Topic: Eastern Kentucky University Foot
Eastern Illinois University vs. Eastern Kentucky University
Roy Kidd Stadium
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY
October 27, 2018
© 2018 by Ron Harrison
Eastern Kentucky rallied to earn a much needed 31-23 victory over Eastern Illinois University. Eastern Kentucky was reeling from a less than stellar losing effort last week against Murray State. The Colonels replaced their offensive coordinator last week and the new version of their offense this week started with several incomplete passes, dropped passes, and their starting Quarterback Austin Scott leaving the game before halftime with an injury and trailing 17-10. Alphonso Howard came in the second half as the signal caller and along with a key interception by Josh Hayes late in the third quarter sparked the comeback. The victory evened the Colonels record at 4-4 and improved their OVC record to 3-2 and proved to be a very emotional win for both the players and coaching staff.
Eastern Kentucky University recorded 20 first downs and 387 yards of total offense. The Colonels were penalized seven times for 30 yards and lost a fumble. Eastern Illinois University recorded 25 first downs and 514 yards of total offense. They were penalized 13 times for 107 yards and had two passes intercepted.
LJ Scott led Eastern Kentucky’s ground game with 151 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Jaelin Carter carried the ball four times for 30 yards and a touchdown. Austin Scott completed seven of 20 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Alphonso Howard completed four of four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Jaelin Carter caught three passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson Beerman caught two passes for 42 yards. Jaelin Carter returned two kickoffs for 75 yards with a long return of 50 yards. Phillip Richards punted seven times for a 41.1 average with a long punt of 53 yards with two punts inside the 20 yard line. TJ Comstock led the defense with six solo and four assisted tackles. Gavin Bryant and Cornelius Floyd each recorded four solo and two assisted tackles and Floyd intercepted a pass. Steven Crowder recorded three solo and two assisted tackles with two of his tackles resulting in losses totaling 10 yards. Leodis Moore III added three solo and one assisted tackles with 1.5 of his tackles resulting in losses totaling 25 yards. Josh Hayes recorded the key interception that led to EKU’s touchdown that gave them the lead in the final quarter.
Isaiah Johnson led Eastern Illinois’ ground game with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Johnathan Brantley carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards and a touchdown. Harry Woodbery completed 16 of 27 passes for 181 yards with one interception. Johnathan Brantley completed 12 of 23 passes for 132 yards with one interception. Nick Atoyebi caught seven passes for 75 yards. James Sheehan added six receptions for 108 yards. Aaron Gooch caught six passes for 79 yards. Alexander Hollins added five receptions for 43 yards. Aaron Gooch returned two kickoffs for 34 yards with a long return of 27 yards. Darshon McCullough returned one kickoff for 50 yards. Nick Bruno punted four times for a 43.0 average with a long punt of 47 yards with one punt inside the 20 yard line. Dytarious Johnson led the defense with six solo and four assisted tackles. Edwyn Brown also recorded six solo and four assisted tackles. Levi Watson recorded a fumble he returned 10 yards.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Eastern Illinois University | 10 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| EKU | - | Sam Hayworth kicks a 38 yard field goal |
| EIU | - | Nick Bruno kicks a 32 yard field goal |
| EIU | - | Isaiah Johnson 34 yard run (Nick Bruno kick) |
| EKU | - | Jaelin Carter 34 yard pass from Austin Scott (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EIU | - | Isaiah Johnson 1 yard run (Nick Bruno kick) |
| EKU | - | LJ Scott 48 yard run (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EKU | - | Jaelin Carter 18 yard pass from Alphonso Howard (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EKU | - | Jaelin Carter 5 yard run (Sam Hayworth kick) |
| EIU | - | Johnathan Brantley 9 yard run (Nick Bruno kick fails) |
Selected Statistics
| Eastern Illinois University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Isaiah Johnson | 10 | 128 | 12.8 | 49 |
| Johnathan Brantley | 13 | 52 | 4.0 | 24 |
| Harry Woodbery | 5 | 30 | 6.0 | 17 |
| Aaron Gooch | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 |
| Team | 2 | -19 | -9.5 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Harry Woodbery | 27-16-1 | 181 | 0 | 35 |
| Johnathan Brantley | 23-12-1 | 132 | 0 | 26 |
| Nick Bruno | 1-1-0 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Nick Atoyebi | 7 | 75 | 0 | 26 |
| James Sheehan | 6 | 108 | 0 | 35 |
| Aaron Gooch | 6 | 79 | 0 | 25 |
| Alexander Hollins | 5 | 43 | 0 | 19 |
| Isaiah Johnson | 4 | 22 | 0 | 12 |
| Teriq Phillips | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Johnathan Brantley | 0 | -7 | 0 | 0 |
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| Eastern Kentucky University | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| LJ Scott | 17 | 151 | 8.9 | 48 |
| Jaelin Carter | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 13 |
| Daryl McCleskey | 10 | 23 | 2.3 | 9 |
| Jason Lewis | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Alphonso Howard | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 6 |
| Dakota Allen | 1 | -8 | -8.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Austin Scott | 20-7-0 | 104 | 1 | 34 |
| Alphonso Howard | 4-4-0 | 67 | 1 | 21 |
| Dakota Allen | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Jaelin Carter | 3 | 61 | 2 | 34 |
| Jackson Beerman | 2 | 42 | 0 | 21 |
| LJ Scott | 2 | 19 | 0 | 16 |
| Daryl McCleskey | 2 | 18 | 0 | 21 |
| Neiko Creamer | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Dan Paul | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the Eastern Kentucky University Stats Crew for the comprehensive stats provided for today'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.