Williamsburg, KY – Going up against one of the toughest opponents the Patriots faced so far this season a fast start wasn't enough as UC fell to third-ranked Lindsey Wilson 37-10 Saturday night at James H. Taylor II Stadium.  The Blue Raiders improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while the Patriots move to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in MSC play.

Ben Nixon led the offense going 24-41 for 261 yards and touchdown. For the second straight game, Romeo McKnight led UC's receivers with 92 yards on four catches.  Elijah Howard made seven grabs for 52 yards, while Addison Ironside added 48 yards.

Dylan Preston led the Patriots defense with a career-high 13 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.  Adam Caudle made nine tackles and forced a fumble, while Chandler Kaylor finished with nine tackles a sack and a forced fumble.  Tobi Adewale added his second interception of the season.

Cumberlands opened the gamer with a strong opening drive going 84 yards in four plays for a score.  On the second play from scrimmage Ben Nixon found Romeo McKnight for a 66-yard reception moving the ball into the red zone.  Two plays later Nixon found Phillip Garner for an 18-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead.



Lindsey Wilson responded with a scoring drive of their own.  Will McDonald led the Blue Raiders with 51 yards passing, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 7-7.  The two teams traded possessions before Lindsey Wilson tallied their second touchdown of the game to give the Blue Raiders a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Blue Raiders added a score to open the second quarter to extend their lead to 20-7.  After a Patriots punt, Chandler Kaylor forced a fumble, which was recovered by Dylan Preston at the Lindsey Wilson 32-yard line.  On the ensuing Patriots possession, Devin Jones rushed for four yards, while Nixon pass for seven yards.  Those plays set up a Job Matossian 33-yard field goal cutting the deficit to 20-10.  The Blue Raiders responded with a field goal of their own on the next possession.  Both teams looked to add to their scores, however, strong defensive efforts kept the score 23-10 heading into halftime.



Cumberlands defense picked up the intensity during the third quarter, holding the Blue Raiders scoreless.  Lindsey Wilson opened the half with the ball and Caudle and Preston combined for one-yard tackle for loss on second down.  The next play Kaylor sacked McDonald forcing the punt.  On the next Blue Raiders possession, Tobi Adewale notched his second interception of the season to give UC the ball midway through the period.  The two teams combined for six punts to close out the quarter as the score remained 23-10 in favor of the Blue Raiders.



Lindsey Wilson blocked a punt to start the fourth quarter and set up their offense inside the 10.  The Blue Raiders capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown to extend their lead to 30-10.  UC started to move on the next drive as Nixon completed five passes, including a 27-yarder to AP Parham to move the ball down to the Lindsey 29, however, UC was forced to turn the ball over on downs.  Lindsey Wilson added a touchdown late for the 37-10 final.

Cumberlands will return to the field next Saturday, September 24, when they travel to Montgomery, AL to face Faulkner.  Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. EST.

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