FRANKFORT Ky.- Homecoming 2021 for the Thorobreds was one to remember for all students and alumni present. Kentucky State University celebrated their first homecoming since their 2019 matchup against Clark Atlanta where the Thorobreds came out victorious 35-24.

Fans at Alumni Stadium had a lot to cheer for early and often throughout the game as the run game dominated all day. 58-and 42-yard touchdowns from Kendon Walker and Otis Odom set the tone for the offense. The Lane offense struggled throughout the day. QB’s Tarik McKinzie and Michael Huntley struggled to consistently push the ball downfield in the first quarter with their first three drives ending in two punts and a turnover on downs. The Dragons were finally able to put a score on the board with a 32-yard Huntley pass down the sideline to Virgil Young to put the score at 14-7 with 9:20 left to go in the first half.

KSU broke the game open in the 2^nd quarter scoring twice more with Kendon Walker and Christopher Coneway walking in for easy touchdowns to stretch the lead to 28-7 before the half concluded.

The first half concluded, and Alumni Stadium was presented with a treat with riveting performances from the Quiet Storm marching band of Lane College and the Marching Thorobreds for KSU. Along with that the royal court was presented in front of Alumni Stadium and was met with nothing but cheers.

From the point the two teams went into the locker rooms for halftime, the game already felt over. Scoring didn’t come at quite a frenzy as it did in the first half. The Thorobreds however, were able to put the nail in the coffin early, scoring on a 10-play drive that covered 70 yards and ended on a 17-yard rushing touchdown from Walker.

Drives went back and forth between the two squads until K-State was able to put yet another score on the board, capitalizing off great field position and a 3-yard Shaquan Oliver rushing touchdown. After another punt from the Dragons, KSU put together their final scoring drive only needing two big plays: A 40-yard run from Isaiah Jackson, and a 30-yard touchdown run from Brett Sylve.

Lane College was able to score late on a blown coverage, but at that point, the game was all but decided. The Thorobreds were able to run away with this game in a homecoming rout 49-14 to send the fans home happy.

The Thorobreds marched all over the Dragons, accumulating over 470 yards on the ground throughout the day with Brett Sylve and Kendon Walker leading the charge with 104 and 94 yards respectively. The Dragons defense had no answer for the run despite pushing 7 and 8 men in the box at a time throughout the game. It seemed every time Lane caught a break, the Thorobreds would break out another big run to demoralize the defense.

On the defensive end, the Thorobreds were able to force a lot of checkdowns and get off the field quickly on almost every drive. A couple mental lapses and blown coverages were made throughout the game, with most of them being wiped out on Lane College mistakes. Linebacker Eldridge Dockery III had a big game recording five total tackles including 2.5 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. Along with that, he seemed to always be forcing Huntley out of the pocket and make quick decisions on the run.

With this win, the Thorobreds even their record at 3-3 going into next weeks matchup. The Thorobreds are 2-1 in conference play and sit 3^rd in the SIAC west division. KSU travels on the road next week against the Tigers of Edward Waters College in another conference matchup.