RICHMOND, Ky. – It's football time in Richmond! The Eastern Kentucky University football program hosts Chattanooga in its 2026 home opener, presented by Coca-Cola, Saturday night at CG Bank Field at Roy Kidd Stadium.
 
Kickoff against the Mocs is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff, with a full list of pregame activities set to be announced Friday afternoon.
 
Season and single game tickets remain available for Eastern Kentucky's six-game home slate. Fans can purchase tickets online here.
 
Those unable to attend can watch the game live on ESPN+ with Wes Chandler, Terry Johnson and Michelle Knezovic on the call.
 
Fans can also listen for free on Colonels All-Access with Sam Gormley and Michael Watkins of the EKU Sports Network on the air. The Kentucky 811 Pregame Show begins one hour prior to kickoff.
 
Eastern Kentucky (0-2) enters its home opener seeking its first win of the 2026 campaign after opening the season with consecutive road losses to Western Carolina and Jacksonville State.
 
Sophomore quarterback Tyler Travers prepares for his first game inside the friendly confines of Roy Kidd Stadium. The Mount Juliet, Tennessee, native has totaled 395 passing yards and three touchdowns through EKU's first two games.
 
Saturday's matchup carries added significance for Travers, whose mother, Miranda Warfield Travers, was inducted into the Chattanooga Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018 after starring for the Mocs' women's basketball program from 2000-04.
 
She was a three-time All-Southern Conference selection and helped guide Chattanooga to an NCAA Tournament appearance during her senior season.
 
Eastern Kentucky found success on the ground in last week's 49-7 loss at Jacksonville State. Junior running back Brady Hensley rushed for 91 yards on seven carries and scored the Colonels' lone touchdown of the game, tying his career long with a 72-yard touchdown run.
 
Defensively, fifth-year safety Derek Taylor has recorded double figure tackles in each of EKU's first two games and leads the Colonels with 10.0 tackles per game.
 
Taylor, a Greenbrier, Tennessee, native, enters Saturday ranked 21st in the FCS in total tackles and tackles per game. Sophomore linebacker Cam Jessee and fellow fifth-year safety Jeffrey Kinley are tied for second on the team with 15 tackles apiece.
 
Saturday marks the seventh all-time meeting between Eastern Kentucky and Chattanooga and first since 2011. The Mocs hold a 3-2-1 advantage in a series dating back to 1973.
 
The programs will meet again in Chattanooga in 2027 as part of a home-and-home series.
 
Scouting Chattanooga
Chattanooga enters Saturday with a 1-1 record after defeating fellow United Athletic Conference member West Georgia, 24-10, in its season opener before falling to No. 12 Tennessee Tech, 24-9, at home last week.
 
The Mocs are led by head coach Rusty Wright, who is in his eighth season at Chattanooga and owns a 43-35 (.551) record.
 
Offensively, Chattanooga is led by junior quarterback Battle Alberson. The Florida native has thrown for 217 yards and two touchdowns through the first two games of the season.
 
On defense, senior safety Kam Baah-Slay leads Chattanooga with 12 tackles and has added two pass breakups. Senior edge rusher Orlando Daniels has recorded two of the Mocs' 10 total sacks through two games. The Mocs are top 20 in the FCS in rushing defense (57.0), total defense (228.0), and scoring defense (17.0).