Colonels Open UAC Play At North Alabama Saturday

FLORENCE, Ala. – September 27, 2023

EKU football is on the road this weekend for its first United Athletic Conference game of the season as the Colonels face the University of North Alabama on September 30th. 

The game will air on ESPN+ with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Benjamin Ray will handle play-by-play duties with Bryan Neece serving as the analyst. The audio broadcast will also be simulcast in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com with Greg Stotelmyer, Jim Tirey, and Wes Chandler on the call. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

– Saturday’s game is the first for EKU against a UAC opponent. The Colonels are in their first season as part of the new conference. 

– EKU’s first meeting with North Alabama came in 2022 as the Colonels earned a thrilling 56-53 win in Richmond.

– Parker McKinney’s touchdown pass to Cornelius McCoy with eight seconds remaining secured the victory over the Lions last season.

THE COLONELS

– EKU earned its first win of the season last weekend with a 41-38 comeback win over No. 16 Southeast Missouri State.

– McKinney totaled 334 yards against SEMO, giving him over 12,000 total yards of offense in his career. 

– Kicker Patrick Nations converted his longest field goal of the season as time expired, hitting a 46-yard game-winner. 

– Safety Nic Cheeley had his best game as a Colonel, tallying a career-high 10 tackles against the Redhawks. 

– Defensive lineman Ryan Jackson notched 2.5 of EKU’s five sacks in the game, giving him the most sacks by a Colonel in a single game since 2019. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

– The Lions enter Saturday with a 2-3 record after going 1-10 in 2022. 

– North Alabama fell to UT Martin, 37-21, on Saturday.

– Wide receiver Kobe Warden led the Lions receiving corps with 11 catches for 106 yards and one touchdown last weekend.

– Safety Edwin White Schultz posted 10 tackles against UT Martin. He is averaging 10 tackles per game through five contests.