Scouting Report: EKU at Kentucky

EASTERN KENTUCKY at KENTUCKY
When: 1 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 7
Where: Commonwealth Stadium; Lexington, Ky.
TV: Live in WKYT/WYMT markets & ESPN GamePlan; BBSN (delayed)
Radio: Big Blue Radio Network
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2007 - @UK 51, EKU 10

Eastern Kentucky 2009 Schedule/Results
Sept. 3 - at Indiana (L, 13-19)
Sept. 19 - TENNESSEE TECH (W, 17-7)
Sept. 26 - at Murray State (W, 23-13)
Oct. 3 - at Eastern Illinois (W, 36-31)
Oct. 10 - TENNESSEE STATE (L, 17-20)
Oct. 17 - UT-MARTIN (W, 31-25)
Oct. 24 - at Austin Peay (L, 20-24)
Oct. 31 - SE MISSOURI (W, 20-6)
Nov. 7 - at Kentucky
Nov. 14 - WESTERN CAROLINA
Nov. 21 - at Jacksonville State

Notes: Kentucky leads the all-time series 2-0, with both meetings having come in Commonwealth Stadium…The Cats scored on their first offensive play in the 2007 season opener against EKU on their way to a 51-10 drubbing…UK has scored 52 and 51 points in the two meetings with the Colonels for an average margin of victory of 43 points…The schools are separated by 25 miles along Interstate 75…The Colonels won the Ohio Valley Conference and advanced to the FCS playoffs before losing to Richmond…UK cornerback Paul Warford and his cousin, offensive guard Larry Warford, played high school football at Madison Central in EKU’s home of Richmond, Ky. … EKU represents the third straight UK opponent to have maroon as its primary color…EKU coach Dean Hood is in his second season as head coach and owns a 13-7 record.

SCOUTING THE COLONELS
CENTER OF ATTENTION
T.J. Pryor, Quarterback
2009 Statistics: 124-195, 1,590 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT; 75 rushes, 193 yards, 4 TD
Bio Buzz: Kentucky won’t be the only team playing a fairly inexperienced quarterback when Eastern Kentucky makes the short trip to Lexington. T.J. Pryor is in his first year as the starter after redshirting the 2008 season as a true freshman, replacing former All-OVC performer Allan Holland. Pryor is the type of dual threat quarterback that is all the rage in college football now, although he’s not the biggest guy out there at 6-foto-2, 181 pounds. Still, he’s shown an aptitude for throwing the football (he’s completing better than 62 percent of his throws) and doesn’t turn the football over much, a positive for any young quarterback.

Pryor will occasionally give way to all-purpose threat Cody Watts to give the Colonels a different look but they way he has played in his first eight games certainly gives Eastern Kentucky hope moving forward. They Colonels have lost some close games this year but often times that’s something remedied when a quarterback has more experience and makes the one defining play in crunch time.

SUPPORTING CAST
Cody Watts, Wide Receiver
2009 Statistics: 27 catches, 324 yards; 26 rushes, 61 yards; 15-27 passing, 211 yards, TD, INT
Bio Buzz: Eastern Kentucky utilizes Watts much the same way Kentucky does Randall Cobb, a tremendous athlete who plays receiver most of the time but slides to quarterback on occasion and can also run the football. Watts hadn’t had a great year as a receiver until he caught a season-high eight passes two weeks ago against Austin Peay. Amazingly, he has not produced a receiving or rushing touchdown though.

Jordan Dalrymple, Middle Linebacker
2009 Statistics: 64 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 6 INT, 2 forced fumbles
Bio Buzz: Middle linebackers are often a team’s leading tackler and Dalrymple continues to live up to the position by ranking as the Colonels’ top tackler and leading sack artist. The junior came into the season as an established playmaker and has added to his reputation with his ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage, while also getting out in pass coverage when necessary.

Jeremy Caldwell, Cornerback/Return Specialist
2009 Statistics: 39 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 2 INT; 17 kick returns, 422 yards; 11 punt returns, 140 yards
Bio Buzz: Kentucky’s Trevard Lindley is widely considered one of the top cornerbacks in the country when healthy but he has some competition for the most productive defensive back in his own state with the way Caldwell is playing. The sophomore burst onto the scene last year (58 tackles, 3 INT) and has been nothing short of sensational in his second season, racking up nearly an interception a game and notching his second career pick-six earlier in the year. He’s also a terrific return man.

Andrew Soucy, Defensive Tackle
2009 Statistics: 40 tackles, 9.5 tackle for loss, 3.0 sacks, 5 blocked kicks
Bio Buzz: Soucy has Division I-A size at 290 pounds and he’s proven to be a load for most FCS offensive lines to handle. The junior is far and away the leading tackler for loss on the Colonels but Kentucky may be more worried about the four kicks he’s blocked this season given the Cats have been suspect in that area, with most of the blocks coming straight up the middle.

Matt May is the football beat reporter for The Cats’ Pause. If you have questions or comments about the Cats e-mail him here.