VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Eastern Kentucky University football team fell in a nail-biter, 22-17, to No. 11-seed Villanova on Saturday night in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs.
 
The first-round game came down to the final play, as with six seconds left from the Villanova 10-yard line, quarterback Matt Morrissey scrambled outside the pocket and threw to an open Jackson House in the back of the end zone. However, House was ruled out of bounds as the clock hit zero.
 
Penalties played a significant role throughout the game, with each team being assessed 10 penalties. The Colonels were charged with 86 penalty yards, while the Wildcats accrued 104 yards.
 
The referees played another pivotal role in the game as in the third quarter EKU looked to have scored on a strip-sack, scoop-and-score, but the call on the field was overturned after review.
 
EKU finished the game with 286 yards of total offense, giving up 324 to Villanova.
 
Joshua Carter led the Colonels' offense with 193 yards of total offense, 150 of which came on the ground including a 77-yard rushing touchdown on the second play of the game.
 
Maddox Marcellus led EKU in tackles with 10 total tackles and one forced fumble. Defensive linemen Jeremiah Bailey and Darrian Baker also had standout performances.
 
Bailey had eight total tackles, two sacks, three tackles-for-loss, and one critical tipped pass that ended in an interception for Baker setting up an EKU score.
 
Baker ended the night with seven total tackles, one sack, three tackles-for-loss, and the interception.
 
EKU ends the season with an 8-5 record having gone 6-2 in United Athletic Conference play marking the most in each category under head coach Walt Wells.
 
How It Happened
The Colonels started firing on all cylinders as on the second play from scrimmage, running back Joshua Carter took a handoff up the middle 77 yards to the house to put EKU up, 7-0 with less than a minute off the clock.
 
The defense responded in kind, as defensive lineman Jeremiah Bailey sacked the 'Nova quarterback on third down to force a Wildcat punt.
 
Bailey made his presence known again on the next Wildcat possession deflecting a Villanova pass at the line of scrimmage as Darrian Baker made a diving interception to give the Colonels the ball at the Wildcats' 24-yard line.
 
Three plays later, Morrissey found wide receiver Marcus Calwise Jr. over the middle on an 11-yard strike for EKU's second touchdown to go up, 14-0 with just over five minutes left in the first.
 
Villanova looked to punch back on its next possession getting the ball to EKU's-two, but the Colonels stood tall with four straight stops to force a turnover-on-downs.
 
The Wildcats got on the board early in the second as EKU was backed up in its own territory, and a bad snap while attempting to punt, led to a safety with the ball going out the back of the endzone.
 
The Wildcats scored again on its subsequent offensive possession scoring on a short throw to the front left pylon to bring the score to 14-9 with 10:41 remaining in the first half.
 
On EKU's next drive, the Colonels were aided by multiple penalties against Villanova that helped set up Patrick Nations for a 48-yard field goal that was converted to extend EKU's lead to eight.
 
The field goal marked the longest of the season for Nations.
 
Later in the second, Villanova muffed a punt from EKU's Jacob Baker with Brady Hensley jumping on the loose ball at the Wildcats' 14-yard line.
 
EKU was unable to capitalize though, having to settle for a 26-yard field goal attempt on the left hash that was blocked by the Wildcats with 1:40 left in the half.
 
Villanova opened the second half strong, driving 56 yards on 10 plays finished off with a five-yard floated pass to the tight end for the score.
 
The Colonels' defense provided a spark as Maddox Marcellus stripped the Villanova quarterback with Cam Junior recovering the loose ball on the EKU-41 with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter, but the offense was unable to get much traction and was forced to punt.
 
On the next possession, the defense looked to have caused a scoop-and-score touchdown with Jeremiah Bailey on the return, but it was overturned after review.
 
The Wildcats scored later on that drive on a 42-yard field goal to go up, 19-17  with 14:37 left in regulation.
 
EKU looked to answer driving the ball into Wildcat territory on its following possession, but the Wildcats stripped EKU's Ron Vann Jr. at the Villanova-24 and took over possession with 11:38 remaining.
 
Following the fumble, the Wildcats and Colonels traded punts with Villanova taking over on their own 20-yard line with 6:01 on the clock.
 
The Wildcats proceeded to move the ball down the field into EKU territory and kept their drive alive on third-and-11 from the EKU 31 as their quarterback extended the play with his feet escaping the pocket and finding a wide receiver on the sideline for a 14-yard completion and first down.
 
EKU was then forced to burn its last time out before Villanova converted a 31-yard field goal to take the score to 22-17 with one minute remaining.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Jalen Montgomery returned the kick to EKU's 43-yard line, but a late hit out of bounds by the Wildcats saw the ball moved to the Wildcats'-42  with 54 seconds left.
 
EKU opened the drive with a 19-yard run up the middle by Carter to the 23, followed by a short pass out of the backfield to the running back getting to the 16-yard line of Villanova.
 
Following an incomplete pass, Morrissey looked to find Calwise Jr. over the middle at the goal line but was broken up following a hit by Villanova's safety who was flagged for targeting with 10 seconds remaining.
 
The targeting call was reviewed by the officials, however, and overturned leaving EKU facing a fourth-and-three at the 16 with 10 seconds remaining.
 
Morrissey found Carter once again out of the backfield for a six-yard completion with Carter being forced out of bounds stopping the clock at six seconds at the 10-yard line.
 
On the final play of the game, Morrissey escaped the pocket scrambling to his right throwing for Jackson House in the back of the end zone as time expired. House caught the pass but was ruled out of bounds ending the game and season for the Colonels.