Williamsburg, KY – The UC football team has continued to dominate their opponents this season, the latest being a 47-15 win over then (RV) Bethel in their Mid-South Conference opener.  UC looks to continue their hot start as they travel to face Cumberland Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST.  The Patriots have leaped into the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, coming in at 21, making it the fourth consecutive year that UC has been ranked in the poll.  It will be the 25^th meeting between these two schools, with the Patriots holding a 14-10 lead in the overall standings and 8-6 edge in MSC conference games.

Cumberland is 1-3 on the season after falling to top-ranked Lindsey Wilson 34-7 last Saturday.  The Phoenix are 1-1 at home with a 19-7 win over Florida Memorial in their last home game after they opener the season with back-to-back losses to Keiser and St. Thomas.  Cumberland comes into the week averaging 118 rushing yards per game and are averaging 9.5 points per game.

"Right now we are just trying to stay focus and get good work in this week. We are stressing to our team the need to get better every day," said Head Coach Matt Rhymer.  "Cumberland plays extremely hard and we need to continue to prepare the right way to be ready to face them."

Put Together Another Complete Game

The Patriots have won the last two meetings against the Phoenix and come into Saturday's game ranked in the top-ten of the NAIA on both the offense and defensive sides of the ball.  UC has continued to get strong play from their special teams as well, which earned Harlin Brown the MSC Special Teams Player of the Week.  The Patriots are ranked second in the NAIA averaging 56.0 points per game, while limiting opponents 12.0 ppg, which ranks sixth in the country. UC has outscored won each of their four games by an average of 44 points. If Cumberlands is able to put together another complete team effort, they'll find themselves 5-0.

Balanced Offensive Effort

Cumberlands has statistically remained as one of the top offense in the NAIA averaging 450.8 yards per game.  The Patriots been methodical in finding a balance between their passing and running games, using a plethora of players in both. This season UC has had 12 different rushers, led by Martize Smith and Ben Nixon.  Expect the Patriots to continue to share the wealth as the duo of Devin Jones and Jamar Nuby have combined for 260 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Jones is averaging 8.2 yards per carry, while Nuby has stepped into the role of goal-line back finding the end zone five times.

Nixon continues to pace the Patriots offense with 852 yards and 16 touchdowns overall.  The sophomore has thrown for 13 touchdowns over the first four games, which ranks 12^th in the NAIA as has accounted for at least three scorers in every game so far this season. Nixon is coming off of a four-touchdown performance against Bethel for which he earned his second MSC Offensive Player of the Week honor. Overall, Cumberlands has four receivers with multiple touchdowns and if they continue to share the wealth it'll create miss-matches for opposing defenses.

Rhymer said, "We need to continue to work on our match-ups this week and look to create explosive plays throughout the game."  He added, "We showed that we can still run the ball as we rushed 60 times and held the possession for almost 40 minutes against a good Bethel team. Now we need to continue to do that throughout conference play."

Creating Defensive Pressure              

The Patriots defense has not been outshined as they are one of the top in the defense in the country.  They are limiting opponents to 279.3 yards, including an impressive 89.8 rushing yards per game.  UC has recorded at least four sacks in each of their last three games.  Kumi Sarpong  Jr. leads the team with 4.5 sacks, while Kendall Adams-Young has notched a career-high 4.0 sacks so far this season.  This duo along with the rest of the Patriot front seven need to continue to create havoc for opposing offenses and keep the quarterback on their heels.

"This group up front has a great mindset," said Rhymer.  "They want to keep getting better every week, want to dominate the line of scrimmage and cause things to happen that will give our team an advantage in the game."

In addition to the pressure up front that the Patriots, UC's linebackers and secondary will need to continue to step up and make plays on Saturday.  Safeties Walker Dunn and Damon Byrnes-Mitchell as well as Keshawn Catlett have each recorded multiple interceptions this season.  Overall, UC has ten picks on the season, which ranks second in the NAIA.  Tae Hammond along with Dunn leads Cumberlands in tackles on the season with 18 and 17, respectfully.  If the Patriots defense can prevent the big play and continue to flip the field position they'll put themselves in a great chance to win on Saturday.

Special Teams Needs to Continue to be Special

For the third straight week, the Patriots continue to see strong play from all three facets of special teams.  Harlin Brown, the reigning MSC Special Teams Player of the Week, is averaging 41.6 yards per punt and has put eight punt inside the opponents 20.  Teammate Anthony Velasquez is averaging 59.9 yards per kickoff, with four touchbacks.  If this duo can continue to build on the past few games, opposing offenses with have to drive a long way against a formidable defense. 

Just like with the Patriots kickers, UC has had a solid return game in part to J.R. Lucas.  The junior is averaging 12.9 yards per punt return and looks like he's about due to break one deep.  Look for him or AP Parham on kickoffs to get an opportunity to take one to the house on Saturday.

Gameday Information

Fans can purchase tickets for the game at a cost of $10 per ticket for general admissions and $8 for seniors and can be purchased here.  Fans can tune into the game on the Cumberland Sports Network for live video here. In addition, The Country Giant 104.3 will be broadcasting to their local markets or the Country Giant App, while live stats of the game will be available here.
 
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