Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots enter the week 5-2 and 2-1 in Mid-South competition as they prepare to take on the 25th ranked Cumberland University at home at 6 PM on Saturday. The Phoenix also come into the weekend 5-1 on the year, with a 1-2 record in the MSC.
Cumberlands hold the all-time series record over CU 14-7, but dropped the contest last year in Lebanon, TN 21-17. UC are coming off a come from behind victory against Faulkner last weekend to extend their win streak to two, while Cumberland U fell to the Georgetown Tigers.
Take Advantage of Matchups
UC is coming off their best passing performance of the season, gaining 229 yards through the air for two touchdowns. The Pats success in the run game has forced teams to load the box defensively, allowing the Patriot wide receivers more one-on-one matchups on the outside. "We have got to continue to do a good job of throwing the ball downfield," said Head Coach Shan Housekeeper when asked about his offense. "We will get some matchups that we need to take advantage of."
Drew Gregg led the offensive charge against the Eagles last Saturday, completing 14 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, along with scoring the game-winning TD on the ground. Cade Lamb recorded over three catches for the second straight game, raking in 54 yards while Adam Foulk has tallied 130 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Pats last two outings.
Keep Them Behind the Sticks
The Patriots defense come in allowing just 18 points per game and 123 yards rushing per contest this year. They will faceoff against a Phoenix offense that rank in the top-10 in the country in rushing, averaging over 236 yards rushing every game. Coach Housekeeper talked about his defense saying, "We have to do a good job of putting them behind the sticks … If we contain their QB and limit the amount of explosive run plays, we will put ourselves in a great position."
The CU quarterback has shown the ability to extend plays and run the ball downfield, averaging over 70 yards per game on the ground this year. UC's defense will look to continue to put pressure on the quarterback in the pocket, as they have tallied 23 sacks on the season, the seventh most in the NAIA. Adam Caudle has led the charge for the Pats with 4.5 sacks on the season while Walker Dunn, Solomon Dupree, and Jamin Graham have added 2.5 sacks each. In the secondary, UC also rank seventh in the nation in interceptions with 12. Caudle is tied for the team lead in INT's with two while Jeremy Hamilton also has two picks this year. Eight other Patriots have recorded an interception on the season as well.
Keeping Possession
Both teams have shown great success in keeping drives alive on third and fourth down. Cumberland University have converted over 52 percent of third-down plays, extending drives and turning them into points. The Patriots are even better on fourth down, converting on nine of ten fourth-down attempts this season. Their 90% success rate leads all teams in the NAIA this season. Coach Housekeeper talked about his team on fourth down saying, "Our third-downs position us favorably for fourth-down … I like being aggressive when we can, and our kids understand how critical it is to extend drives."
Along with keeping possession, UC looks towards their special teams to give them a leg up on the Phoenix on Saturday in the field position game. Cumberlands have found success in kickoff returns, averaging 28.8 yards per returnable kick, the third best in the country. Jahmal Hutsell has been the go-to return man on kickoffs this season, returning 12 kicks for 379 yards for an average of over 31 yards per return. On the flip side, Job Matossian and the Patriots coverage unit have averaged 43.3 yards per punt, flipping the field and giving opponents a much longer field to start their drives with. Matossian has also hit 11 of 14 field goals, the second most of any kicker in the NAIA this year.
"Field position will be very important this week," mentions Coach Housekeeper. "Our punt team and kickoff return team need to be very effective … We invest in those aspects of the game and our guys really understand the value that it brings."
The Patriots will kickoff at 6 PM ET, looking for their sixth win of the season on Saturday. You can watch live here and follow along with he live stats here.
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