Kentucky State Picks Up Season Opening Victory Against Kentucky Wesleyan, 41-21

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Senior running back Justin Williams rushed for almost 200 yards as the Kentucky State football team began its 2014 campaign with a convincing 41-21 win against the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers on Thursday evening at Alumni Stadium.

For the second year in a row, the Thorobreds began their season with a victory against KWC. The two teams, which first played in 1983, have now played each other nine times with Kentucky State holding an, 8-1, edge in the matchup.

Just like their last matchup, when the Thorobreds rushed for a combined 269 yards, the running game was the story. On Thursday evening, Kentucky State rushed for 289 yards and three touchdowns as a team while holding the Panthers to just 56 total rushing yards and no rushing touchdowns.

Williams rushed for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 14 carries to average an impressive 13.7 yards per carry. Starting running back Jacquise Lockett picked up 89 hard-earned yards on 21 carries to help wear down the KWC defense.

KSU starting quarterback Adam Robinson went 11-for-22 with 123 passing yards and an interception. Robinson picked up a pair of touchdowns, one rushing and one passing, both coming in the second half.

The Thorobreds used special teams to pick up their first touchdown of the 2014 season. In the first quarter Jeremy Lewis fielded a punt at his own 44-yard line, and after picking up several key blocks, took it all the way down the field to put Kentucky State on top 10-0.

Senior kcker Cade Berryman was also a big factor in the special team's game. Berryman split the uprights for a pair of 35-yard or more field goals in the first half. He also was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts after Thorobred touchdowns.

Defensively the Thorobreds were solid against the run but gave up 284 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Senior linebacker Terry Horton had a team-high eight tackles, and free safety Vincent Edwards picked up an interception early in the first quarter to go along with four tackles.

Next up for the Thorobreds is a road trip to Charlotte, N.C., for a Saturday afternoon game against Johnson C. Smith on Sept. 13.

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COURTESY KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION