times for 26 yards. Shuler Bentley completed 20 of 40 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. Jensen Feggins caught eight passes for 57 yards. Jordon Gandy added three receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. Bishop Woods led the defense with five solo and six assisted tackles with 1.5 of his tackles resulting in losses totaling four yards. Marco Paige added six solo and four assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling four yards. Marque Sanford recorded five solo and three assisted tackles. Q. Williams intercepted a pass he returned 26 yards. D’Montre Wade intercepted a pass he returned 40 yards.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 7 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Murray State University | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| EKU | - | Dan Paul 22 yard pass from Dan Paul (Lucas Williams kick) |
| EKU | - | LJ Scott 2 yard run (Lucas Williams kick) |
| MUR | - | Gabrie Vicente kicks a 21 yard field goal |
| EKU | - | Ryan Markush 38 yard pass from Tim Boyle (Lucas Williams kick fails) |
| EKU | - | LJ Scott 1 yard run (Lucas Williams kick fails) |
| MUR | - | Gabrie Vicente kicks a 34 yard field goal |
| MUR | - | Jordon Gandy 18 yard pass from Shuler Bentley (Gabrie Vicente kick) |
Selected Statistics
| Eastern Kentucky University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Daryl McCleskey | 21 | 144 | 6.9 | 72 |
| Ralph Patton | 9 | 54 | 6.0 | 42 |
| LJ Scott | 13 | 35 | 2.7 | 11 |
| Ethan Thomas | 8 | 28 | 3.5 | 11 |
| Ryan Markush | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 12 |
| Tim Boyle | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Team | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Tim Boyle | 25-15-1 | 201 | 2 | 38 |
| Austin Scott | 2-0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| BK Smith | 5 | 39 | 0 | 12 |
| Neiko Creamer | 3 | 66 | 0 | 37 |
| Ryan Markush | 3 | 48 | 1 | 38 |
| Dan Paul | 3 | 40 | 1 | 22 |
| Cameron Fogle | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
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| Murray State University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| DJ Penick | 8 | 40 | 5.0 | 22 |
| Nolan Nichols | 6 | 26 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Shuler Bentley | 9 | 15 | 1.7 | 13 |
| Team | 1 | -18 | -18.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Shuler Bentley | 40-20-0 | 210 | 1 | 40 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Jensen Feggins | 8 | 57 | 0 | 17 |
| Jordon Gandy | 3 | 82 | 1 | 40 |
| DJ Penick | 3 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Jonathan Moss | 2 | 20 | 0 | 15 |
| Nolan Nichols | 2 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Rajai Perkins | 1 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Corey Newble | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the Murray State Stats Crew for the comprehensive stats provided for today’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.