Crescent Hills, KY – Although a slow start to the game that saw UC trail after the first quarter for the first time since the Bethel contest, the Patriot football team would score touchdowns on five of their seven drives in second and third quarters of play to pull away for a 45-31 win over the Saints of Thomas More. The victory pushes Cumberlands to 9-0 for the third time in school history and 6-0 in MSC Bluegrass Division play.
 
Thomas More would begin the game with the ball and would drive down into UC territory, but would be held to a 20 yard field goal opportunity, which was good by Alexander Haley to give the Saints an early 3-0 lead. After the two teams traded possessions, the Patriots' Devon McMillin would be called upon for a 29 yard field goal attempt, which he would convert to tie the game up at 3-3 late in the first. Before the quarter would close, the Saints would find the end zone for the first time in the game as quarterback Justin Post would cap off a seven play, 71 yard drive with a one yard TD run. The extra point was good, giving Thomas More the 10-3 lead after one quarter of play.
 
UC would put together possibly its most impressive drive of the season next as Weston Hayes would catch his first of two TD passes from Josiah Robbins, finishing off a 15 play drive that started on UC's one yard line. The 99 yard drive would take over eight and a half minutes off the clock to tie the game at 10-10. Cumberlands would get the ball again before the half and would put together another hefty drive, this one 12 plays for 70 yards capped with a one yard TD run by Devin Burks to give the Patriots a 17-10 lead at the half.
 
The Patriots began the second half with the ball and would find the end zone quickly. Darius Young would haul in a 62-yard touchdown grab from Robbins, followed with a PAT to extend the lead to 24-10 just one minute into the third. On UC's next drive, it was Hayes again finding pay dirt, this time on a five yard pass from Robbins, their second touchdown hook-up of the contest, to make it 31-10 Patriots midway through the quarter.
 
The Saints would answer with a TD scamper from Post, this one from 16 yards out to cut the lead back down to 31-17, but the Patriots weren't done yet in the quarter. Young once again would be the recipient of another Robbins' touchdown pass, this one from 59 yards to push the Patriot lead back out to 21 points at 38-17 heading into the fourth. Post would go to the air for the Saints' next score, finding Da'marco Canty from four yards out to cut the lead back down to 14 at 38-24.
 
Cumberlands would continue to lean on their senior quarterback Robbins here as he would go to the air once more, this time finding Brandon Stuckey for a 30 yard touchdown pass, Robbins' fifth TD through the air in the game. The point after was good, making it 45-24 UC. Monalo Caldwell would cut into the lead once more with a two yard TD run, but that was as close as the Saints would get as UC would win 45-31.
 
Robbins' performance would push him out front in many single-season records, including completions, yards, and touchdowns as he would go 20-29 for 304 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Ky'zheyone (KJ) Burton would add 100 yards on the ground on 17 carries. Devin Burks chipped in 37 yards on 14 carries with a score. Young put together another career effort with 11 catches for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hayes tallied 50 yards through the air on five grabs and a pair of scores as well.
 
Defensively, Tyler Pendleton would anchor a defense that tallied three tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, one interception, and 13 pass breakups. Pendleton had 11 total tackles (four solo) with a half tackle for loss. Jeremiah Baker added eight tackles (five solo) while Kumi Sarpong continued his weekly trend of finding the quarterback, tallying three tackles and two sacks.
 
The win sets up a big NAIA matchup next week as the currently seventh-ranked Patriots will host the currently sixth-ranked Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College, who also carries a 9-0 record and 6-0 in MSC Bluegrass Division play, for the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division Title. It is also Senior Day for the Patriots as kick-off is slated for 1:30 PM.
 
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