COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech's uphill battle continues Saturday as the Golden Eagles host 12th ranked Eastern Kentucky University in a game to be aired by ESPN3 from Tucker Stadium. It will be the fourth opponent in the first seven games this year for the Golden Eagles that has landed a spot in the FCS Top 25 rankings. Already Tech has matched up against Tennessee State, Indiana State and Northern Iowa.

Kickoff is set for 7:04 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the stadium for the Blackout, and the first 2,500 fans through the gates will receive a free Golden Eagle Blackout III t-shirt.

The early forecast is for pretty nice weather Saturday in the region, with partly cloudy/partly sunny skies overhead and temperatures in the low to mid 70s during the afternoon. Don't forget to wear black to the stadium for the Golden Eagle Blackout III. ENJOY!

Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-0, 3-0 OVC)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-4, 1-2 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 18 • 7 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.

The Golden Eagles are looking to rebound from a frustrating, 17-10 loss at UT Martin last Thursday night (Oct. 9), and will have had two extra days to prepare for the contest. That doesn't mean coach Watson Brown's team will enter the game at full strength, as four players expected to fill starting roles this season have been lost for balance of the year due to injuries. A handful of additional injured players are in various stages of recovery, some expected to play and some who are questionable.

Eastern Kentucky, meanwhile, comes into the game with an unblemished record of 6-0, including a 3-0 record against OVC foes, after staging a furious fourth quarter rally last week that led to a 36-33 overtime victory against Eastern Illinois.

The 98.5 Kiss FM Tailgate Park opens Saturday at 4 p.m., with the Golden Eagle Walk scheduled for 4:45 p.m. The game will also feature fireworks following the final whistle.

Tickets are available online (TTUsports.com), or through the Athletic Ticket Office in Eblen Center by visiting or calling (931) 372-3940.

GAME NOTES: Nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky will travel to Tennessee Tech for a Saturday matchup. The Colonels enter the week 4-0 on the road, the second-most road victories by any FCS team this season. The Colonels have won 11 of the last 13 meetings with the Golden Eagles, with Tech last pulling out a win in the 2011 season. A year ago Jared McClain passed for 169 yards and rushed for 41 yards and two touchdowns in leading EKU to a 24-10 victory. TTU’s Jared Davis passed for 173 yards and a touchdown in the game, as Maleek Hall had a game-high eight receptions.
 
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky snapped Eastern Illinois’ 13-game Conference winning streak with a 36-33 overtime victory on Saturday. The victory helped the Colonels remain perfect (6-0) on the season, making the team one of five undefeated teams at the FCS level; the program is off to its best start since 1990 (when they started 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country). The Colonels fell behind 16-2 midway through the second quarter and were down 26-12 at the start of the fourth quarter before rallying for three-straight touchdowns. But EKU could not close out the Panthers in regulation, instead the team forced a fumble in overtime and Andrew Lloyd connected for 29 yards out to win the game. It marked the first game-winning kick on any level for the senior Lloyd who is 8-of-9 on field goal attempts in 2014. It was the first overtime win for Eastern Kentucky since the 2008 season. Sophomore Devin Borders blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter, marking his fourth blocked kick of the season, a mark that leads all Division I (FBS or FCS) players; he led the FCS in that category a season ago (5). Dy’Shawn Mobley rushed for 118 yards and a season-high two touchdowns for the Colonels while Jared McClain passed for 198 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 53 yards and another score. Brandon Stanley led the defense with 16 tackles. The Colonels are now No. 12 in the FCS Coaches poll, its highest ranking since the 2007 season. As a team ranks third in blocked kicks (4), fourth in turnovers gained (18), fifth in fumbles recovered (9) and red zone defense (61.9%), sixth in scoring defense (15.0 points/game), eighth in punt return yardage defense (3.0 yards/return) and ninth in rushing offense (250.3 yards/game).
 
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech suffered its second Conference loss of the season last Thursday night, falling 17-10 at UT Martin. The Golden Eagles trailed 17-3 late in the fourth quarter before the skies opened up and a two-hour weather delayed ensued. After the delay was over the Golden Eagles capped an eight-play, 68-yard drive when Ladarius Vanlier scored on a two-yard run to trim the lead to seven. But Tech would not get the ball back in falling to the Skyhawks for the second-straight season. TTU was limited to 262 yards of total offense on the night, most of which came from quarterback Darian Stone. Stone passed for 149 yards and rushed for a team-high 37 yards. Stone’s favorite target was freshman Brock McCoin who caught five passes for 85 yards. Kicker John Arnold connected on a 49-yard field goal and is now 5-of-6 on field goal attempts this season. Vanlier ranks 11th nationally in kickoff returns (29.7 yards/return) and 13th nationally in punt returns (12.3 yards/return). Defensively Austin Tallant had 13 tackles while Marty Jones added 11 for the Golden Eagles attack. Jones currently ranks fifth nationally in tackles/game (9.0). As a team Tech is the least penalized team in the OVC and ranks 17th nationally in fewest penalties/game (5.0) and 25th in fewest penalty yards/game (47.5). EKU will be the third nationally-ranked FCS team the Golden Eagles have faced this season.
  
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