CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Eastern Kentucky University football begins its 113th season of varsity football on Saturday night as the Colonels travel to face Western Carolina at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Daniel Hooker and John Brannon III on the call.
 
The game will also be available to listen to for free on Colonels All-Access with Wes Chandler and Jonathan Duff on the call for the EKU Sports Network. Saturday will mark Chandler's first game as Eastern Kentucky's lead play-by-play broadcaster. The Kentucky 811 Pregame Show begins one hour prior to kickoff.
 
Fans making the trip to Cullowhee can purchase single-game tickets online here.
 
Eastern Kentucky enters its seventh season under head coach Walt Wells looking to build on a 5-7 campaign in 2025. The Colonels return a veteran core led by junior linebacker Kaden Smith, the Preseason United Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a selection to the Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List.
 
Senior running back Brayden Latham and fifth-year defensive back Derek Taylor join Smith among EKU's Preseason All-UAC selections entering the 2026 campaign.
 
Eastern Kentucky will look to build on a defense that ranked among the best in the FCS in several categories last season. The Colonels led the nation with five defensive touchdowns while ranking 12th in fumbles recovered (10) and 20th in fourth-down defense (41.0 percent).
 
The "Maroon Doom" defense carried that momentum into the 2026 Spring Game, scoring 39 points in the modified scoring system behind two interceptions, two red-zone stops, a touchdown and a shutout during the second half late-game situation period.
 
Defenders Jeffrey Kinley and Preston Swope led all Colonels with seven tackles apiece, while Jackson Marshall recorded five tackles and one tackle for loss. Davion Sturgis added one of Eastern Kentucky's two interceptions.
 
Saturday marks the ninth all-time meeting between Eastern Kentucky and Western Carolina. The Colonels lead the series, 5-3, including a 3-1 record in Cullowhee since the series began in 1988.
 
EKU's depth chart for Week 0 at Western Carolina can be found online here. The Colonels announced that sophomore Tyler Travers will be the team's starting quarterback against WCU on Friday morning.
 
Scouting Western Carolina
Western Carolina enters 2026 under fifth-year head coach Kerwin Bell, who will look to lead the Catamounts to a fifth consecutive winning season.
 
The Catamounts went 7-5 overall and 6-2 in Southern Conference play last season behind one of the nation's top offenses. WCU finished the year ranked top five in the FCS in passing offense, total offense, passing efficiency and first downs.
 
Earlier this week, Western Carolina named junior Lex Thomas its starting quarterback. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native transferred to WCU from North Carolina State, where he appeared in four games across two seasons and completed seven passes for 83 yards.
 
WCU's complete depth chart for the opening week of the 2026 season can be found online here.