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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University football team outscored Louisville 13-0 in the second half, but the Colonels’ rally fell short as the host Cardinals held on for a 23-13 win at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“I felt good as far as the kids never giving up,” head coach Dean Hood said. “At times it looked like they could have shut us out, and it not have been a football game. But our kids hung in there and kept battling and kept fighting.”

After both teams were held scoreless in the first quarter, Louisville scored all 23 of its points in the second quarter.

The Colonels’ second half surge began when junior Jeremy Caldwell jumped a route, intercepted an Adam Froman pass and returned it 80 yards for EKU’s first touchdown of the year with 5:00 remaining in the third quarter.

Then, with 6:48 remaining in the game, the Colonels were granted new life when Darius Ashley was called for roughing EKU redshirt freshman punter Jordan Berry. EKU took advantage of its fresh set of downs as sophomore Matt Denham reeled off a 41-yard run around the left end to take the Colonels to the Louisville six-yard line.

Redshirt freshman back-up quarterback Brendon Gregory then found junior Kyle Lumpkin in the back of the end zone on 4th-and-1 for a touchdown that made it 23-13 with 2:28 showing on the clock. The Colonels tried a two-point conversion in an attempt to make it a one score game, but the conversion failed.

EKU, though, was not done as senior #Logan O’Connor# recovered his own onsides kick on the ensuing kickoff to give the Colonels one last gasp of breath. On 3rd-and-14, however, Gregory’s pass was intercepted and Louisville promptly took the victory formation.

Sophomore #T.J. Pryor# led EKU with 91 yards though the air, but he was forced to leave the game with an injury early in the third quarter. Gregory threw for 47 yards and a touchdown in Pryor’s stead. Sophomore Orlandus Harris paced all Colonel wide receivers with five receptions and 70 yards while Denham led EKU with 48 yards on the ground.

Sophomore Brooklyn Fox, making his first career start, led the Colonels with six tackles and one pass break-up while senior Antonio Frederick recorded a sack and two tackles for loss.

The EKU defense stymied Louisville in the first quarter as the Cardinals did not pick up a first down in the first 12 minutes of the game. EKU had a chance to draw first blood with 3:55 remaining in the quarter, however, O’Connor’s 43-yard field goal attempt went wide right and the quarter ended with the score tied 0-0.

On the first play of the second quarter, Caldwell forced a fumble on the Louisville two-yard line, but Fox recovered the ball out of bounds and Louisville retained possession. The Cardinals capitalized as Bilal Powell rushed up the middle on the very next play for a two-yard touchdown that gave Louisville a 7-0 lead.

After a Louisville punt pinned the Colonels at their own two-yard line with 8:53 remaining in the half, EKU was called for holding in the end zone on the first play of the drive, resulting in a safety and a 9-0 Louisville lead.

The Cardinals struck two more times in the half as Doug Beaumont caught a 42-yard touchdown pass and Powell added another touchdown run, this one from three yards out, to send Louisville into the locker room at halftime up 23-0.

The Colonels return to action next Saturday when they go on the road for a third straight week to face Chattanooga at 6 p.m.

NOTES:
--Jeremy Caldwell’s interception return was his third career interception return for a touchdown.
--The Colonels had more rushing yards midway through the first quarter (48) than they had in all of last week’s game (35).
--Three Colonels made their first career starts on Saturday – defensive backs Brooklyn Fox and Javarious Riley and wide receiver Tyrone Goard.
--The attendance for Saturday’s game was 51,427, the second largest crowd at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.