5 Things You Need to Know About the Eastern Kentucky Colonels

After one week of football the Kentucky Wildcats are 1-0. The ‘Cats flashed a balanced offense, swarming defense, and much improved special teams in a 44-14 win over Ball State. Now, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels will come to Kroger Field for a week two battle. Last week, the Colonels were blown out by Cincinnati 66-13. The FCS program may find success at their level, they were a playoff team last year, but things won’t get much easier for EKU when they face Kentucky at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday.

Former Wildcats quality control coach Walt Wells has led the Colonels to back-to-back winning seasons including last year’s FCS Playoff berth. However, steps up in competition have not always been kind to Eastern Kentucky. Under Coach Wells, EKU has been pounded by the likes of West Virginia, Louisville, and Cincinnati in back-to-back-to-back seasons. Will the same happen on Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field? The experts out in Las Vegas sure think so as the Wildcat are sitting at -35.5 favorites at the time of this post.

Quite simply, while the ‘Cats respect Coach Wells and their in-state brethren, this one shouldn’t be much of a game. Therefore, there is no reason to waste too much breath in the introduction. First, as always, make sure you’ve read Adam Luckett’s Scouting Report and Freddie Maggard’s goals for the game. Now, let’s dive right into the main course and cover five things you need to know about the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

Eastern Kentucky Has a Star at Quarterback

Last season, Parker McKinney powered one of the best offenses in the FCS. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels put up over 36 points per game and averaged 8.6 yards per pass with McKinney as the trigger man. Both of those numbers ranked 11th nationally. Now, the Walter Payton Award finalist is back for his super senior season in Richmond.

The ASUN Co-Offensive Player of the Year put up just shy of 4,000 passing yards, 3,956 to be exact, along with a program-record 33 touchdowns. For his career, McKinney has accumulated 9,895 passing yards (7.5 yards per attempt, 62.6% completion rate), 95 total touchdowns (75 pass, 20 rush), 34 interceptions, and 1,431 rushing yards. Those are some very, very impressive numbers. The veteran signal caller will look to show his skills on Saturday against a talented SEC defense. If the ‘Cats don’t give McKinney the proper respect, he is good enough to make them pay.

Returning Receiver Creates Dynamic Duo

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels return their top pass catcher from a year ago. The tandem of Parker McKinney at quarterback and Jaden Smith at wide receiver will create one of the more potent duos in the FCS. However, how that translates to SEC competition remains to be seen. As a sophomore, Smith caught 62 balls for 750 yards and six touchdowns. He was once again the top target in his first game as a junior against Cincinnati. The 5’10” Georgia native reeled in five catches for 81 yards against the Bearcats. Elsewhere, 6’4″ tight end Hunter Brown caught the Colonels lone touchdown last Saturday. Leigh transfer Jalen Burbage and Wake Forest transfer Jackson Hensley are two other names to know.

Dual-Threat Out of the Backfield

In the backfield, Braedon Sloan is a dynamic dual-threat weapon. He was Eastern Kentucky’s leading rusher last season with 629 yards on 147 attempts with seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, through the air, Sloan also accounted for 42 receptions, 506 yards, and three scores. The 5’11” junior will factor heavily into what the Colonels do offensively and is a favorite check-down option of McKinney’s in the passing game. However, it was redshirt junior Joshua Carter who was most effective in week one. Against Cincinnati, Carter 72 yards on just seven carries. Backup quarterback Cameron Hergott found some success on the ground as well so expect to see a package or two for him on Saturday afternoon.

Colonels Defense Set to Struggle Once Again

Things weren’t very pretty on the defensive side of the ball in 2022 for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. They allowed 35.2 points per game which ranked outside of the Top 100 in the FCS. On the ground, they allowed 5.6 yards per rush which was 117th in the FCS. Look for Ray Davis and the Kentucky rushing attack to have their way with EKU’s defense at Kroger Field. In week one, Cincinnati racked up 249 yards and three scores on the ground and averaged over five yards per carry. If the Wildcats can replicate those type of numbers it could be a long day in Lexington for the Colonels.

Cincinnati put up 66 points, including 42 in the first half, last week against Eastern Kentucky. This is a defense that returns just five of their 17 primary rotation defensive players from a unit that was already bad last year. That is not a recipe for success. This is a game where Ray Davis needs to dominate on the ground and Devin Leary needs to find his rhythm through the air with his receiving corps. A big offensive game for the ‘Cats should be on the docket for Saturday afternoon.

The Walt Wells Story

Let’s face it. The storylines on the field are not all that compelling for this week two matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. However, there is a story about EKU head coach Walt Wells that certainly deserves attention. Most people around the state of Kentucky have probably heard the story by now, but if not just know that Coach Wells is lucky to be on the Kroger Field sideline.

Just over a year ago on August 28th Coach Wells suffered a heart attack in his office. Quite simply, he was dead. There was 95% blockage in the main artery and his life was put into the hands of a procedure with a success rate of about 20%. Luckily, after Eastern Kentucky’s director of football operations found him on the floor of his office, Coach Wells was rushed to UK Hospital in Lexington. Life saving procedures would take place over the course of several hours and miraculously just days later he walked out of the hospital. Then, a week later, Coach Wells delivered the pregame speech as the Colonels defeated Bowling Green in seven overtimes. It is a truly remarkable story.