# 2023 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

The 2023 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team represented Eastern Kentucky University as a member of the United Athletic Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Walt Wells, the Colonels played home games at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Kentucky. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team drew an average home attendance of 11,655 in 2023.
After the 2022 season, the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which had been partners in a football-only alliance in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, jointly announced that they would merge their football leagues.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 3:30 p.m. | at Cincinnati* | No. 24 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN+ | L 13–66 | 38,193 |
| September 9 | 3:00 p.m. | at Kentucky* | | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 17–28 | 61,876 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Carolina* | | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | L 24–27 | 13,596 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 16 Southeast Missouri State* | | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | W 41–38 | 13,477 |
| September 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at North Alabama | | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL | ESPN+ | W 32–22 | 11,430 |
| October 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Tarleton State | | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | W 41–35 $^{2OT}$ | 12,063 |
| October 21 | 6:00 p.m. | at Gardner–Webb* | | Ernest W. Spangler StadiumBoiling Springs, NC | ESPN+ | L 32–35 | 4,339 |
| October 28 | 8:00 p.m. | at Utah Tech | | Greater Zion StadiumSt. George, UT | ESPN+ | W 34–30 | 5,245 |
| November 4 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 19 Austin Peay | | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | L 30–33 $^{OT}$ | 10,067 |
| November 11 | 5:00 p.m. | at Central Arkansas | | Estes StadiumConway, AR | ESPN+ | L 24–27 | 5,423 |
| November 18 | 2:00 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin | | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | W 36–24 | 9,069 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Cincinnati

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Colonels | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Bearcats | 21 | 21 | 10 | 14 | 66 |
at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: 7 mph
* Game attendance: 38,193
* Referee: Christian Watson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Noah Reed (play-by-play), Ryan Leaf (analyst), and Shane Sparks (sideline)
* Pregame line: Cincinnati by 21.5 • FPI odds to win: Cincinnati 97.0% • Game summary: ESPN
| Statistics | EKU | CIN |
| First downs | 15 | 30 |
| Plays–yards | 55–302 | 71–667 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–125 | 44–229 |
| Passing yards | 177 | 438 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–25–2 | 23–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:14 | 31:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing | Patrick McKinney | 13/24, 177 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Eastern Kentucky | Rushing | Joshua Carter | 7 carries, 68 yards |
| Eastern Kentucky | Receiving | Jaden Smith | 5 receptions, 81 yards |
| Cincinnati | Passing | Emory Jones | 19/23, 345 yards, 5 TD |
| Cincinnati | Rushing | Corey Kiner | 13 carries, 105 yards |
| Cincinnati | Receiving | Xzavier Henderson | 7 receptions, 149 yards, 1 TD |

### at Kentucky

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colonels | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Kroger Field • Lexington, KY
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: NE 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
* Game attendance: 61,876
* Referee: Ken Williamson
* TV announcers (SECN+): Peter Sousa (play-by-play), Takeo Spikes (analyst)
| Statistics | EKU | UK |
| First downs | 15 | 20 |
| Total yards | 56–311 | 61–414 |
| Rushing yards | 27–92 | 23–115 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 299 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–29–1 | 24–38–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:53 | 32:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing | Parker McKinney | 19/29, 219 yards, TD, INT |
| Eastern Kentucky | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 7 carries, 48 yards |
| Eastern Kentucky | Receiving | Bryant Johnson | 2 receptions, 53 yards |
| Kentucky | Passing | Devin Leary | 24/38, 299 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Ray Davis | 12 carries, 52 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Tayvion Robinson | 6 receptions, 136 yards, 2 TD |