University of the Cumberlands Athletics

JACKSON, OH - The RV University of the Cumberlands football team used a dominant rushing attack and a strong second half to defeat Rio Grande 38-17 Saturday afternoon in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Patriots improve to 4-0 on the season after piling up 461 yards of offense, including a season-high 324 yards on the ground, while holding the RedStorm to just 42 rushing yards.
 
Jayden Clayton led the way with a career-high 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. Kris Hughes added 75 yards on seven carries, while Tanner Marsh rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown. Drew Gregg completed 10 passes for 127 yards and a score, connecting with Michael Petty for a 36-yard fourth-quarter touchdown.
 
Defensively, JD DeRoche led the Patriots with eight tackles and a tackle for loss, while Zander Curry added seven tackles and two tackles for loss. Ja'than Willis finished with five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Jace Hatfield recorded UC's lone sack. Major Newman intercepted a pass, Jaylin Berrian forced a fumble and Khalil Mollay recovered it as Cumberlands forced two turnovers and held Rio Grande to 267 total yards.
 
Cumberlands set the tone with a lengthy opening possession, marching 61 yards on 14 plays while taking 8:32 off the clock. The Patriots picked up six first downs on the drive before Khalil Arman connected on a 29-yard field goal to give UC a 3-0 lead.
 
After the defense forced a quick Rio Grande punt, UC went back to work with another sustained drive. Starting at its own 16, Cumberlands marched 84 yards on 11 plays as Gregg connected with Ronye Watson for 23 yards and Hughes added runs of 12 and six yards. Marsh capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to extend the advantage to 10-0.
 
The Patriot defense came up with a fourth-down stop on Rio Grande's next possession. The RedStorm appeared to convert fourth-and-two in UC territory, but a holding penalty erased the gain before Curry dropped the punter for a nine-yard loss on the ensuing fourth-and-12 attempt.
 
Rio Grande created a pair of opportunities later in the quarter. Following a UC turnover, the RedStorm moved into Cumberlands territory before Hatfield recorded a third-down sack to force a punt. Rio Grande recovered a Patriot fumble on the return and eventually converted a 26-yard field goal to trim the lead to 10-3.
 
The RedStorm pulled within one in the closing seconds of the half when a blocked punt was returned 27 yards for a touchdown. Cumberlands answered with a special teams play of its own on the ensuing extra-point attempt, blocking the kick to keep the Patriots ahead 10-9.
 
UC's special teams came up huge again as Watson fielded the ensuing kickoff at the Patriot 10-yard line and raced 90 yards for a touchdown, immediately swinging momentum back to Cumberlands. Arman's extra point sent the Patriots into halftime with a 17-9 advantage.
 
The defense wasted little time creating another opportunity after the break. On Rio Grande's second play of the third quarter, Newman intercepted a pass at the RedStorm 34 and returned it two yards. While UC was unable to turn the takeaway into points, the defense followed by forcing a three-and-out that included Curry dropping a runner for an eight-yard loss.
 
Starting at the Rio Grande 42 following the punt, Cumberlands leaned on the ground game. Marsh opened the possession with a seven-yard run before Hughes broke free for gains of 18 and 16 yards. Clayton finished the six-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 24-9 with 9:06 remaining in the third.
 
Rio Grande responded with its lone offensive touchdown of the afternoon, cutting the margin to 24-17. The Patriots needed only one play to answer. Clayton took the handoff from the UC 41 and raced 59 yards for his second touchdown of the quarter, restoring a 31-17 advantage just 19 seconds after the RedStorm score.
 
The Patriot defense then turned Rio Grande away on consecutive possessions in Cumberlands territory. The first ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-eight at the UC 27. After Rio Grande later moved to the Patriot 13, Willis recorded a three-yard tackle for loss on third down before the RedStorm came up empty on fourth down.
 
Cumberlands put the game away midway through the fourth quarter. Clayton opened the possession with a 10-yard run, Marsh followed with 12 more and Clayton broke off a 20-yard gain to move into Rio Grande territory. Gregg then found Petty for a 36-yard touchdown, completing the four-play, 78-yard drive and pushing UC's advantage to 38-17.
 
The defense produced one final takeaway when Berrian forced a fumble late in the fourth and Mollay recovered it at the UC 44. Cumberlands then leaned on Clayton and Marsh to keep possession for the final 5:38, driving 53 yards before kneelingout the clock on the RG one-yardline.
 
UC finished with 26 first downs compared to Rio Grande's 12 and controlled the football for nearly 35 minutes. The Patriots were especially effective against the run, limiting the RedStorm to 42 yards and 1.9 yards per carry while holding them without a rushing touchdown. Despite two interceptions, a lost fumble and a blocked punt, Cumberlands answered each Rio Grande push and pulled away to secure its fourth consecutive victory.
 
The Patriots now turn their attention to their final non-conference matchup as they travel to West Palm Beach, FL to take on No. 2 Keiser University on Saturday, September 26th. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 PM.
 
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