Eagles Light Up the Scoreboard at Kentucky Christian

Grayson, KY - RU Football continued their dominance of the AAC in their game against Kentucky Christian, winning BIG with a score of 56-0. The game showcased Reinhardt's speed and quickness on the offensive side of the ball confusing the Knights on what might be coming at them next. Defensively, the Eagles continued to show why they are the top program in the AAC by holding Kentucky Christian to just 180 yards of total offense compared to 500 for the Eagles.

They scored their first touchdown on a 34-yard run by Jerdavian Colbert (Ja), followed by a successful extra point kick by Alex Hardy. Hardy has just about been perfect this season on his extra points and has received AAC Player of the Week for his efforts. Colbert scored two touchdowns in the game and ran for 79 yards on 11 carries. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry in the game and he is the top rusher in the AAC this season with just one more game to go.

Senior Luis Morris would use his powerful running to get across the goalline for the second score of the game in the first quarter putting the Eagles up 14-0. Morris has become Reinhardt's power back when the team gets inside of the 10-yard line or when they need a short gain for a first down.  He was 5 for 31 yards in the game for a 6.2 yards per rush average and had two of the Eagles scores in the game. Morris also caught one pass for an 8-yard gain.

In the second quarter, Reinhardt extended their lead with two more touchdowns. The first was a 2-yard run by Colbert, followed by a 63-yard pass from Taylor Jackson to Collin Fletcher. Fletcher has become a go-to receiver for the Eagles in the past 3 to 4 games.  He had a breakout game when he scored his first collegiate touchdown against Pikeville in overtime and was the game-winner. He has scored in every game since the Pikeville matchup. The Eagles already had a very impressive receiving squad and Fletcher just added more weaponry to Coach James Miller's attack.

The Eagles took a 35 - 0 lead going into the halftime break. Quarterback Taylor Jackson, who is arguably the top one or two quarterbacks in the AAC, had another good day only playing partial time. He ended the day throwing 10-18 for 191 yards and one touchdown. The long pass of the day was the 63-yarder to Fletcher. Jackson was also the second-leading rusher for the Eagles running for a total of 53 yards on 6 carries (8.8 yards per carry). When it is time for the final season awards, Taylor is definitely an All-Conference candidate.

In the fourth quarter, Reinhardt scored three more touchdowns to solidify their victory. The first was a 6-yard run by Tyress McKey, which ended a 12-play drive and covered 64 yards. McKey was the third-leading rusher for the Eagles getting 46 yards on 8 carries.

Backup quarterback, Stephen Craig rushed for the seventh touchdown of the day on a 19-yard run capping off a drive of three plays covering 80 yards. Backup running back, Sirmarcus Burney, put the final points on the board in the fourth quarter to finalize the dominating afternoon by the Eagles.

On the defensive side of the back Vertez Shorter and linebacker Cortez Brown led the way for the Eagles. Shorter had 10 total tackles in the game from his defensive tackle position. Brown was not far behind with 6 total tackles and they both combined for a sack in the game. The Eagles had two fumble recoveries in the game. One by Keon McGhee and the other by Malachi Moten.

The Eagles took care of business in Kentucky and did what they needed to do to get the 56-0 outcome. They will take the momentum from this win into the final regular season game next Saturday versus the Rams of Bluefield. Bluefield is coming off a win against Union College this weekend and a secured spot at number three in the AAC.  The Eagles will need to continue their AAC dominance this weekend to win the conference championship.  With a win, Reinhardt should keep their current 21st ranking in the NAIA which will secure their ticket to the 2023 NAIA Football Playoffs that begin the weekend of November 18th.

Scoring Drives for Reinhardt vs Kentucky Christian