Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots return home to take on Pikeville Saturday night at James H. Taylor II Stadium looking to improve to 3-1 in the 'Burg on the year.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and it will the 20^th meeting between the as UC has won four straight. 

"We are looking forward to being back in front of our home crowd this weekend," said Head Coach Shan Housekeeper.  "There is something special about playing at home knowing the fans are out there being loud and supporting the team."

Both teams are seeking their second MSC win of the season as UC looks to move back over .500 on the season.  The Patriots have home wins over Union and Cumberland, while the Bears are 0-2 on the road so far this season. Last season when these two teams meet, Cumberlands overcame a 24-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Bears 27-0 in the second half for the 41-38 win.   

Control the Line

The Patriots have notched 20 sacks on the season, which is 11^th in the NAIA and second in the Mid-South.  A major part of that success is the pressure being generated by UC's defensive line.  The quartet of Kendall Adams-Young, Cortez Brown, Kumi Sarpong Jr., and Myles Simon have been able to pressure the quarterback accounting for 13.5 sacks on the year, while also closing up holes in the run game.  Sarpong Jr. has accounted for 3.5 sacks on the year and is tied with Corey Maddox for the career lead with 22.0 and has a chance to take over the top spot with another great game. 

"It's great to have Kumi back in the line-up the past few games as he continues to understand the system better," said Housekeeper.  "Also being able to line in up opposite of Cortez, who is becoming an explosive pass rusher, keeps the offensive line off balanced."

In addition to the offensive line the Patriots linebacker core includes three of the top ten tacklers in the MSC.  Adam Caudle leads the way for UC with 49 tackles on the season, averaging 8.2 tackles per game, which ranks second in the conference.   Chandler Kaylor and Walker Dunn have made 40 and 37 tackles, respectively, which is ranked eighth and ninth in the MSC. 

Special Teams Continue to do What it Does

Cumberlands special teams has played a vital role in almost every game this season and will need to have another monster week for UC to have success again on Saturday.  Damon Byrnes-Mitchell has now blocked a punt in consecutive weeks that resulted in an Adam Foulk return for a touchdown.  If the Patriots can continue either score or shorten the field position for the offensive it could lead to success for UC.  In addition, Trip Holloway averaged 45.4 yards per punt on seven attempts a week ago pinning Bethel inside their 20 twice.  Holloway has also been averaging 55.2 yards per kickoff, while Cumberlands special teams defense has done a good job of getting up field and limiting the returns.

"Trip did a great job stepping in handling the punting duties last week.  He continues to excel at the kickoff game and been putting the coverage team in favorable positions," said Coach Housekeeper.

Offense Needs to Get Off to a Fast Start

In each of the past two meeting, UC has overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to pull out the win.  With Jakob Greer making his first start of the season for the Patriots it's essential that they get off to a fast start.  Greer is not a stranger to the Bears as he went 14-27 for 189 yards and four scores in last year's comeback win.  The four touchdowns in the game was a career-high for the senior and including touchdowns to Ethan Cox and Brandon Stuckey to put the Patriots in front.  Greer will have a full arsenal of receivers to work with as AP Parham, Romeo McKnight, Darius James, and Kam'ron Pugh are all expected to be in the lineup.  In addition tight end Skyler has started to flourish with seven catches and a score over the last two weeks. 

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the gate for $8 for an adult, $5 for students, and all UC students, faculty, and staff get in for free. Fans can purchase tickets for the game here, while it will be available on the UCSN here.

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, TikTok - @and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.