With a 5-1 conference record and just two games to go in the 2025 regular season, the Wildcats will hit the road for a battle with the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky University on Saturday.
Following the final game at Wildcat Stadium, a 31-10 victory over Utah Tech University, the Wildcats will have two road contests to end the regular season. After a visit to EKU, the Wildcats will take on the University of Central Arkansas Bears in the final week of the regular season.
Ahead of the final two weeks, Head Coach Keith Patterson pointed toward the final two goals the program has every season. The first was accomplished last week as the team went undefeated at home. The second is to compete for a conference championship, which would be accomplished by winning the final two games of the year.
Patterson compared the current state of the team to a horse that “sees the barn,” as the team nears the end of the season or the playoffs, with some players nearing the end of their playing careers.
“All they’re really guaranteed is two more football games,” Patterson said.
The 4-6 (2-4) Colonels will enter the game off a 27-17 home loss to Southern Utah University, who have now won four consecutive games dating back to their win over the Cats on Oct. 18.
On the season, the EKU offense has struggled, scoring just 18.9 points per game and gaining 259 yards per game. Both stats land the team outside the Top-100 FCS rankings, with the Wildcats being top 50 in each category.
However, the Colonel defense ranks 60th in scoring defense, giving up just 27 points per game. The Wildcats’ defense also gives up just 27 points per game.
“They’re really good,” Patterson said. “They’re very athletic, big on defense, and play very sound.”
Patterson also said they’re well coached on both sides of the ball, with the offense running a more traditional scheme.
“They’re a very well-coached football team,” Patterson said. “They just do the things that it takes to win games.”
Offensively, for the Wildcats they’ll look to bounce back after scoring just 17 points last week.
“We want to attack their zone coverage,” Javon Gipson said. “They let guys loose sometimes, so we’re going to attack those voids and try to get explosive plays off of those.”
Gipson, senior wide receiver from Richmond, Texas, has accumulated a team-leading 498 receiving yards for the Wildcats this season. On just 33 receptions, his 15.09 yards per catch also leads the team.
The keys for Patterson and the Wildcats this week stick to the formula that has gotten them to 5-1.
“I sound like a broken record,” Patterson said. “It’s going to come down to the ball, red zone scoring and third downs.”
On third down, the Colonels are ranked 116th in the FCS offensively, while the Wildcats are 71st defensively. Inversely, the Wildcats are 9th in the FCS on third down offensively, while the Colonels are 88th defensively. With both stats boding well for Patterson, it will still come down to taking care of the ball and scoring in the red zone. The Cats enter +5 in turnover margin while the Colonels enter +4.
With the series being tied 1-1 after a Wildcats win last season that featured 552 total yards of offense and three interceptions, this matchup serves as an early rubber match for the two teams who are set to remain in the same conference for years to come. However, the EKU victory in 2021 took place in Richmond, Kentucky–the site of this weekend’s game.
The game is set to kick off at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday as Patterson and the Wildcats look to get one step closer to their second UAC title. Additionally, a win would give Patterson his 28th victory at the helm of the Purple and White, leaving him just six games away from the top five all-time for the university.
