“We’re down in the dumps.”

RICHMOND, Ky. – Looking to get back on track, the Eastern Kentucky University football team will host Southeast Missouri on Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Saturday is EKU’s Maroon Out game.  All fans are encouraged to wear maroon.  The game, sponsored by 000000, is also the First Responders Game, Hall of Fame Game, Tackle Cancer Game and Family Weekend.

The live radio broadcast is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com.  A live free video broadcast is available on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.

The Colonels go pink this week for the Tackle Cancer Game.  Head coach Mark Elder and the team will do their part to raise awareness for the fight against cancer by wearing pink during the game.  Donation buckets will be placed on the concourse to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Eastern Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 OVC) suffered an overtime loss at Tennessee Tech to begin Ohio Valley Conference play last week.  Bennie Coney broke his own school record with 464 passing yards.  He completed 32-of-49 passes and tossed three touchdowns.  Two receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark.  Devin Borders caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.  Ryan Markush caught seven balls for 104 yards and a touchdown.  The Colonels out-gained Tech 559 to 446.

Southeast Missouri (2-3, 2-0 OVC) is riding a two-game winning streak to start conference play, including a 21-14 home field win over No. 13 Eastern Illinois this past weekend.  The Redhawks edged Murray State, 17-16, on the road the week before.

SEMO has just the eighth-best scoring average (20.2 ppg) out of nine OVC teams, but the Redhawks are third in scoring defense (24.4 ppg).  Southeast has struggled against the pass, allowing 278.6 passing yards per game this season, which also ranks eighth in the league.

EKU is second in the OVC and 24th in the nation with an average of 268.8 passing yards per game.  The Colonels average 408.3 yards of offense per game, second in the OVC and 38th in the nation.  Eastern Kentucky had six sacks at Tennessee Tech.  The Colonels are second in the conference and 14th in the nation with an average of 3.0 sacks per game.

Jeffrey Canady had a career-high 17 tackles at Tennessee Tech, the sixth most in one game by an FCS player this season.  He is second in the OVC and seventh in the nation with 11.3 tackles per game.  Jared Sanders totaled 229 all-purpose yards at Tennessee Tech.  He leads the conference and is 16th in the nation with an average of 146 all-purpose yards per game.

EKU leads the all-time series with Southeast Missouri 23-3.  The Colonels are 11-2 against the Redhawks in games played in Richmond and have won five straight versus Southeast at Roy Kidd Stadium.  The two teams first met in 1990 and Eastern won the first 12 match-ups in the series.  SEMO’s first two wins came in 2002 and 2003.  Since then, the Colonels have won 11 of the last 12 meetings.  EKU has won five straight against the Redhawks by an average score of 33-12.

GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE
Ticket Office
The ticket booths at Roy Kidd Stadium will open at 4:30 p.m.  Tickets are always available at EKUSports.com

Parking
• The Alumni Coliseum east side parking lot will close at 10 p.m. on Friday night before the game. Any cars remaining in the lot after that time are subject to tow. The lot will reopen for tailgating Saturday at 9 a.m.

• From three hours before the start of and 30 minutes after the conclusion of home football games, Roy and Sue Kidd Way will be closed to vehicle traffic from Van Hoose Drive to the Eastern Bypass.
  • A reminder to Colonel Club members: an alternate route to the Colonel Club parking area is available by entering near Model School.
• Alternate parking areas include: Van Hoose Drive lot next to the stadium, as well as the Greg Adams Tennis Complex Lot, Ashland Lot and Perkins Lot, all located across the Bypass from Roy Kidd Stadium.
  • Please use one parking space per car or truck.
• After each game, Kit Carson Drive will be closed to southbound traffic from the Park Drive intersection to the Van Hoose intersection. This closing will occur at the end of each game and will last normally for a period of thirty (30) to forty-five (45) minutes. However, the closing may occur earlier and last longer than anticipated depending on traffic conditions and the size of the crowd.

Tailgating
To ensure that you and all fans have a positive tailgating experience, we ask that you observe the following guidelines:
• All state and local laws must be observed.
• Responsible alcohol consumption will be allowed in designated locations in the Colonel Club and Alumni Parking lots for attendees age 21 or older only.
• For safety reasons, all beverages shall be consumed from plastic or paper cups and not in cans or bottles.
• Kegs are not permitted.
• Please clean up your tailgating area before going to the game or leaving the parking area.
• Please behave in an appropriate and responsible manner. Throwing objects or climbing on vehicles is not permitted.