LJ Scott put Colonels up for good with touchdown in the fourth quarter
RICHMOND, Ky. – Freshman Steven Crowder blocked a punt and Eastern Kentucky turned the short field into the go-ahead touchdown with 9:12 left in the game to pick up a 14-10 victory over Saint Francis in the season finale on Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium.
After the Red Flash had taken the lead late in the third quarter, EKU forced a three-and-out on SFU’s next possession. The visitors were forced to punt from their own 41-yard line. Crowder got his hand on the attempt and the Colonels took over at the Saint Francis 34 yard line.
Eastern gave the ball to LJ Scott of five straight plays and he delivered the go-ahead touchdown. He started it with a 17-yard gain and capped it with a 7-yard run to the end zone. The ensuing extra-point by Lucas Williams put EKU on top 14-10 with 9:12 left to play.
EKU missed on a long field goal with 2:21 on the clock. However, the defense answered the call, stopping Saint Francis on four downs when TJ Comstock intercepted a pass to secure the win.
Eastern Kentucky (4-7) held SFU to 88 rushing yards and 255 total yards of offense. On Senior Day, senior linebacker Jeffrey Canady contributed 15 tackles, including a sack and broke up a pass.
Scott totaled 41 yards on eight carries and scored one touchdown. Daryl McCleskey Jr. had 39 yards rushing and Ethan Thomas ran for 32 yards. Dan Paul caught three passes for 43 yards.
Bear Fenimore went 11-for-25 for 164 yards for the Red Flash. Byron Johnson ran the ball 20 times for 80 yards.
Saint Francis (5-6) got on the board first with a wind-aided 44-yard field goal with 13:24 remaining in the second quarter.
Austin Scott engineered a scoring drive midway through the second quarter to put EKU on top. He got it started with a 9-yard completion to Paul before Thomas broke off a 23-yard run to get into Red Flash territory.
Scott moved the chains with a third down, 7-yard completion to Neiko Creamer to the Saint Francis 30 yard line. Two plays later, McCleskey hauled in a short pass and turned it into a 26 yard gain to the one-yard line. Scott finished it off with a quarterback sneak for the touchdown. The extra-point made it 7-3.
SFU missed on a 28-yard field goal to end the first half.
The Red Flash took the lead late in the third quarter when Fenimore capped off a 13-play, 56-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The extra-point put the visitors in front 10-7 with seven seconds left in the third.
