In the season-opening game for both teams Centre downed Hanover 42-17 to give head coach Andy Frye his 101st career win, tying him with Joe McDaniel for the most in school history, Saturday, Sept. 6 in Danville, Ky.

After finishing last season with a win, Frye needed only one win to tie McDaniel, the man he served as an assistant under and eventually replaced. His next win will move him ahead of the 2002 Centre Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.

The Colonels jumped out to a quick start scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the season. Sophomore running back Amoh Kumengisa (Lexington, Ky.) scored from 12-yards out, and fellow sophomore running back Nolan Coulter (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored his first collegiate touchdown on a three-yard run to give Centre a 14-3 lead after one quarter of play.

Following a scoreless second quarter, Kumengisa added to the lead with another 12-yard run, and senior quarterback Heath Haden (Kingsport, Tenn.) hit junior tight end Brand Kamp (Cincinnati, Ohio) for a 44-yard touchdown strike, and the Colonels led 28-3 in the third.

The Panthers added a touchdown late in the third quarter, but Haden found junior receiver Jake Johnson (Louisville, Ky.) in the end zone early in the fourth to push the lead to 35-10 and give Johnson his first career touchdown grab.

After a Hanover touchdown cut the lead to 35-17, Coulter added his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 28 yards out to cap the scoring and give Centre the 42-17 season-opening win.

The Colonels out-gained the Panthers 494-269 in overall yards, including a 338-26 advantage in rushing yards. Coulter and Kumengisa led the way combining to run for 278 yards (Coulter - 165, Kumengisa - 113). Haden was solid again as he escaped pressure several times. The senior signal caller finished 13-22 for 156 yards with two touchdowns, and added 51 more yards on the ground.

Junior safeties Sam Spees (Dayton, Ohio) and Alex Mattingly (Louisville, Ky.) had big games defensively. Spees led all players with 13 tackles, including a tackle-for-loss and a pass break-up, while Mattingly tallied 11 stops, forced a fumble and had an interception. Senior Devon Freeman (Louisville, Ky.) also had a big game. Of his six tackles, five were for a loss of yardage, including two sacks. 

Centre, now 1-0 on the season, will look to give Frye his 102nd career win Saturday, Sept. 13 when the Colonels travel to Defiance, Ohio to play Defiance College. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.