WILLIAMSBURG, KY - The RV University of the Cumberlands football team returns to the road Saturday as the Patriots travel to Rio Grande, OH for the first-ever meeting with the University of Rio Grande. UC enters the matchup 3-0 after wins over Union Commonwealth, Bluefield and Warner, while the RedStorm enter at 0-2 in their second season as a football program. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 PM.
 
Cumberlands has opened the year averaging 42.0 points and 503.7 yards of offense per game while outscoring opponents 126-76. Rio Grande has shown flashes of explosiveness through its first two contests despite the winless start, setting up a new challenge for the Patriots in their first trip to Rio Grande.
 
First Trip to Rio
Saturday brings a new experience for Cumberlands as the Patriots prepare for an opponent they have never faced and a road environment they have never visited. Head Coach Shan Housekeeper believes that unfamiliarity adds another element to the normal challenges of playing away from home.
 
While Rio Grande is still a young program, Housekeeper has seen a team that continues to compete and develop. The RedStorm are in just their second season of football and enter Saturday looking for their first victory of 2026.
 
"They play hard, that's for sure," said Housekeeper. "The coaches have got them doing a lot of good things. They're still young and still growing, but they're definitely giving a lot of effort in their games. They're trying to really improve, and you can tell on film."
 
The RedStorm have also shown a willingness to use different looks offensively, making discipline an important part of UC's preparation.
 
"They do a lot of different things offensively," said Housekeeper. "They're pretty aggressive as far as different styles, schemes, tricks and different things like that. It comes down to us being able to line up and play fundamental football. That's the objective for the week, and that's been the emphasis all week too."
 
Creating Opportunities
Rio Grande has relied primarily on its passing attack through the opening two games, throwing for 350 yards and four touchdowns. The RedStorm have also demonstrated big-play ability, recording completions of 76 and 51 yards, while their leading receiver has totaled 162 yards and a touchdown while averaging 23.1 yards per catch.
 
That will test a Cumberlands defense that has emphasized eliminating explosive plays while creating more opportunities of its own. The Patriots have intercepted a pass in each of their first three games and have recovered three fumbles, including two against Warner.
 
"One of our four points of improvement as far as a full team goes is takeaways," said Housekeeper. "We try to be pretty particular about protecting the ball on offense, and then defensively we want to create opportunities for our offense."
 
Rio Grande has thrown two interceptions through its first two contests, while its ground game enters Saturday averaging 50 yards per game and 1.7 yards per carry. For the Patriots, creating negative plays has been only part of the emphasis. Housekeeper continues to stress finishing those opportunities when defenders get themselves into position.
 
"We're starting to make some plays that we didn't make in Week 1 and 2, so we're definitely getting better," said Housekeeper. "We've got to use those moments of, this is why we teach you to do what we do, and these are the techniques that you need to use to be able to finish those plays effectively."
 
Controlling the Controllables
Cumberlands will also look to play cleaner football as it heads back on the road. The Patriots have been penalized 30 times for 306 yards through three games, making eliminating self-inflicted mistakes another priority heading into Saturday.
 
Housekeeper has focused specifically on penalties that occur before and after the play, believing those are mistakes the Patriots have complete control over.
 
"Our focus is eliminating pre- and post-snap penalties because those are the ones that are fully controllable by us," said Housekeeper. "During the play, there's going to be a hold or there might be a face mask or something unintentional, and we can try to squeeze those and minimize those down as well."
 
The coaching staff has continued to emphasize the impact those mistakes can have throughout a game.
 
"We talk about it every team meeting," said Housekeeper. "We're definitely trying to emphasize the area and show the importance of the area and control the penalties that we can control. If we can eliminate those, it'll really help us out."
 
Playing to the Standard
The Patriots enter the weekend unbeaten and receiving votes in the latest NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, but Housekeeper does not want the team's record or national recognition to change its approach against Rio Grande.
 
"You can't take anything for granted in this profession or this endeavor that we're on," said Housekeeper. "I refuse to underestimate a human or a team or any group of people. The objective for us is to prepare and play at the standard that we expect as a program."
 
That mindset becomes especially important with Cumberlands preparing for a first-time opponent on the road. Housekeeper believes the Patriots have responded with one of their strongest weeks of preparation this season.
 
"It does not matter what field we're on or what's on the jersey," said Housekeeper. "We want to make sure that we play to our standard the best we possibly can. I think our kids have practiced really hard this week. I think we've had one of our better weeks of preparation."
 
Housekeeper also wants the Patriots' attention to remain on their own improvement rather than the recognition that has accompanied the 3-0 start.
 
"The rankings and all that stuff, it's really insignificant at this point," said Housekeeper. "The only ranking that matters is the final poll. I just put all my emphasis into the things that we can do to get better as a program, and that's where we put our focus."
 
Cumberlands looks to move to 4-0 when the Patriots travel to Rio Grande for the first meeting between the two programs on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 PM.
 
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