Box Score BARBOURVILLE, Ky. -- With Union (Ky.) College starting to smell the possibility of a comeback, Lindsey Wilson College's Shannon Coofer erased the scent with a touchdown pass off a double reverse that helped the Blue Raiders put away the Bulldogs 20-6 on Saturday at Burch-Nau Field.
Two straight second-half field goals by Union had made the score 13-6 and Lindsey Wilson needed to keep its fourth-quarter drive going to not give the Bulldogs a chance to tie the game right away.
On 2nd and 10, Lindsey Wilson freshman John Giddens picked up a crucial first down on a run to the Blue Raider' 48 yard line, then a few plays later on third and 10, Cresap just missed freshman Shannan Coofer down the right sideline, but Union committed a costly pass interference penalty that gave the Blue Raiders new life.
On the next play, sophomore Willie Jones took a sweep and then handed off to Coofer on a double reverse for a pass to a wide open Chaz Barnes in the end zone to put Lindsey Wilson up 20-6.
Barnes was all alone for the reception with no Bulldogs within 15 yards on a highlight-reel play that zapped the Bulldogs' second-half momentum.
Lindsey Wilson won the game with limited total-offense numbers, trailing Union 351-274 for the game.
Lindsey Wilson freshman quarterback Branden Cresap finished the game completing 22-of-40 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions, while Union's Ryan Moses went 22-for-41 with 202 yards and two interceptions as well.
On the ground, Union's Brown led the way with 150 yards on 23 carries, while Lindsey Wilson was led by Giddens who gained 40 yards on just five carries.
Barnes and freshman Ben Madon were the Blue Raiders' receiving leaders as Barnes finished with four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown and Madon collected 77 yards on three catches with a touchdown as well.
Union's Dominique Jefferson paced its receiving corps with five catches for 70 yards, while Josh Winkle added 59 yards on seven catches.
Defensively, sophomore Sam Wilson and freshman Alex Abner paced the Blue Raiders with nine tackles each.
Going up against an offense with big-play capability behind the elusiveness of Brown, the Lindsey Wilson defense couldn't have played much better in the first half.
Posting just the second first-half shutout in program history to give the Blue Raiders a 13-0 lead at halftime, the defense came up with an interception and multiple pass breakups to limit the Bulldogs through the air, while also holding Brown to 54 yards on the ground.
The pick came on Union's opening drive as freshman Josh Johnson tipped a Ryan Moses pass that sophomore Aaron Anderson grabbed for the Blue Raiders on their own 32-yard line.
While keeping Lindsey Wilson streak alive with interceptions in every game this season, it also set up the Blue Raiders' first scoring drive of the contest.
Facing third and long, Cresap was able to hook up with sophomore Willie Jones for 13 yards and put Lindsey Wilson deep into Union territory for the first time in the game.
After that excitement, things turned sour as Union's Mike Beard took Cresap down in the backfield on first down for a loss of seven yards. But just as fast as the Blue Raiders went backwards, Cresap found redemption with a fourth-and-19 completion to freshman Chaz Barnes from the 32 yard line down to the one.
After sophomore Dakota Brown was stuffed on the first play near the goal line, Cresap's pass to Madon was overthrown and sophomore quarterback Greg Young's keeper was ended on a slip, leaving the Blue Raiders having to settle for three points on a 20-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Mark Corbett.
The next few drives were quick with the team's trading possessions until Lindsey Wilson got a boost from Corbett with a 50-yard punt that kept Union from good field position, starting on its own 22 yard line.
However, Brown finally got his first big gain of the day with a 14-yard scamper to give Union a first down near midfield. On 3rd and three in the same drive, Brown did it again with another long run, followed by a Moses keeper down to the Lindsey Wilson 33-yard line.
At that point the drive stalled for Union, ultimately facing a third down play that was blown up for an incompletion as Blue Raider sophomore Sam Wilson put a big hit on Moses. Facing fourth down, Union attempted a 48-yard field goal with Chad Boyington that missed just short.
Early in the second quarter the Lindsey Wilson running game was struggling, but Cresap made up for the loss of momentum with a 57-yard strike to Madon down the middle of the field that he was able to score on with the aid of a block by freshman Tyrome Lott to put Lindsey Wilson up 10-0.
With less than two minutes to play in the half, Cresap continued his strong play with a completion to sophomore tight end Cameron Murrell down to Union's five-yard line.
Facing third and goal, Cresap just missed newcomer Shannon Coofer on a fade route to the corner of the end zone, but the drive didn't come up empty as Corbett hit a field goal from 19-yard out to put the Blue Raiders ahead 13-0 at the break.
The Union defense had a strong start to the third quarter, making a stand with Bert Brown's stuff of freshman Dakota Brown at Lindsey Wilson's 31 yard line, sending out sophomore kicker Mark Corbett for the punt.
But the Blue Raiders had other plans as Corbett stopped his kick and threw a pass on a fake punt that fell just in front of the outstretched hands of sophomore Taylor Head.
With the momentum of the missed fake going its way Union turned its new life into a field goal for its first points of the game on a 22-yard make by Chad Boyington.
Heading into the fourth quarter Union had gone nowhere on its first three plays near midfield until Moses took a keeper on fourth and three four yards for a first down at the Lindsey Wilson 41 yard line.
Union's Brown got things going again from there with a 14-yard gain on the ground, followed by Moses taking the ball on another keeper to the 12 yard line where he kept it one more time but fumbled near the five yard line.
Luckily for the Bulldogs, their Josh Winkle picked up the loose ball quickly and reversed the field before meeting Wilson who tackled him for a six-yard loss to bring the ball back to the 18 yard line.
Missing out on a touchdown, Union decided to take the points and Boyington made a 23-yard field goal just inside the right upright to make it a one possession game at 13-6 with nine minutes left in the game.
Coofer's touchdown pass was timely after that field goal to stall a Union offense that had started to come alive. It became even more evident when Brown took off from his own 25 yard line on Union's next drive and went all the way into the end zone.
But Brown's celebration was short lived as the officials found an illegal block near midfield that negated the score and moved the ball back to the spot of the foul at the Lindsey Wilson 47-yard line.
Making matters even worse for Union on the drive, Head came up with another Blue Raider interception at the Lindsey Wilson 35-yard line to help close out any Bulldog hope.
Lindsey Wilson returns to action for homecoming at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 22 against Kentucky Christian University at Blue Raider Stadium.
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