Williamsburg, KY – Coming off of a bye week, the UC Football team is set for their first road test of the season when they travel to Laurinburg, NC to face St. Andrews Saturday, September 10, with a 1 p.m. kickoff.  The Patriots have won four of their last five road openers and are looking to improve to 3-0 against the Knights in the series history. 

"The bye week came at a perfect time for us and gave us a chance to focus on fundamentals as we gear up for this next stretch of games," said Head Coach  Shan Housekeeper.

First Road Test of the Season:

The Patriots have a lot going in their favor as the make the trip to the Tar Heel state for this weekend's game.  UC has posted eight consecutive wins against AAC opponents dating back to the 2018 season.  In addition to that eight game win streak, Cumberlands has won there last two matchups coming off of a bye week.  This is the second time that the Patriots will travel to face the Knights and the first time since October 18, 2017 when UC took that game 21-14.  These two schools also faced off in 2018 when the Patriots defeated St. Andrews 56-14 at home. 

"Road games always present a different set of challenge and put us in scenarios to overcome adversity and play quality football," said Coach Housekeeper.  "St. Andrews has a lot of talented athletes and we have to do a good job in all three phases of the game to be successful."

Get the Offense off to a Fast Start:

In the season opener against Union, Cumberlands found their rhythm in the second half accounting for 258 yards and three touchdowns and a field goal for 23 points in UC's 30-6 win.  The Patriots utilized a balanced rushing attack as five different players ran for over 40 yards in the win led by Jamar Nuby and Ben Nixon, who went for 57 yards and a score each.  Nixon also passed for 119 yards in the win, with AP Parham being the recipient of 80 of those yards.  Facing a St. Andrews team that has given up 15 rushing touchdowns so far this season, Cumberlands will have an opportunity to build their rushing attack ahead of conference play. 

"The offense is continuing to gain experience and understanding every day," said Coach Housekeeper. "Our goal is to get into the game flow a little quicker each week."

Strong Defense Effort:

The Patriots defense opened the season with a statement performance as they limited Union to 215 yards, including just 31 yards in the second half.  That second half was highlighted by a pair of Cumberlands sacks as well as a pair of interceptions from the UC secondary.  This Saturday, Cumberlands faces a balance St. Andrews offense that has averaged 109.5 yards on the ground and 103.0 yards passing over their first two games.  UC will continue to lean on their linebacker core of Walker Dunn, Adam Caudle, Dylan Preston, and Noah Steen, who combined for 27 tackles in the opener to stop the run and put added pressure on the Knights quarterback.  Tobi Adewale and Malik Thornton each tallied an interception so far this season but look for the hungry Patriot secondary to limit chances for the St. Andrews passing game.

"The defense is practicing at an effective rate and we have to continue to play sound defensively, which will open opportunities to force turnovers," said Coach Housekeeper.
 
Special Teams Needs to be Special:

According to Housekeeper, special teams can be a difference maker and have an impact every week throughout the season.  Freshman Job Matossian converted his first collegiate field goal, a 35-yarder, in the opener and has the opportunity to see more action this weekend.  In addition to Matossian, Harlin Brown averaged 38.3 yards per punt, while Trip Holloway averaged 61.5 yards over his six kickoffs this season.  If the special teams can continue to set up the offense in favorable positions it could make for a long day for the Knights defense.

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

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