FRANKFORT, K.Y. --- In week eight of the 2024 season, the Allen University football team was defeated on the road in SIAC play by Kentucky State, 23-20. 

After the Yellow Jackets were forced to punt on their opening drive, the Thoroughbreds were able to score a touchdown on their first possession of the game to go ahead, 7-0, with 9:12 left to play in the first quarter. 

Allen bounced-back right away and orchestrated a ten play, 72-yard drive that was capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Fabian Duncan. 

Duncan's first quarter score was his second rushing touchdown of the season. The Charlotte, North Carolina native finished the game with the second-most rushing yards in his young career, 120.

The game was tied at the end of the first quarter, 7-7. 

To open the second quarter, Kentucky State retook the lead, 14-7, on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 13:45 to play in the half. 

Allen continued the back-and-forth scoring efforts with a 37-yard field goal by kicker Sam Herman to bring the Yellow Jackets within four, 14-10, as 8:18 remained in the second. 

The Yellow Jackets finally got the defensive stop they were looking for as linebacker Andre Phillips tackled KYSU's Jaylen Middleton for a four-yard loss on fourth-and-one.

Phillips led Allen with a team-best seven tackles, including two for a loss, followed by both Edmund Whitaker and DeJuan Hughes with five stops each.

Allen was able to turn their defensive momentum into offensive production as Herman kicked his second field goal of the afternoon, from a career-long of 43 yards, to trim Kentucky State's lead, 14-13, with just under three minutes to go before the break. 

The Thoroughbreds managed to extend their lead with one second remaining in the first half on a 20-yard field goal to take a 17-13 advantage into the locker rooms. 

Kentucky State received the second half kickoff, and on their sixth play of the drive found the endzone on a 24-yard touchdown pass. Allen was held scoreless in the third quarter and trailed, 23-13, entering the fourth. 

Senior quarterback Michael Reese started his first game of the season and completed 13-of-20 passes for 127 yards with two interceptions. Reese also picked up 10 rushing yards in Saturday's effort. 

However, late in the fourth quarter, Reese was injured on a rushing play and redshirt sophomore Daniel Plummer entered the game and made an immediate impact. After Duncan ran up the middle for an 18-yard gain, Plummer found wide receiver Nanders Lawrence for a 29-yard touchdown on the next play. The throw to Lawrence was Plummer's only attempt Saturday.

Lawrence totaled team-highs of six catches for 71-yards in the effort. 

Despite the score, Allen still trailed, 23-20, with 5:08 left to play. 

The Yellow Jackets forced a KYSU three-and-out and got the ball back with 3:07 to go at Allen's 39-yard line. 

After three plays that each picked up one yard, Reese's pass intended for Montrell White fell incomplete over the middle on fourth-down. With Allen out of timeouts, KYSU ran out the clock to close the game.