Photo - WKU Athletics
D’Andre Ferby ran for two touchdowns and Western Kentucky defeated Eastern Kentucky 31-17 in Coach Mike Sandford’s first game as head coach Saturday night. Ferby scored on touchdown runs of five and two yards in his return after missing 2016 with a shoulder injury. The two-time defending Conference USA champion Hilltoppers led 17-0 at halftime and held off a two-score rally in the third quarter from FCS-member Eastern Kentucky.
Tim Boyle threw two TD passes to Ryan Markush in the third to bring the Colonels within 24-14, but Western Kentucky pulled away to win its sixth-straight season opener. Boyle completed 29 of 45 passes for 320 yards.
Mike White completed 20 of 31 passes for 264 yards and a 66-yard touchdown for Western Kentucky.
Western Kentucky won the 86th meeting against Eastern Kentucky, the most-played game between two Kentucky schools. The rivalry returned after an eight-year hiatus, the longest break since the series began in 1914.
(Courtesy WKU Athletics)
