HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – The Eastern Kentucky University football team fell on the road at Marshall on Saturday night, 38-7.
 
The loss drops the Colonels to 1-2 on the season, while the Thundering Herd earned their first win of the season, improving to 1-2.
 
"They [Marshall] are a good football team, they came in with some pride," said head football coach Walt Wells following the loss. "We've got to get better on offense and special teams…We are into our FCS slate now, we are 1-0 in FCS play, and we still have all our goals still in front of us."
 
The Colonels' lone score came courtesy of a 13-yard pitch and catch over the middle from new quarterback Jordyn Potts to wide receiver Jayden West early in the third quarter.
 
The score was set up by the EKU defense as Cam Junior stripped Marshall's quarterback on The Herd's first drive of the second half.
 
Defensive back Jaheim Ward led the team with a game-high 12 total tackles, nine of which were solo efforts, including a forced fumble.
 
How It Happened
 
Marshall started quickly, intercepting EKU's Myles Burkett on the first play from scrimmage, setting The Herd up at the Colonels' 24-yard line.
 
The Colonels' defense answered the call, however, stonewalling The Herd on fourth-and-one at the EKU 16-yard line to give the Colonels the ball back on downs.
 
MU got on the board first with a 19-yard field goal in its next drive to go up 3-0 with 8:14 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Another defensive interception by Marshall on EKU's ensuing drive quickly set The Herd up in the red zone, and they capitalized three plays later with a four-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown.
 
The score put MU up, 10-0, with just over five minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
 
The Herd put another seven points on its next possession, going 35 yards on six plays, capped off with a three-yard rush up the middle, putting MU up 17-0 with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
The Herd kept it going, scoring on their first drive of the second quarter with another three-play scoring drive covering 35 yards with a 30-yard catch and run, providing the score with 12:03 left in the second quarter.
 
On the Colonels' following drive, Jordyn Potts entered the game at quarterback.
 
Neither team scored until the end of the second quarter, as MU connected for a 30-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone, giving The Herd a 31-0 lead going into the break.
 
The Colonels started the second half with a spark on defense as linebacker Cam Junior delivered a strip sack, with defensive lineman Tommy Ziesmer jumping on the loose ball, setting up the EKU offense in the red zone.
 
Three plays later, Potts found Jayden West over the middle for a 13-yard strike for the touchdown, bringing the score to 31-7 with 8:01 left in the third quarter.
 
The Herd answered right back with a touchdown of their own on the ensuing drive, going 63 yards on five plays, finishing with a three-yard touchdown run, the final score of the game.
 
Up Next
 
The Colonels will hit the road again next week, opening United Athletic Conference play at West Georgia on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 6 p.m. ET.