ABILENE, Texas – Eastern Kentucky University's football team suffered its second straight road loss, falling to No. 17 Abilene Christian, 34-20.

It was a hard-fought battle, with the Colonels trailing by as few as one point late in the third quarter, but 13 unanswered points by the Wildcats made the difference.

"Winning is the objective, and that's not happening right now," head coach Walt Wells said. "I'm proud of our effort, but we have to execute better in those areas that make the difference."

Turnovers played a pivotal role in the UAC contest, with 13 of EKU's points and 10 of ACU's points coming off turnovers.

The Colonel defense forced two turnovers, an interception and a fumble recovery, but the offense gave the ball away four times, including two turnovers in the red zone.

In the loss, receiver Dequan Stanley had a career day, recording 116 receiving yards on five catches, including a 75-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

On defense, Jaheim Ward notched his first interception as a Colonel, along with a fumble recovery, a pass breakup, and nine total tackles.

EKU returns home next Saturday for the first time in two weeks for Homecoming against UAC opponent Utah Tech.

How It Happened
The first quarter was scoreless, with EKU's defense delivering two key stops in its own territory to start the game.

On ACU's second drive, the Colonels' defense came up big, as defensive lineman Marvion Field deflected a pass on fourth-and-2 at the EKU 34-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs.

The Wildcats broke the deadlock on the first play of the second quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run, capping an 11-play, 87-yard drive.

On the Colonels' ensuing drive, the offense marched to the ACU 13-yard line, but a third-down pass to the end zone was deflected and intercepted by a Wildcat defensive back.

ACU quickly entered Colonel territory with a 36-yard pass before converting a fourth-and-inches with an 18-yard touchdown pass off a play-action bootleg, extending its lead to 14-0 with 8:44 left in the second quarter.

EKU's defense sparked a key moment late in the second quarter after ACU took possession at the Colonels' 46-yard line following a punt. On the first play of the drive, Jaheim Ward intercepted a deflected pass, marking the first interception of his career.

The Colonel offense capitalized on the turnover with a 10-play, 58-yard drive, capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Matt Morrissey to Marcus Calwise Jr. at the front-left pylon, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with just 29 seconds left in the half. The score marked Calwise's first career touchdown reception.

ACU responded on its first drive of the second half with a 45-yard touchdown pass, stretching its lead to 21-7.

EKU answered quickly, as Morrissey connected with Stanley on a 75-yard slant for a touchdown on the Colonels' first offensive play of the second half.

The Colonel defense struck again on ACU's next possession, with Darrian Baker forcing a fumble that Ward recovered at the EKU 22-yard line. The offense then orchestrated a smooth drive, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run by Joshua Carter. ACU blocked the extra point, leaving the score at 21-20 with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter.

ACU responded with an 11-yard touchdown pass to complete a 10-play, 75-yard drive, increasing its lead to 28-20.

The Wildcats' defense intercepted a pass intended for Jayden West on EKU's next possession and returned it to the EKU 20-yard line. However, EKU's defense held firm, limiting ACU to a field goal, which pushed the score to 31-20 with 12:55 left in the fourth quarter.

The Colonels advanced the ball to the ACU 4-yard line on their next drive but were stopped on a fourth-and-1 pass to the end zone, turning the ball over on downs with just over eight minutes remaining.

ACU added one more field goal late in the fourth quarter to push the score to its final of 34-20.