Williamsburg, KY – Rain or shine, the Patriots look to close out their spring campaign under the lights at James H. Taylor, II Stadium on Friday. The home team has a chance to remain unbeaten against the Saints, coming into the day 2-4 on the year.
 
This week's game is presented by Forcht Bank. Forcht Bank's mission is to exceed our customer's expectations by delivering an easy, simple, faster, and better banking experience. They are one of the largest banking groups based in the state with 24 locations across Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.
 
Cumberlands stepped forward to move back to .500 on the year with last week's thriller against Pikeville. With minutes on the clock, a game-saving interception in the endzone by Jamar Roberts secured the victory on home ground for the Patriots. Now, with Thomas More ahead for the season finale, Cumberlands has a favorable matchup to close the untraditional season with a winning record.
 
A season ago, Cumberlands won the first ever contest between these two teams. Thomas More joined the Mid-South Conference with their move to the NAIA ahead of the 2019-20 season. On the road, Cumberlands took the 45-31 victory behind KJ Burton's 100-yard rushing day. Then-QB Josiah Robbins tossed five touchdowns with 300 passing yards.
 
The Patriots are back on their winning ways, taking victories in back-to-back games for the first time this season. In addition, they have also put up 30 or more points on their opponents in each of the wins. Cumberlands look for high-scoring to extend their streak to three.
 
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Secured Offensive Roles
Martize Smith has dominated since moving to the first man up in the depth chart. The second-year back was held to fewer touches in the first three games of the season, totaling about 100 yards through the stretch. Now, Smith is surpassing that mark every single game.
 
Beginning with the road game at Bethel, Smith has been a staple for the Patriots offense, a much needed one to get the Patriots back-to-back wins. Against Pikeville, Smith recorded his third-straight game with 100-plus yards rushing, over the stretch tallying his second game breaking the 200-yard barrier. The Georgia product is currently averaging 115 yards per game, 195 yards per game averaged over the three-game stretch.
 
With his recent performance, Smith ranks as the ninth best running back in the NAIA given yards per game. He is well over pace to finish with more yards than he had in his rookie season based on averages. if he has another 200-yard rushing day against Thomas More, he will come close to matching last season's total. In 12 games, Smith rushed 935 yards as a rookie; he currently has 694 in seven games.
 
Cumberlands will look to rush big against a defense that has allowed 135 yards rushing per game. While the figure seems strong at first glance, Pikeville rushed for about 175 yards against the Saints and Bethel put up over 300 yards rushing combined. As always, the run-game will be balanced by the Patriots air raid. Nathan Arnold's strong arm has propelled the Patriots offense roughly 200 yards per game, the Saints coming into the week allowing about 215 passing yards per contest.
 
Arnold has continued to be promising for the Patriots as the starting quarterback. Looks did not come his way at the start of the season, not becoming a consistent, go-to arm for the Patriots until the second half of the Lindsey Wilson game. He recorded his first collegiate passing touchdown in that game, and since then has been responsible for seven scores this season.
 
With each start, Arnold looks more and more comfortable taking snaps. He has versatility as the Patriots quarterback, working through progressions and routes to note key passes, even if its short gains when needed. Arnold also has the recognition and ability to tuck the ball in and run, he has a rushing score this season on a 30-yard pick-up at Campbellsville.
 
Alonzo Russell has also climbed his way up the ladder, getting recognized for his recent success on the field. He had a breakout game earlier this season with a two-touchdown, 74-yard day against Cumberland in game two. Now he is second on the team for receiving yards this season with 203. While not finding the endzone against Pikeville, Russell still came to play. He went off for 91 yards on three receptions against the Bears, a career-high for the redshirt freshman.
 
Russell will be a starting wideout against the Saint on Friday night, alongside Jacob Ward and Brandon Stuckey. Chase Overstreet also made his presence known as more targets came his way. Arnold relied heavily on his tight end for short looks up the field to pick up positive yardage against the Bears as well, the most yards gained by the tight end position all season. Tucker Brown, Eli Evans and Ethan Cox each look for their first receptions of the season, noted as the second man in the two deep.
 
Senior Staff
The Patriots defense is led by numerous veteran players to hold their opponents to less than 350 yards per game on average. Myles Betts is coming off a season-high seven tackles against Pikeville, getting back to his healthy self that was seen often a season ago. Meanwhile, Brad Montgomery has continued to impress during his senior season with the Patriots. He is currently second on the Patriots defense in terms of tackles, averaging five per game. He has also tallied six tackles for loss this season and 1.5 sacks.
 
Jeremiah McKibben and Tae Hammond combined their experience as veteran linebackers for big defensive days in the Patriots recent wins. The duo combined for 11 tackles over the stretch, 36 this season. However, it has been Adam Chaney leading the linebackers this season, living up to the hype he brought with him from Saraland, AL. The rookie has tallied 30 tackles this season, 10 solo, with 2.5 for loss and a sack.
 
The Saints come into the game with dual threats under center, both quarterbacks Jay Volpenhein and Blaine Espinosa have noted similar figures through the season. After taking a majority of the snaps in the loss to Georgetown, Espinosa is projected to be the starter this week passing for 730 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
 
Gameday Information
Due to University COVID-19 protocols, gameday attendance at all home events will be limited to students, faculty and staff. As such, a UC ID is required to enter the facility. In addition, dressed Patriots may select up to two (2) immediate family members to be allowed access into the venue. These family members have to be submitted prior to game day, and will be required to be screened prior to entering the facility.
 
Seating and entrances will be separated at the stadium; UC students, faculty and staff will use the main entrance and sit in the home stands, while family members will use the side entrance past the pavilion and sit in the visiting stands. All fans in attendance will be required to wear a face covering and social distancing will be encouraged while at the facility.
 
Fans not in attendance can watch the game live, free of charge, on UCSN or tune into 104.3 FM WEZJ. Live updates will be posted to Twitter via @UCPatsGameDay. 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, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.