RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University football team opens the 2024 season on the road against Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference this Saturday, Aug. 31.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ with Kevin Fitzgerald handling play-by-play duties and longtime college football coach Charlie Strong serving as the analyst.
The audio broadcast will also be simulcast in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and it can be streamed worldwide on EKUSports.com with Greg Stotelmyer, Jim Tirey, and Wes Chandler on the call.
Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between the Colonels and Bulldogs on the gridiron.
The Colonels
EKU enters a new era on Saturday with
Matt Morrissey starting at quarterback.
A graduate transfer from Western Illinois, Morrissey threw for 1,981 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Leathernecks, averaging 180 yards per game and completing 60.8% of his passes.
The Colonels' roster features four preseason All-UAC selections: offensive lineman
Payton Collins, tight end
Hunter Brown, defensive back
Mike Smith Jr., and kicker
Patrick Nations.
In the backfield, redshirt senior
Joshua Carter will lead the rushing attack after posting 714 yards and four touchdowns on 120 carries last season.
On defense, the Colonels return eight projected starters who played in at least 10 games last year.
Smith Jr. aims to build on a strong 2023 campaign in which he tied for the most passes defended in the UAC with 13, along with recording two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. The senior also begins the season on the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl Watchlist.
Up front, EKU returns the formidable trio of
Jeremiah Bailey,
Ryan Jackson, and
Darrian Baker, with
Kyle Kelly anchoring the linebackers.
Saturday also marks the beginning of the final season for preseason All-American
Patrick Nations as the kicker enters his fourth year with the Colonels.
In 2023, the Tamassee, South Carolina, native led all of FCS in field goals per game, converting 19-of-25 attempts and 31 extra points.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Saturday marks the start of a new era for Mississippi State, as it will be the first game under head coach Jeff Lebby.
Lebby arrives in Starkville after most recently serving as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. Since 2019, Lebby's schemes have produced five individual 3,000+ yard passing seasons and four individual 1,000+ yard receiving seasons.
The Bulldogs return three starters from the 2023 team: De'Monte Russell, Corey Ellington, and J.P. Purvis, all on defense.
Senior Blake Shapen is expected to start at quarterback in Lebby's high-flying offense.
A transfer from Baylor, Shapen started eight games for the Bears in 2023, throwing for 2,188 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions on 184-of-298 passing. He enters 2024 with a streak of 11 straight games with a touchdown pass.
Mississippi State's roster has several new faces this season, as the Bulldogs added 28 players through the transfer portal and the junior college ranks in the offseason. Of those 28, 20 came from the portal, and nine were from Power 4 schools.
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