Published: October 31, 2009 11:21 pm      

Colonels stay in hunt for OVC title with 20-6 win over SEMO

RICHMOND — The Colonels are still in the hunt for a third-straight Ohio Valley Conference title, despite a late rally by the last-place Redhawks.

After a stunning loss last week against Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky University built a big early lead then had to hold on for a 20-6 win Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium over Southeast Missouri State.

Junior running back Bruce Frieson scored on a 28-yard run with just four seconds left that sealed a desperately needed victory for the Colonels (5-3, 5-2 OVC). C.J. Walker also had two rushing touchdowns as EKU defeated the Redhawks for the sixth-straight time.

“We bounced back. I’m happy for the kids,” EKU coach Dean Hood said. “They were resilient. When you face adversity like we did last week, you feel happy that the kids bounced back.”

With the win, the Colonels move into second place in the OVC, and stay just one game behind first-place Eastern Illinois (7-2, 5-1).

EKU took a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter, but did little offensively for most of the game. The Colonels racked up 192 yards on their first four possessions, then had just 87 yards on their next seven drives.

After the Redhawks (1-7, 0-6 OVC) scored on a 17-yard reception by Walter Peoples with 4:05 left in the game, EKU put together a seven-play, 60-yard drive that Frieson capped with a touchdown.

“We fizzled,” Hood said of the EKU offense. “And some of that was from self-inflicted wounds. We get there on first and 10 and jump offsides, then we get called for a hold and the next thing you know we are calling for the punt team. You’ve got to take care of those things and stay away from negative yardage.

The Colonels finished with 339 yards of total offense, 183 of which came on the ground, but the defense delivered several key plays. EKU forced three turnovers, including two interceptions, and limited the Redhawks to just 245 total yards.

“I feel like we are playing the way we played at the beginning of the season,” junior defensive lineman Andrew Soucy said of the EKU defense. “That’s great for us because we kind of got our confidence down for a couple of games, but sometimes you just don’t come out as focused as we should be.”

EKU had a 13-0 lead at halftime, but SEMO drove down the field on the first drive of the second half. The Redhawks went 42 yards on 14 plays before safety Patrick McClellan picked off a Matt Scheible pass in the end zone.

“It was a big interception,” McClellan said of his third INT of the season. “It was kind of a tough ball to get to. I saw one of my teammates coming underneath and I knew I’d have the opportunity to go up top and get it.”

The Colonels were sharp offensive on their first three drives.

They opened the game with a 13-play, 76-yard drive that featured a 22-yard reception by Cody Watts. Walker scored on a 9-yard run with 8:54 left in the first. Logan O’Connor missed the extra point.

The Colonels came up short on a fourth down deep in SEMO territory on their next possession, but took advantage of a short field the next time they got the ball.

Walker capped a six-play, 23-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 10:26 left in the second.

“This was the best week of practice we’ve had,” EKU sophomore receiver Shannon Davis said. “And what you do in practice is what you do in the game. A win is a win. We got the W. Right now, we’ve just got to keep fighting.”

Davis had three catches for 60 yards, while Walker finished with a team-high 81 yards. EKU quarterback T.J. Pryor was 16-of-22 for 156 yards and was only intercepted once.

Scheible was 11-of-29 for 95 yards with one interception and one touchdown.

Soucy blocked SEMO’s extra point attempt in the fourth quarter. The junior has blocked a kick in five-straight games.

“It was a huge team victory,” McClellan said. “A huge team victory.”

The Colonels are set to return to action next week at the University of Kentucky.