Lebanon, TN – The 11th-ranked Patriot football took to road on Saturday as they would face Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division foe Cumberland University. The Patriots entered the game losing the last two meetings against the Phoenix as well as the last two trips to Lebanon. Today would be a different story though as the UC defense was very impressive while UC offense would continue to roll in the 26-8 win over the Phoenix. The win improves the Patriots to 6-0 overall on the year and 3-0 in MSC Bluegrass Division play.
The Phoenix would win the toss and choose to defer, so UC would take the ball to begin the game. Unfortunately, the Patriots went three-and-out to begin the contest. After picking up a couple of first downs to get into UC territory, the Phoenix would be forced to punt away but the ball would sail into the endzone, bringing the ball out to the 20-yard line. UC would put together their own set of first downs, but would punt away again, but this time Devon McMillin would pin the Phoenix back on their four-yard line.
After getting out of the shadows of their own end zone with a first down, a fumble would squirt out and be recovered at the ten-yard line by the Patriots, giving them great field position. A pair of five yard runs by Martize Smith would punch the ball into pay dirt to give the Patriots the first lead of the game. The PAT from McMillin was blocked, giving UC the 6-0 lead entering the second quarter of action.
The Phoenix would punt away on the first play of the fresh 15 minutes of play as UC would begin the drive on their 41-yard line. The Patriots would eat away at the clock as this drive would take well over six minutes. On third and one on the Phoenix three-yard line, the Patriots would fumble and would be recovered by CU in the end zone for a touchback. The Patriot defense would continue to show their strength as they would force another three-and-out. This time, the punt was blocked, batted all the way back into the end zone, and recovered all by Brad Montgomery for a Patriot touchdown. McMillin's extra point was good, making it 13-0 UC.
Picking up another pair of first downs as well as getting some help with a personal foul penalty, the Phoenix would get down into UC territory again, but again the Patriot defense would stand strong and force a turnover on downs. This time, UC would not take too long to add to the lead. Martize Smith would take the iso handoff straight up the gut for 64 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was pushed wide right, making the lead 19-0 Patriots with 3:25 to play in the first half.
The Phoenix would again go three-and-out as UC would regain possession on CU's 49-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Robbins would make history as he would break the all-time career record for passing yards on a 49-yard pass to KJ Burton for another Patriot score. The PAT was good, giving the Patriots a 26-0 lead entering halftime.
After a very quiet third quarter that saw no points hit the scoreboard, UC's drive to start the fourth would stall as they would punt it away. McMillin's punt was shanked off as the Phoenix would take over on UC's 35-yard line after the 12-yard punt. CU quarterback Joseph Rushin took to the air on a third and five and would connect with Shaw Niblett on a 30-yard touchdown strike, getting the Phoenix on the scoreboard. The two-point conversion try was good as Razim Robinson would run it into the endzone, making it 26-8 Patriots. The teams would trade possessions out the rest of the way as the Patriots defeated the Phoenix 26-8.
Robbins would finish the night 9-21 for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception. On the ground, it was Smith taking control of the game with 137 yards and two scores on 23 carries. Darius Young was the leading receiver with five snags for 56 yards. KJ Burton pulled in the touchdown pass on his lone reception for 49 yards.
Defensively, UC was very strong again, allowing just 256 yards of offense while shutting out the Phoenix for well over three quarters of play. They also totaled a pair of sacks, six tackles for loss, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown. Tyler Pendleton was the leader defensively with 14 total tackles (six solo) with a tackle for loss. Jeremiah Baker and Adam Johnson each had eight tackles with a tackle for loss. Johnson tallied a sack while Baker added a pass breakup. Montgomery added six tackles including a punt block, a fumble recovery, and a punt recovered for a touchdown.
The Patriots return home next week for Homecoming on Saturday, October 26th as they host the Tigers of Campbellsville University. Kickoff is slated for 7 pm.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameDay, Instagram - @UCPatriots, SnapChat - @UC_Patriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.
