Columbia, KY – Cumberlands just couldn't find any rhythm on Saturday as they fall to #8 Lindsey Wilson College 48-14. UC came into the game averaging 173 rushing yards per game, but the Blue Raiders defense proved too much as they gave up just 4 rushing yards all game. The Patriots move to 5-3 on the season and 1-3 against Mid-South Conference opponents.
UC showed flashes of success in Columbia, the first coming from
Jahmal Hutsell who ran a kickoff back 91-yards for the Patriots first kick return TD of the year.
Jay Roberts got the start at QB going 11-23 with 74 yards.
Trace Thompson was called on later in the game and threw for 64 yards and his first collegiate touchdown.
Elijah Howard caught one pass for 40 yards and a touchdown while
Eli Evans caught a pair of passes for 30 yards.
Reagan Cherry led all Patrtiot defenders with nine tackles on the day, including one tackle for loss.
The Patriots kicked off to the Blue Raiders to start the contest. Both teams traded possessions before LWC found the endzone to take the early 7-0 lead with seven minutes on the clock. The following drive Roberts connected with
Romeo McKnight for a first down but wouldn't get much else being forced to punt. Lindsey would tack on another TD off an interception to make the score 14-0 after one quarter of play.
The second quarter didn't start much better for the Pats, as LWC scored their third TD of the game, this time off of a punt block. UC's offense continued to struggle, earning only a handful of first downs the remainder of the quarter. Lindsey would go on to score one more time before the half to take a 28-0 lead into the locker room.
The Patriots received the second half kickoff and made a big completion to start the drive but committed a pair of penalties to negate the play. They were forced to punt and Coach Housekeeper tried to catch the LWC special teams unit sleeping with a fake punt, but it was sniffed out forcing a turnover on downs. The Blue Raiders offense would take advantage of the good field position with their fifth score of the day. The Patriots would respond the very next play as
Jahmal Hutsell took the kickoff back 91-yards for UC's first touchdown of the day, making it 35-7 with 10 minutes to play in the third. This marked the first Patriot return for a TD this season. The buzzer sounded with LWC leading 41-7.
The final quarter of play saw glimpses of success by the Patriots offense. Freshman
Trace Thompson took over at quarterback and made a pair of good throws to get down the field into the endzone. The first came to
Jakobie Hughes for 24 yards to get them across the 50. A couple plays later Thompson connected with Howard who took off for 40 yards and the touchdown. This is Thompson's first passing TD of his career as a Patriot and Howard's third receiving score of the year as well. The game ended with a score of 48-14.
Cumberlands will look to rebound next week on the road as they faceoff with Campbellsville University. UC have defeated the Tigers for seven years in a row and have the opportunity to extend that streak. Opening kickoff will be at 7 PM in Campbellsville, KY.
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