RICHMOND, Ky. – EKU football will play its second consecutive home game of the 2023 season on Saturday night as the Colonels face No. 16 Southeast Missouri State at CG Bank Field at Roy Kidd Stadium.

The game will air on ESPN+ with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Greg Stotelmyer will handle play-by-play duties with Jim Tirey serving as the analyst and Wes Chandler working as the sideline reporter. The audio broadcast will also be simulcast in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

- EKU leads the all-time series 26-5.

-The first time these two teams met was in 1990 when EKU won 45-0 in Richmond.

- The Colonels won 12 consecutive games against Southeast Missouri State from 1990-2001.

 

THE COLONELS

- EKU is seeking a win over a ranked opponent for the fourth consecutive season. The Colonels beat No. 15 Southeast Missouri State 28-23 last year in Cape Girardeau, Mo. 

- Quarterback Parker McKinney accounted for 425 total yards on Saturday against Western Carolina. McKinney threw for a season-high 366 yards and led the Colonels with 59 yards rushing on eight carries. 

- Wide receiver Jaden Smith caught a career-high 10 passes against the Catamounts for a season-high 121 yards. Smith leads the Colonel receiving corps in catches and yards this season.  

- EKU suffered a 27-24 loss in its home opener against Western Carolina last Saturday.

- Linebacker Logan Blake is the only player in the United Athletic Conference to record an interception while averaging at least 9.0 tackles per game and 1.0 tackle for loss per game this season.

- Wide receiver Ethan Bednarczyk had his best day as a Colonel on Saturday, catching four passes for 68 yards. 

-Tight end Mena Mannan made his first career start on Saturday, becoming the first true freshman to start for the Colonels since 2021. 

 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

- In 2022, Southeast Missouri State won its third Ohio Valley Conference title and was undefeated in the OVC at 5-0, giving the Redhawks their first undefeated mark in OVC play ever.

- The Redhawks finished 9-3 in 2022, ending the season on November 26 with a 34-24 loss against Montana in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

- Southeast Missouri State is coming off a 26-25 loss against Southern Illinois.

- Linebacker Bryce Norman returned last week after a shoulder injury to lead SEMO's defense with 12 tackles against Southern Illinois.

- Defensive back Eric Ivory Jr. had two interceptions and recorded seven tackles for the Redhawks against Southern Illinois.