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i just wanted to say thank you guys for letting me sign on to your board and  chat a little. You have been  gracious  host. Good  luck the rest of they year.
I will  be  following you and  check in from time to time if you don't  mind. GOOD LUCK !

We think a breakout year for  EKU.   The one think  that is  concerning  is  injuries,  Like  all FCS  schools you can  have scattered  injuries  that you can  overcome,  but  if  they start racking  up  at the same position you can get in trouble and be derailed  very  quickly.  Like  last  year , We  started the  season with 4 quality  QBs.  We lost Numbers  one and two  on two consecutive  plays.  both  out  for the balance  of  season.  The  next  game  number  Three  went  down.  Number  four went  early in practice the following  during a  non contract  drill.  With  four games  left we  pulled  our  true  Freshman that  had  been  running  the  scout team  and  started  him the last  four  games. Turns out  he was  everything and  more than  we  expected when  he was  recruited. He won  all  four  games  and  competed  for  the  starting  spot  this year. He is now  our  number two  as  a Freshman. Just  thankful  for the new  rule instituted last  year  that allows  a player  to  participate  in four  games  without  giving  up his red-shirt.  We were lucky McKinney was  up to the task. Any other season it would have devastated us.

I can not  speak  for the  staff,  but my opinion is that IF there is point they feel like the game is in hand,  they will start pulling   starters. We play Louisville  next  week and  need  everyone  healthy. i will  say that if  that  time  does   come,  i believe they  will NOT merely run  the ball  up  he  middle every time. I think they will go as  deep  into  the roster as they can  but  still  let  them  run the offence.  This  early  in the  season  they will  probably  want to see  how the younger  guys execute against  someone  other  than  their  own team. On a side note,  I will say we feel  this is the deepest and most  talented team  we have  had  in the last  12 years. Coach Elders third  strait  top 15 recruiting  class.  They have  filled spots  of immediate  need with  solid  FBS and  JUCO  transfers. We had  to play a lot of  true Freshmen Coach  Elders  first  two years and  we  now have a lot of  seasoned  upper classmen. Strengths  should  come  from  the O side of  the ball.  Very  strong  at QB   Coner Blount  will  get the start.  He  started 6 games  for Oregon St  last  year . The  guy behind  him is a RS  Freshman  that  had  to be pressed  into action  the last  four  games  last  year as  a true  freshman,  He  won  all  four  games. The  number  three  guy was  the starter most  of  the  games  last  year  until  the  injury.  The  number  4  guys is  a rs  Junior that is a parade  all  american  but has  started  games    every  year,  has  had  some  injuries   but is  healthy  now. We are 4 or  5 deep  at  RB.  with  McCluskey being  a  small  but  tough runner.  averaged 4.7 ypc  lst  year,  Other  number  1 or  number  2 is  Jason  Lewis   a  huge 6-3 240 pound   transfer  from  Arizona  State and the  #3  is  another  big  6-1 250 bruiser  out  of  Columbus  Ohio.  He  was  runner  up  for  Mr.  football  his   senior year  in HS.  He  played  in 7 games  a a true  Freshman before he  got  injured,  He  played  in  the first four  games  last  year  averaging  4.5 ypc then decided to  redshirt,  He is  back  this  year  as  a RS  Sophomore,  . The guy  behind  him is fbs  transfer  from  Marshall. the O  line will  average around  6-2 or  so and a  shade over 300 pounds couple  guys  in the  6-4 and  6-5 range.  Oline  coach ( former EKU  and  Purdue  head   coach  Danny  Hope)  says he  has  9 guys  that  have  started  in  D1 games  and  that  any of  the  nine  could  be  starters.  WR  is  just  as  strong.  Our  leading WR  from  last  year  is #3  on  the  opening  game  depth  chart. TEs  are  huge  and d experienced.  D  line  has  had   some  injuries along  the  front but  still  anchored  by pre season  All  American  Aaron  Patrick.  Linebackers  were all  on the depth  chart  last  year.  Corners  are  All  OVC picks. If  there  is a  weak spot other  than the  young D line it may  be  at Safety. We are not  very deep  there and have  had  some  injuries  that will  probably  keep  a  couple  guys  out Thursday  night. Well,  there is it is,  my best  assessment  of  this  years  Colonels.  I will  say, colonel fans  are VERY  optimistic this  year.

Hello Valpo !  I  hope  anyone  that is  coming to Richmond has a safe  trip.  Supposed to be a beautiful  evening,  with  temps  around  70  at  game time. i will  be  glad to answer any question you may have  about  our  team,  EKU, the city  or  Richmond  or  surrounding  area.  Good  luck  tomorrow.

Sad commentary on our times. EKU shut down campus and moved their FB game away from campus to Georgetown University in central Kentucky due to a "kill them all" graffiti message on campus. 

There was also some messages posted on Social Media and a couple other incidents. Apparently after combined local, state and federal investigation, there was enough going on to warrant the cancellation of classes and the game being moved. Or at least NOT enough evidence to positively classify it a some sort of hoax. Its a shame.

Good Luck against Davidson Saturday.     

Thanks 12.  Still interested in EKU  observers' assessments of how Valpo compared to Morehead over the past three years. Please see my post about two or three back.

It is a little hard to compare. Morehead was once a heated and hated rivalry. Although it has been a while and now and all of the players and most of the staff have no recollection, they usually come into Kidd with a big chip on their shoulders. They play really emotional until we kick the crap out of them then they quit. Valpo never quit. I saw a better disciplined and fundamentally stronger team than I remember in Morehead. Talent level was comparable. The big difference, in my humble opinion is that Valpo seems to be a team on the rise while Morehead, at best, is treading water. Again, just my opinion. Good luck the rest of the season

Hey guys, good luck the rest of season. Even though the score does not show it, I saw a lot of positives for you last night. Love your QB, he got rid of the ball really quick ,making accurate throws under constant pressure. He made a lot of good decisions. The biggest thing I saw  was that they NEVER give up.  I hope there were no serious injurious. We had a couple guys get banged up, but as far as I know it was late in the third quarter after all the starters were sitting. I know it sounds stupid given a 44 point win, but I was pretty disappointed in parts of our game. Especially our run game. I know you take what the D gives you and you were selling out, loading the box to stop the run, but we still should have done better. I was pleased with our passing game considering three top receivers did not play. I hope for the Valpo fans that showed up last night it was a good time. That we were good courteous host. Because of construction going on to expand the stadium, opposing fans are sitting on the home side in the upper deck this year. Because they are the same side  I have no idea how many Valpo people were there.  GOOD LUCK next week against Sacred Heart !!!!

Are any of you guys in Richmond for the game. Cooking a big Boston Butt as we speak. Stop by for some home-made pulled pork, baked beans and coal slaw.

I hadn't really focused on how good their defensive end is who transferred in from OSU.  He was a five star recruit from PA and ranked 4th in the entire class coming out of high school.  Given the fact that he was arrested in May for public intoxication and the added fact that we have some players suspended for the same type of stuff, that Noah sit out tomorrow's game.  All in favor??   

Actually he was not arrested for public intoxication. He was Arrested for breaking a beer bottle on the street. Was said it was not his  and that he was "tossing it into a garbage can" and missed. . That is our story and we are sticking to it.    ALL charged dropped.

17 suspended ? I hope you mean from school and NOT the football team.

[Eight returning starters on each side of the ball and really good FBS transfers filling most those three other positions. A good mix of pre-season All conference and All Americans.]

Only time will tell, but going into this season I truly believe we (EKU) will be near the same caliber team as SDSU or Montana this year. If we stay healthy we should field the best overall talent we have had in a couple decades. Keep in mind I am president of the Optimist Club  and usually think we are going to be better than we turn out to be, but this year is just different. Eight returning starters on each side of the ball and really good FBS transfers filling most those three other positions. A good mix of pre-season All conference and All Americans. The couple places we thought were a weakness last year should not be present this year.

Ha!  OK, the gloves are coming off.  Well, we have over 50 untested freshmen in a non-scholarship FCS program.  So there!  Match that!   

  Very nice !!!You have my upmost respect.  I am not saying another word.  If an upset were to occur,  any future statements would just make it that much worse. I wish your untested warriors the very best.

Montana has just announced they will host Valpo in the 2017 OOC schedule. http://missoulian.com/sports/college/montana/football/griz-football-um-adds-oregon-fcs-schools-to-future-schedule/article_042d33b9-bb86-5dd7-bff9-4683c8c1d158.html

Watched Montana beat #1 North Dakota State yesterday with a great touchdown drive scoring with 2 seconds left in the game.  This was their new head coach's FIRST game.  Can't say that I am looking forward to playing the Griz. 

Only time will tell, but going into this season I truly believe we (EKU) will be near the same caliber team as SDSU or Montana this year. If we stay healthy we should field the best overall talent we have had in a couple decades. Keep in mind I am president of the Optimist Club  and usually think we are going to be better than we turn out to be, but this year is just different. Eight returning starters on each side of the ball and really good FBS transfers filling most those three other positions. A good mix of pre-season All conference and All Americans. The couple places we thought were a weakness last year should not be present this year.

















ooptimist club

Are alumni and fans supportive of the move should an invitation come your way?

Like everything else,  there are factions on both sides of the argument. I think the majority of the fans are for the move. The OVC just does not have the excitement for us as in past years. Our two biggest rivals, Western KY, and Middle TN have both made the move leaving us without a true rival geographically close enough to generate a lot of fan support, Jacksonville ST. has a excellent program, nationally competitive but just too far away for a lot of fans to really get into it. Ironically, the Sun Belt seem to be the way we are heading  (if we get an invite) but a large portion of the fan base would rather go to the MAC. Sadly the MAC does not seem ready for expansion right now.

[Sun Belt identifies Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky for expansion]

From USAToday 8/28/15
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sunbelt/2015/08/28/conference-expansion-coastal-carolina-eastern-kentucky/71322494/

Sun Belt identifies Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky for expansion

The Sun Belt Conference has enough internal support to add a 12th member and has focused its search on current Football Championship Subdivision members Coastal Carolina and Eastern Kentucky, a person with knowledge of the conversations told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is supposed to be private.

A decision on which school to add and formal vote should come within the next few weeks, if not days. The Sun Belt's current plan is to add one of the two, but not both.

"They have enough votes," the person said. "They have already visited the campuses."

Commissioner Karl Benson, reached by phone Friday, declined to comment. Asked if there will be a vote next week, he said, "I don't know."

Adding a football school would allow the Sun Belt to host a conference championship game, possibly as early as 2016. The league would be split into Eastern and Western Divisions, with the additional team helping the Sun Belt's geographic balance.

Idaho and New Mexico State are currently football-only members. The person with knowledge said if the league for some reason voted against football expansion that an alternative would be adding New Mexico State in all sports, as the Sun Belt has just 11 basketball members.

"Basketball scheduling would be much easier (with 12 teams)," the person said.

Eastern Kentucky was an FCS (then Division I-AA) power from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, with a pair of national titles, but hasn't advanced out of the first round of the playoffs since 1994.

Coastal Carolina has become a national story under coach Joe Moglia, the former CEO of Ameritrade who left the company in 2008 to pursue a coaching career. Moglia has been a smashing success, going 32-10 in three seasons while advancing to the national quarterfinals the last two seasons. The Chanticleers are No. 5 in the preseason FCS poll, but one issue could be its stadium, which has capacity of 9,400. According to the Coastal Carolina web site, it could be expanded to 20,000.

We should hear something next week.

I think that we all understand the 50 point context and are not upset by it -- fact of life. But I do think that Valpo will be a more challenging opponent, despite our youth and new QB and receivers, than Morehead State was last year (55-13 win). Cecchini and his staff have really improved everything about the FB program in just one year. I could see you guys maybe hitting 40 and the early spread might be about right, but I think you guys will have to work harder than you think to get there..

Hey, First game of the season, ANYTHING can happen. We went into Oxford and beat Miami last year. I am sure they never thought that could happen, Look at Appy and Michigan. Once the whistle blows, who knows what will take place. That is why we play the game on the field and not on paper. If the upset occurs, I promise I will be the first one on here to congratulate you. Granted it may be after I am resuscitated , but I will be here. Are any of you guys making the trip?

I remember Noah Spence from OSU.  I thought he was one of the best defensive players in the Big 10 and had no idea he ended up at EKU.  I actually thought he was just going to the NFL after being expelled. 

He needed a year somewhere to prove to the NFL he was clean and could stay out of trouble. Coach Myers and Coach Hood are friends from childhood. Coach Myers Called Coach Hood and ask him to give the kid a chance.

[Noah Spence]

I scraped a couple of posts from their football message board >> http://www.maroon-nation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2054  <<  It's still early in the pre-season and not much has been posted, but they are a solid FCS program, so these posts are stating more the obvious than bragging. This is also compounded by all our freshmen who might break into the two deep. I'm just hoping to be competitive and earn some respect.

7/31/15 "Never to early to start talking about the season opener. We ought to win big in this game. We are at home and Valpo was picked to finish 9th out of 10 in the PFL." (This is from our FGColonel, BTW)

7/31/15 "I do feel sorry for their QB. If our All-OVC offensive tackle is on suicide watch (jokingly per Coach Hood) trying to block Noah Spence, what will their tackles do?"

8/1/15 "I will be somewhat disappointed if we do not hang 50 on them or allow anything but a mop-up score.  Realizing Hood would likely call off the dogs and let the younger kids get some snaps, allowing any meaningful score would be the bigger disappointment.  (FGColonel again).

[ADDED]  FYI - Noah Spence (6-3, 261) Xferred from Ohio State where he was a starter at DE.  He played in 2012 and 2013 before being dismissed from the OSU FB team for violations of their drug policy.  He sat out last season and is now apparently wreaking havoc in the EKU backfield. Hope the young man has straightened out his life.  Should be a good show at the edge on September 3.  Might need to help our tackles out with a blocking H-Back/TE maybe?

Just for the record.....  I did NOT make the first post attributed to me. That would be Colonel 12. I did post that we should score 50.  Nothing personal against  Valpo. Just my opinion based on a little research concerning your defense and the fact that we have  a senior laden O line, a very good FBS QB in his second year with the Colonels. very tall, very fast WRs and one of the top RBs in the nation. I honestly believe we will score points on a lot of teams this year.  Just for the record, the official line is EKU by 34 1/2.  Come on over to maroonnation and chat a little.

How close do you think you guys are at getting into the Sun Belt?  What do you think EKU's chances are at getting the FBS call up?  It looks like it's between EKU, NMSU and Coastal for one spot for now per the message board banter.

Sorry, been on vacation, just got back. Most here seem to think we will get the invite.  Personally, I think it will be Coastal Carolina. No denying, Myrtle Beach is more "fan friendly" than Richmond, KY. especially late in the season. It seems they have no problem raising any monies they may need.

They can kick our butt in football, and we kick the crap out of them in basketball.  Fair trade in my view.

I sure can't argue with that.   At this point anyway. 

Colonel, for those of us who can't make the trek, will it be streamed on the EKU athletics site, ESPN3 or what?

Lived streamed by the OVC network.  OVCSports.com. I am checking the our AD to see if there will be any other coverage and will let you know.

What varieties of bourbon will be served at the tailgate party?

I am partial to Blanton's,  a very nice Single Barrel bottled by Buffalo Trace distillery. but if you visit enough people you will probably find a sample of just about every local distillery.

Montana is beautiful in September. In the first week of the month it could be in the 80s.

Definitely better than a hot steamy Kentucky in late August.

It is only 27days until the Crusaders come to Richmond. Let me be the first to welcome you. I am not sure how you guys travel, or what to expect as far as numbers. The game being on a Thursday may make a difference for some. But for those of you planning on making the trip I will be glad to answer any question concerning, directions, lodging, food, shopping or entertainment in the Richmond area. I will also try to answer any questions about our city, school or football team.  We do a pretty good job of tailgating at Roy Kidd Stadium and you are welcome to join in.