Final Statistics

RICHMOND, Ky. – On Senior Day at Roy Kidd Stadium, it was seniors LJ Scott and Jared Tucker who played the role of heroes in Eastern Kentucky's come-from-behind 40-39 win over Robert Morris in overtime.
 
A 40-yard field goal by Robert Morris (2-8) with 26 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 33-33, forcing overtime.
 
EKU (6-4) took the ball first in OT and went to Scott on four consecutive plays. The senior running back responded with runs of eight yards, 12 yards and three yards, before barreling in from two yards out to give the Colonels a 40-33 lead. It was Scott's third touchdown of the day.
 
RMU responded by scoring on a two-yard pass to Dorian Bowie. The visiting Colonials opted to go for the two-point conversion, but quarterback Jimmy Walker's pass was swatted away by Tucker in the right corner of the end zone to give the Colonels the thrilling victory.
 
It is EKU's fourth win in its last five games.
 
After Robert Morris opened the game with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, Eastern Kentucky responded with a 14-play, 71-yard drive of its own that ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by Scott. The Colonels' two-point conversion attempt failed, making it 7-6 with 4:34 remaining in the first quarter.
 
RMU tacked on a 38-yard field goal late in the first quarter, and then got a 43-yard touchdown run from Terence Stephens early in the second quarter to take a 16-6 advantage.
 
A 29-yard pass from freshman quarterback Parker McKinney to senior Dan Paul sparked the Colonels downfield on their next possession; however, the drive stalled in the red zone and EKU was forced to settle on a Samuel Hayworth 35-yard field goal, cutting the RMU lead to 16-9 with 9:17 to play before halftime.
 
RMU intercepted McKinney around midfield on EKU's next possession, and the Colonials converted the turnover into seven points, as Walker promptly found DeLano Madison for a 24-yard TD. The score gave Robert Morris a 23-9 lead with 1:44 left in the first half.
 
It looked like that would be the score at halftime; however, with five seconds on the clock, Darrien Tipps-Clemon blocked a Robert Morris punt at the Colonials' five-yard line and Brentton Ervin scooped it up and scored, making it 23-16 and swinging the momentum to EKU at the break.
 
The Colonels ran with that momentum early in the second half. After RMU missed a 31-yard field goal on its opening drive of the half, McKinney engineered a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. The drive was sparked by a 23-yard catch from freshman Jackson Beerman and a 28-yard catch-and-run by sophomore BK Smith to the RMU one-yard line. Scott bullied his way in from two yards out to cap the drive, tying the game at 23-23 with 4:51 left in the third quarter.
 
With the game still tied early in the fourth quarter, Tucker intercepted Walker and returned it to the Colonials' 30-yard line. EKU drove it to the three-yard line and then used a 30-yard field goal by Hayworth to take its first lead of the game, 26-23 with 8:41 remaining.
 
On Robert Morris' next drive, the Colonials went for it on 4^th-and-4 in the red zone and turned it into a 19-yard touchdown catch to retake the lead, 30-26, with 3:37 on the clock.
 
McKinney and the Colonels responded by marching 71 yards on eight plays. Beerman crowned the drive by making a diving touchdown catch in the left corner of the end zone to make it 33-30, EKU, with 1:20 remaining in the game.
 
Robert Morris used a 21-yard kick return and a 22-yard pass from Walker to Tim Vecchio to quickly get back into EKU territory. The Colonials then tied the game with a 40-yard field goal by Nick Bisceglia with 26 seconds on the clock.
 
Eastern was able to cross midfield on its ensuing drive; however, McKinney's Hail Mary attempt fell short, sending the game to overtime.
 
Making his first career start, McKinney finished with 186 yards and one touchdown through the air. Scott rushed for 82 yards on 19 carries.
 
The Colonels will conclude the 2018 regular season next Saturday with a road game at Tennessee Tech.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET in Cookeville.
 
NOTES
Jackson Beerman's touchdown catch with 1:20 left in the game was the first career scoring reception for the redshirt freshman
 
The Colonels are now 224-57-1 all-time in games played at Roy Kidd Stadium.
 
The Eastern Kentucky University football program now has a record of 601-386-38 in 105 seasons of football.  No other Ohio Valley Conference school has more than 563 football victories (Tennessee State).
 
The Colonels entered Saturday's game leading the nation with 16 interceptions this season.  Eastern totaled just five picks during the 2017 season.  EKU had one interception on Saturday against Robert Morris.
 
Coming into the game, EKU had limited its previous four opponents to 18.8 percent third down conversion rate (9-of-48).  RMU finished 7-of-16 on third downs.
 
L.J. Scott's first quarter 7-yard touchdown run was his sixth rushing score of the season and 12^th of his two-year Colonel career.  He added his seventh of the season and 13^th of his career in the third quarter on a 2-yard run.  His eighth of the season and 14^th career rushing score came on the first possession of overtime.
 
Darien Tipps-Clemons blocked punt in the closing moments of the second quarter was his second blocked punt this season.
 
Bentton Ervin returned Tipps-Clemons' blocked punt five yards for a touchdown. It was the first touchdown of his career and Eastern's first touchdown off a blocked punt this season.