Final Stats

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Three scoring drives that lasted 1:35 or less fueled 39 first half points as Eastern Kentucky buried Austin Peay, 67-30, on Saturday.
 
Eastern Kentucky tied the program record of 67 points in a game, set against Morehead State in 1925.
 
True freshman Daryl McCleskey Jr. rushed for three touchdowns, totaling a season-high 109 yards on 11 carries.  As a team EKU rushed for 346 yards and totaled 531 yards of offense.
 
The Colonels took their first possession and drove 66 yards in 3:20 for a touchdown.  That drive ended with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Swafford to Devin Borders.  A run by James Smith Jr. added the two-point conversion.  Eastern's third possession lasted 4:24 and resulted in a field goal for an 11-0 lead. 
 
EKU scored four more times in the first half with none of the drives lasting more than 2:59.  Its final three scoring drives were 0:59, 1:07 and 1:35.
 
Jared Sanders had a 16-yard touchdown run and McCleskey Jr. had a 3-yard touchdown scamper.  Those two scores made it 25-0 early in the second quarter. 
 
A 22-yard touchdown catch by Dan Crimmins from Swafford and an 8-yard touchdown run by run by Henry Enyenihi made it 39-7 with 6:51 left before halftime.  Austin Peay tacked on another touchdown before intermission.
 
Eastern Kentucky had 352 yards of total offense in the first half, 190 on the ground and 162 through the air.  The Colonel defense held the Governors to 108 yards of offense, including only 23 passing yards.
 
Eastern's first possession of the second half ended with a 35-yard touchdown run by McCleskey, a drive that took just 2:37 off the clock.
 
Sixteen points in the third quarter and early fourth quarter allowed the Governors to get as close as 16.  Jared Sanders answered an APSU field goal with a 90-yard kickoff return for a 53-30 lead with 14:39 left in the game.
 
Austin Peay was held to 346 yards of offense for the game, including just 82 passing yards.  The Governors turned the ball over three times while Eastern did not have a turnover.  The Colonel defense stopped APSU on third down nine times on 14 tries.
 
Smith finished with 89 yards on six carries.  Ralph Patton added 61 yards and a touchdown while playing just the final 10 minutes of the game.  Swafford completed 15-of-26 passes for 182 yards.  He threw two touchdown passes and no interceptions.
 
Jeffrey Canady had a team-best nine tackles for Eastern.  Xavier Garcia and Damon Lowe each recorded a sack.
 
Kentel Williams led Austin Peay with 176 rushing yards. 
 
The Colonels will conclude their 2016 season next Saturday at home against Eastern Illinois.  Kickoff at Roy Kidd Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
NOTES
Eastern Kentucky tied the program record of 67 points in a game, set against Morehead State in 1925.
 
EKU scored 60 or more points for the first time since beating Glenville State, 60-7, on Oct. 6, 2001.
 
Jared Sanders returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.  It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown by EKU since Jeremy Caldwell returned one 88 yards against Missouri State on Sept. 10, 2011.
 
The Eastern Kentucky defense had registered 18 sacks in the previous six games.  EKU entered the game second in the OVC and 18th in the nation with an average of 2.67 sacks per game.  The Colonels had two more sacks on Saturday.
 
The Colonels lead the all-time series 44-5 and are 21-3 against Austin Peay in Clarksville.
 
Eastern Kentucky University play-by-play broadcaster Greg Stotelmyer called his 351st consecutive Colonel football game on Saturday at Austin Peay.  His streak will end next week when EKU concludes the season at home against Eastern Illinois.