GEORGETOWN, KY – Trailing by six with less than a minute remaining, the University of the Cumberlands football team delivered a dramatic finish Saturday afternoon, as Drew Gregg connected with Ronye Watson for a 32-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left to lift the Patriots past No. 9 Georgetown 26-25 at Toyota Stadium. Cumberlands marched 75 yards in just 34 seconds on its final possession before Khalil Arman converted the go-ahead extra point, securing the Patriots' first victory over the Tigers since 2022. UC improves to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in Mid-South Conference play with the win.
Gregg led the Patriots' passing attack, completing 24-of-33 passes for 204 yards and the game-winning touchdown without an interception. Watson hauled in four receptions for a game-high 91 yards and a touchdown, including three catches for 75 yards on the final drive. Juan Bullard Jr. powered the ground game with a season-high 115 yards on 19 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt, while Tanner Marsh added 33 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Michael Petty finished with six receptions for 51 yards, and Cade Lamb added five catches for 29 yards.
Defensively, Major Newman, JD DeRoche and Khalil Mollay each recorded six tackles to lead the Patriots. Newman added a game-high three tackles for loss and half a sack, while Jaquon Hall recorded 1.5 sacks. Naitwan Thompson and Ritt Tankersley each finished with five tackles, while Deshun Tipton forced and recovered a fumble on Georgetown's final play to secure the victory. UC finished with seven tackles for loss, two sacks and five pass breakups.
Cumberlands established its offensive rhythm immediately, marching 75 yards in 12 plays on the opening possession. Gregg connected with Petty for 17 yards on the first play from scrimmage before Bullard helped move the Patriots into Georgetown territory. Marsh converted a third-and-four with a five-yard run, and Gregg later found Lamb for 11 yards to move inside the red zone. After a third-down completion to Bullard moved UC to the 10-yard line, Marsh broke through for a 10-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Patriots ahead 6-0 with eight minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Georgetown answered with a touchdown on its opening possession to take a 7-6 advantage, but the Patriots responded with another sustained drive. Bullard broke free for a 19-yard gain, while Marsh connected with Lamb and Petty for completions of 10 and 11 yards. UC moved inside the red zone before Arman connected on a 36-yard field goal, putting Cumberlands back in front 9-7 with 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Patriots' defense opened the second quarter with a three-and-out, highlighted by a tackle for loss from DeRoche and an eight-yard sack by Hall. Taking over at their own 43-yard line, UC put together another lengthy scoring drive, converting a fourth-and-three on a four-yard completion from Gregg to Petty. Bullard added a key third-down conversion on the ground before Gregg connected with Carter Stewart for 15 yards to reach the Georgetown 15. Marsh followed with an 11-yard run and capped the possession with a four-yard touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead to 16-7 midway through the second quarter.
Georgetown answered with a field goal to trim the deficit to six, but Cumberlands controlled the final four minutes of the half. Bullard rushed for nine yards to move the chains before Gregg added a 15-yard run to reach Georgetown territory. The Patriots continued moving the football behind completions to Clayton and Petty, eventually reaching the two-yard line. With time expiring, Arman connected on a 20-yard field goal to send UC into halftime leading 19-10.
The Tigers opened the second half with a touchdown drive to pull within 19-17, but Cumberlands' defense responded by forcing a punt on Georgetown's next possession. Thompson broke up a third-down pass to end the threat, giving the Patriots possession at their own 15-yard line.
Bullard sparked the ensuing drive with a 26-yard run, while Clayton added gains of five, three and seven yards to move UC into Georgetown territory. However, the Patriots' attempt to convert fourth-and-one at the Tigers' 32-yard line ended with a sack, turning the ball over on downs.
Neither team scored again in the third quarter as both defenses continued to make stops. Georgetown moved near midfield on its next possession before Newman recorded a tackle for loss, helping force a punt early in the fourth.
Cumberlands opened the final quarter with a lengthy possession, moving from its own 17-yard line toward midfield. Bullard converted a third-and-one with a three-yard run, while Gregg connected with Watson for 16 yards on third-and-12. However, the drive stalled near midfield, and Georgetown took over following another fourth-down sack.
The Patriots' defense answered with a critical stop as Curry and Jalen Yearby combined to bring down a Georgetown runner for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-two, giving UC possession at its own 41-yard line with 7:10 remaining.
Cumberlands was unable to capitalize, and Georgetown took over with 4:53 remaining. The Tigers marched 74 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a seven-yard touchdown run with 51 seconds left. A successful two-point conversion extended the Georgetown advantage to 25-19, leaving the Patriots needing a touchdown and extra point to win.
With the game on the line, Gregg and Watson delivered. Starting at their own 25-yard line, the Patriots opened the final possession with an incompletion before Gregg connected with Watson for 16 yards to move the chains. After another incomplete pass, Gregg found Watson again, this time for 27 yards to reach the Georgetown 32-yard line. Following one more incompletion, Gregg went back to Watson, who hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass with just 17 seconds remaining.
Arman stepped up and converted the extra point, putting Cumberlands ahead 26-25 and completing the six-play, 75-yard drive in just 34 seconds.
Georgetown had one final opportunity, but the Patriots' defense made sure there would be no answer. After an incompletion, the Tigers completed a 42-yard pass into UC territory, but Tipton forced a fumble and recovered the loose ball as time expired, sealing the dramatic road victory.
Cumberlands finished with 393 yards of total offense, including 225 passing and 168 rushing, while holding Georgetown to 336 yards. The Patriots recorded 27 first downs compared to the Tigers' 17 and controlled possession for 31:37. UC also protected the football throughout the afternoon, finishing without a turnover while converting seven of its 13 third-down opportunities.
The victory marks Cumberlands' first win over Georgetown since 2022 and snaps a three-game losing streak against the Tigers. The Patriots improve to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in Mid-South Conference play after securing their second road conference victory of the season.
UC will have a bye week before hosting the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson University Saturday, November 14th for Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM ET.
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