Eastern Kentucky was playing their hearts out, dominating Kentucky on both lines, with a story line coming together fitting of a 30 on 30 ESPN film.
"JK" stitched on all the uniforms in memory of Joey Kraemer! #AMatterOfPride pic.twitter.com/C6sXmZxsh2
— EKU Football (@EKUFootball) October 2, 2015
EKU was playing with the initials of their late teammate Joey Kraemer on their Jerseys. (Pictures above)
EKU QB Bennie Coney was hitting timely throws and expertly managing the game. Running backs Dy’Shawn Mobley and Ethan Thomas were moving the pile.
Eastern return man Stanley Absanon was setting up touchdown drives with a long kickoff return and a long punt return.
EKU’s defense was stifling Kentucky’s running game. And their pass rush continually flushed Patrick Towles from the pocket.
What was left of the Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 63,380 was dead silent after Devin Borders caught his second touchdown of the game with 7:39 left in the 4th quarter. EKU went up 27 – 13 on their SEC East opponent.
The Colonels were that close to pulling off the biggest victory for Eastern Kentucky’s Football team since the second of Roy Kidd’s two National Championships in 1982.
What was left of the Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 63,380 was dead silent after Devin Borders caught his second touchdown of the game with 7:39 left in the 4th quarter. EKU went up 27 – 13 on their SEC East opponent.
Then, in cruel fashion, what would have been a victory for the ages slipped away from the Colonels.
Patrick Towles delivered Kentucky to touchdowns on its final two drives of regulation and then again on UK’s drive in the first overtime. UK averted what would have been an embarrassing defeat with a 34-27 OT victory over Eastern Kentucky.
Dy’Shawn Mobley (former UK player who transferred to EKU) and Ethan Thomas continued to break tackles and help EKU to outrush UK a shocking 180-55.
Coney was fantastic with the ball (0 interceptions) and completing 19-32 passes for 183 yards with two TD’s.
Stanley Absanon (once an Arizona State signee) picked off a Towles pass and beat Kentucky’s kick return teams (both kickoff and punt) for big returns that led to EKU touchdowns.
A team with 85 scholarship players like Kentucky, is always likely go longer than team only playing 63 scholarship players. But there are no “moral victories” in college football, just a winner and a loser.
But there is Honor in a team leaving everything they had on the field, and putting forth every ounce of effort they possessed.
At the end of the night though, there was a bitter taste left in EKU’s mouth, because They Deserved Better.
Full Story HERE.
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