The Colonels will open with Marshall and then travel to The Citadel.
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University’s football team will open the 2020 season at Marshall on Sept. 5 in Huntington, West Virginia.
The game time has not been set at this time.
“While we would have loved to open the season and the coach Walt Wells era at home in front of our fans on a Thursday night, the circumstances obviously require flexibility,” Director of Athletics Matt Roan said. “We are excited as a program and department to announce this game against a historic, regional rival. We look forward to announcing other games as we strive to provide special opportunities for our football student-athletes this fall.”
Eastern Kentucky and Marshall were once FCS rivals. The two perennial national championship contenders met each season from 1985 to 1992. This will be the second meeting in the last three seasons. The Thundering Herd picked up a 32-16 win in Huntington on Sept. 8, 2018. Marshall leads the all-time series 11-8-1.
The Thundering Herd were 8-5 during the 2019 season and lost to Central Florida in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23.
Eastern Kentucky will play at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina on Sept. 26.
The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs are ranked among the top-25 teams in the nation this season, including 21st by HERO Sports.
“We are excited to add a quality, top-25 ranked Football Championship Subdivision team like The Citadel to our 2020 season,” Director of Athletics Matt Roan said. “This is an outstanding opportunity for our student-athletes to compete against a championship-caliber opponent and a destination for our fans to travel with the Colonels. As a leading military-friendly university, we also appreciate the fact that The Citadel is a senior military college.”
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two football programs.
The Citadel is a member of the Southern Conference and plays its home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Bulldogs were 6-6 in 2019 with a 4-4 conference mark. The Citadel scored a 27-24 overtime win at Georgia Tech early in the season and won four of its final six games to finish the 2019 campaign.
The remaining 2020 Colonel football schedule will be announced in the near future.
