EKU... what happened???

[ChickenMan]

From '79 through '95 EKU won two 1AA titles and missed the playoffs only twice... but since that time they have only one additional playoff appearence... in '97. I know Roy Kidd left a few years ago... but the EKU slide began a few years prior to his retirement. EKU was once a dominate program... what happened???

[GannonFan]

I'd expand the question to include the whole of the Ohio Valley conference - while certainly EKU was the best team from this league there were many years the others (Murray St, E Illinois, Tenn St among others) were good to very good as well. What happened to this conference, or didn't happen, that has limited their success over the past decade (;ast playoff win was Murray St in '96 I believe).

[JaxSinfonian]

I'm still a newcomer in observing the OVC, but I'd say many of the member institutions simply don't place a lot of emphasis on football. Is that a change from previous decades? I don't know, but right now basketball seems to reign supreme at the other schools, at the expense of fan and booster support for football. Losing WKU and MTSU certainly didn't help from a competetive standpoint, either.

Many people, of course, still describe EKU as a football school, and they may be the exception to the scenario I described above. But as the quality of their conference opponents has declined, it's hurt them, too.

I think JSU claiming the conference title each of our first two years in the league may actually help to change the situation. You can bet that the Colonels will do all they can this year to see that the Gamecocks don't three-peat, and that kind of motivation can only make them better. Many of the OVC schools have scheduled some tough OOC competition, and as they continue that I think we'll see the league improve ... if slowly.

[Paladin1aa]

EKU & the OVC don't recruit Fla. as well as they did.

[colonelblitz]

Long story made short, lack of funding, lack of interest by a former Prez . Had it not been for Coach Kidd and support from Alumni, we would probably be non scholly. Eastern has always been a football school. Granted we did make the big dance this year, but the last time for that was 79. We now have a Prez that loves football and every aspect of EKU. There is a new energy at Eastern and alot of that is due to coach Hope. He is a man on a mission. The results will start to show this year . imho We had our spring game this pass weekend and my friends down at JSU may have a difficult time with a 3peat. We had 2650 fans for a spring game. Most schools don't get that for a regular season game. The interest and excitement is there, we just need to win some games. We don't play DII schools anymore, we are looking to play the best ooc schools we can schedule. ie Vandy,NCstate,Appy, western KY to name a few. Thats made it hard the last couple of years with a new coach , new offensive scheme, getting the players that fit that scheme. Hope is building a team, some fans only look at the wins and losses, but I see the big picture. He stresses going to class,graduating, building productive citizens, hard work, never giving up on goals.I don't beleive he has ever turned down a speaking engagement or any opportunity to promote EKU. He is a tireless worker and his team and staff are following along. So Coach Hope will have EKU will be back very soon!

OVC outlook.. JSU and Samford have brought some excellent competition back into the league. After Middle,wku left, we had a drop. UTM and SEMO did not bring much to the table. Although SEMO has been on the rise and plays respectable football. The Bama schools , atleast for EKU fans, were a great addition. They love football as much as we do. I think the OVC is on the rise, overall.

We still have one streak going, 27 yrs without a losing season. Add to that a new coach and stiffer competition for the last 3yrs. So we have done well to keep our heads above water until help arrived.haha

Bluehens.. we have had some great battles in the past. Tubby and Roy were two great coaches. Your 2003 team was awesome. I'll be watching you this year.

JaxSinfonian.. Always great to hear from you. Hope to made the trip to JSU this year. Should be quite a battle.

[Golden Eagle]

(last playoff win was Murray St in '96 I believe).

November 25, 2000
Western Kentucky 27
Florida A&M 0

Before that

November 30, 1996
Murray State 34
Western Illinois 6

Like somebody said, this is primarily a basketball conference. I can see signs of a renaissance in football, however. I'd say it's looking up.

[Libertine]

From my experience with EKU, c'blitz is exactly right about the lack of funding issue. This is not intended as smack but the exact moment I realized that Roy "The Legend" Kidd was holding the whole show together was the week before we played the Colonels in 2002. It came time for the Sunday film exchange and the contact at EKU wanted to drive and meet halfway (it's 8-9 hours from Lynchburg to Richmond, KY one-way) because the admin wouldn't give Coach Kidd the $60/wk to ship the tapes on a plane.
It's good to see Hope doing some good work there because I was very concerned for EKU football when Kidd retired.

[kats89]

Colonelblitz,

Sam Houston knows oh to well on what a new prez with fire in his belly will do. Sam Houston got a new president not too many years ago and he has be a man on a mission. All of the new construction on campus has been just unbelievable. And he, more than anyone, knows how important football is to our university, especially in Texas. Football is the lifeblood and I think because of his vision and leadership, Sam Houston has made a big leap in the last several years. He wants a winner!!

[Killtoppers90]

Funding is a major issue with ALL teams not named UK or Uof L in the Bluegrass state. Like all other areas, the KY 1-AA teams are viewed as red-headed stepchildren and not really worth the effort of the KY legislature. At least the EKU fans have a passion for their team enough to show up to all their games. I cannot even say that for my own at times. EKU has a superb fan base and support but it is hard to get recruits to go to Richmond. It is a dreadful place - I've been there and spent a year there one weekend! Bowling Green may not be much better but I believe that it is.

[GannonFan]

November 25, 2000
Western Kentucky 27
Florida A&M 0

Before that

November 30, 1996
Murray State 34
Western Illinois 6

Like somebody said, this is primarily a basketball conference. I can see signs of a renaissance in football, however. I'd say it's looking up.
My apologies, I wasn't sure when WKU bolted to the Gateway. Still, not a particularly good thing when no current conference members have won since '96.

[colonelblitz]

Killtoppers made some good points about the KY legislature and our fan base. The rest is typical ..haha See ya at the battle of the Bluegrass..

Bowling Green..If I had 3 days to live, thats where I would go... It would seem like an eternity.. or I'm no longer afraid of Hell, I've been to wku.. :)

[Golden Eagle]

Still, not a particularly good thing when no current conference members have won since '96.

Indeed. And the Gamecocks' poor showing (or lack of one) the past two years are disgruntling to say the least.

[Umass74]

In 1988, UMass hooked up with a pretty good EKU team in the first round of the 1-AA playoffs. Umass was 8-3 and tied for the A10 crown.

Gameday feature strong winds and a driving rain. That pretty much killed both passing games. EKU was 3-7 for 37 yards and UMass was 6-18 for 59 yards. UMass led 14-0, but with 3 minutes to play and UMass down 21-17, EKU's Elroy Harris (40-191-1) scored to put EKU ahead for good. On the next set of downs EKU held UMass on fourth and then ran in another score to to make it 28-17 EKU.

I think Harris ended up playing in the pros, but an EKU fan could tell us for sure. I also don't remember how EKU did in the rest of the playoffs.

[Golden Eagle]

I also don't remember how EKU did in the rest of the playoffs.

December 3, 1988
Eastern Kentucky 41
Western Kentucky 24

December 10, 1988
Georgia Southern 21
Eastern Kentucky 17

[Killtoppers90]

That was the era when EKU was just friggin unstoppable around the league. But they have always played us tough regardless.

[JaxSinfonian]

Good to see you here, too, Blitz. So, how are the Colonels looking this spring? What can we expect this fall? Is Greco likely to start at QB?

We know EKU can step up to the OVC competition on any given day. How do you feel about the Colonels' chances against App. St., Western and NC State? And no blind optimism. Let's be honest here.

[colonelblitz]

Looks like a tough row to hoe those first 3 game. Then TTU to start the OVC. TTU always comes to play at Richmond. Honestly, it all depends on the QB. I believe the rest is in place. We had our spring game last week, players are bigger, faster, more depth at every position. But it still comes down to the QB. Greco looked atlot better, but he was out played (imho) by a RSF named Denton. Granted Denton was going against the second team, but he was quick on his decisions , has a strong arm with a quick release. He did catch the eye of alot of other fans , including the Coach.

ASU thoughts. We win, because its at EKU. Hopefully their QB won't have another career day against us.

NCstate.. lose We played Vandy tough last year, but the wolfpack are alot better than Vandy. I know we won't be intimidated, but it would be real hard to beat them .

wku..the D has played well enough to win the last 2 games, but the Offense did nothing to help them out. Much like our game last year.haha Its tough to win at WkU. But, if by the time we travel there our offense has scored over 50 pts for the season, we win. One thing is for sure, it will be a battle!

So, I'll say 2-1 to start the OVC. Blind optimism.. 3-0

What about the Gamecocks?

[colonelblitz]

[I think Harris ended up playing in the pros, but an EKU fan could tell us for sure. I also don't remember how EKU did in the rest of the playoffs.[/QUOTE]

He played for the Seahawks.

[JaxSinfonian]

The big question will of course be, can JSU replace Oscar Bonds at tailback? But then, EKU was picked first in the OVC last year because no one thought the Gamecocks would be able to replace Kory Chapmon. Our staff always seems to squeeze the yardage out of somebody, and we've got a promising stable of youngsters waiting to inherit the ground game. Our OL will be young, and that will be question mark #2, I think. Our most solid position is QB, with Mullins starting as a senior and two reliable backups behind him. Not sure about the defense. I missed our limited spring games, but heard the D did well. I just hope we can keep people from passing on us all day this year.

OOC competition will be tough. If UTC is twice as good as they were last year and JSU is less then half as good as last year, then that game could be close. But I don't think that will be the case.

The same logic applies to the opener with Furman, but in reverse. They proved last season that JSU wasn't ready. By Sept. 1, the Gamecocks will have had nine months to solve them. Here's hoping FU doesn't make the equation any tougher. Maybe Ingle Martin will take a summer vacation to Europe and get lost on the way home.

I really don't know what to expect from UAB. If we play well against Furman I'll give us even odds against the Blazers. We may outdraw their fans at Legion Field.

1-2 for OOC is an easy prediction, but I say we pull at least one of the upsets and go 2-1. Then we visit SEMO and come home to host the visitors from Richmond for the OVC title game.

[colonelblitz]

Maroon Scores 26-23 Overtime Victory Over White In EKU Football's Annual Spring Game
http://ekusports.com/article.asp?articleid=69040

Richmond, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University football team needed overtime to decide the winner of Saturday’s annual Spring Game, and it was the Maroon squad which came out victorious, 26-23, behind the heroics of quarterback Steven Sizemore in front of a crowd of 2,650 at Roy Kidd Stadium. A native of Lost Creek, Ky., Sizemore connected with Matt Schoborg for a 24-yard strike down to the one-yard line, then punched in the game-winning touchdown to lead the Maroon team to victory.

Tied at 20-all after four quarters of action, head coach Danny Hope decided to send the contest into overtime with both teams starting from their opponents 25-yard line. The White team took the ball at the start of overtime but was held to a 40-yard Zach Wertz field goal. After sophomore Mark Dunn moved the chains with an 11-yard scamper, the White team looked to be in good shape with first and 10 at the 14-yard line. But a blocking penalty and a sack by Mark Cristiani and Jerome James killed the team’s momentum and forced them to settle for a field goal.

Sizemore immediately came out firing on the Maroon team’s possession. Though his first pass attempt was dropped in the end zone, Sizemore came right back and hit Schoborg for the 24-yard completion. On first and goal from the one, Sizemore plunged over the line to give the Maroon squad the win.

“We weren’t going to let it end in a tie, so we decided to send the game into overtime, but I was afraid it was going to go into double overtime there for a while,” said Hope. “I was very pleased with the crowd tonight. It was one of the biggest we have ever had for the spring game and we appreciate all of our fans for their support and enthusiasm because it adds a lot of fire to our program.”...

[Cocky]

Our defense should be greatly improved. Rowell, Haff, and Robinson will be a good set of lbs. Agee moving to CB will solve one side of the passing problem. If Williams transfers from MSU that will give us a big time hitter at safety. If Cooper transfers from UGA the running game will be extra tough. That is two big ifs that could put us competitive in the playoffs. The running game will be strong with Green, Slaughter, and the true freshman Jackson (this guy should be special).

[colonelblitz]

Jaxsin.. I can still see us taking the lead in the game last year and the offense not getting a big first down to run down the clock. Then I see Bonds running towards our sideline, stop , reverse field, get a first down on a big gain, well you know the rest.haha When Guice went down last year, we knew it would be tough to win the big games. Coach Beathard thinks Greco has made great strides, all the tools are there, he's just waiting for the light to come on. He showed signs of what I think he will become, an excellent QB. Must say I feel more confident in the QB position than I did last year. Greco was the 4th string QB last year and after watching Denton and Sizemore last weekend , I do feel better. The other QB Koester is possibly the best passer of them all is still suffering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him all of last year. The key for Greco (imho) is to play within himself. Not force the ball to the receivers, limit TO's, ie interceptions, taking the sack. Too many times last year he put the defense in bad situations, most times they rose to the challenge , but they need help. If the offense can get going , we will be very,very hard to beat. I say this believeing our D will be the strength of the team. Two deep at every position, some postions 3. Like Coach Hope said, they play with alot of confidence.

I still think the OVC champion will be one of us. Murray does have an advantage in that they play EKU, JSU,EIU at home and they don't play TSU.
Hard to read MSU with all the transfers.

[EKUColonel]

Yeah blitz I've got to agree with you, QB will be the key for EKU this year. I think EKU's run game will be solid, Mark Dunn looked good in the Spring game scoring 2 TDs. The D should be pretty solid again this year. It will depend on if Greco lives up to the expectations. I was really impressed with Steven Sizemore's play at QB during the Spring game. He went to Hazard High School, which is right next to where I went to school at Knott Central. He used to tourch my high school all the time. I think if Greco dosn't pan out, that Sizemore might step in and play well. Also Denton looked very impressive as well in the Spring game. I'm expecting good things from EKU this season.

[colonelblitz]

Welcome EKUCOLONEL. I thought Sizemore got better as the game wore on last weekend. Do you know anything about Hundley? Another player that impressed me was Davin Walker, very fast. what to do for the next 132 days..haha