Williamsburg, KY – Come off of their first setback, the UC football team is eager to return to the field Saturday as they travel to Montgomery, AL to face conference newcomer Faulkner Saturday afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium.  It will be the sixth meeting between these two schools with Cumberlands holding the series edge 4-1 and the third time that the two programs are meeting in conference. 

The Patriots are 2-1 on the season and have found success in all three phases of the game so far this season.  Faulkner enters the game with a 1-2 mark, but have face a pair of NAIA top-ten ranked opponents so far this year, including falling to tenth-ranked Georgetown 23-13 last Saturday.  The Patriots won the last meeting between these two schools 44-34 back on September 8, 2018 however, this year both teams are looking for their first Mid-South Conference win.

"Faulkner is a really talented team that has athleticism on both sides of the ball," said Head Coach Shan Housekeeper.  "We'll have to execute at a high level in all three phases of the game."

Establish the Run

Cumberlands averaged 186.5 yards per game on the ground in their two wins so far this season.  That has come in part to a quartet of options that the Patriots have in the backfield.  Jamar Nuby, who leads the team lead with 116 yards, returns to the lineup to for the Patriots. Phillip Garner has rushed for 93 yards this season, while Devin Jones and AP Parham have 53 and 43 yards, respectively.  Martize Smith, the three-time MSC All-Conference selection, has ran for 41-yards through the first three games.  If the Patriots can get the running game going it'll open up lanes in the passing and play action game.

Protect the Football

So far this season the Patriots are +5 on the turnover battle has their defense has recovered five fumbles and made three interceptions through the first three games of the season.  Tobi Adewale collected his second interception last Saturday, while Noah Steen has forced a pair of fumbles in the week two win over St. Andrews.  Another key for the Patriots has been the stellar play of quarterback Ben Nixon, who has thrown for 543 yards and five touchdowns this season.  Nixon has completed 58.24% of his passes and has an efficiency rating of 124.2. 

"Coach [Adam] Morris has done an incredible job working with Ben about going through his progressions," said Coach Housekeeper.  "Ben is making good decisions with the ball and not trying to force throws, which is yielding positive outcomes."

Have a Strong Defensive Showing

One of the strengths of this year's team is the defense, which is limiting the opposition to 230.3 yards per game.  UC is currently ranked third in the conference in yards against average and has limited the opposition to 68.3 on the ground.  A critical component of the Patriots defense has been their tackling and minimizing yards after contact.   UC has three players that are ranked in the top ten of the MSC in tackles, led by Adam Caudle, who has 24 tackles and is averaging 8.0 tackles per game.   Walker Dunn and Dylan Preston are at 22 and 19 tackles, respectively, to hold strong inside the top ten.  In addition to Caudle, Coach Housekeeper has stated that Kendall Adams-Young and Nate Hancock have gotten off to strong starts this season.

"Our defense has played hard until the last whistle in every game and the goal is to see them continue to play with intensity," said Coach Housekeeper.

Special Teams Needs to be Special

Special teams could be one of the keys to success for the Patriots this weekend.  Freshman Job Matossian has converted a field goal in each of the first three games this season and has converted 3-4 on the year.  The Maryville, TN native has also made 9-11 extra points, look for him to continue that strong performance Saturday.  Trip Holloway is averaging 54.3 yards on kickoffs, while Harlin Brown is averaging 38.53 yards per punt through three games.  Cumberlands will continue to look to them to help flip the field position battle throughout the game and put both the offense and defense in favorable positions.

Live video of the game can be found here, while live stats will be available here.

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