WILLAIMSBURG, Ky. - The No. 24-ranked Lindsey Wilson football team dropped a road Mid-South Conference matchup 18-14 at Cumberlands on Saturday at James H. Taylor, II Stadium
The Blue Raiders (3-2, 1-1 MSC) totaled 235 yards in the game while Cumberlands (4-2, 1-1 MSC) had 254. Lindsey Wilson ran for 174 yards on 42 carries while limiting the Patriots to 64 yards on the ground on 28 attempts.
Caleb Marsh ran the ball for 60 yards on seven carries while
David Gardner Jr. had 54 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.
Reid Brickey completed nine of his 13 passes for 61 yards and had two interceptions.
Davontaye Saunders was the Blue Raiders' leading receiver with six catches for 41 yards. Defensively,
Cameron Rankins led the way with a team-high 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Lou Burchfield added seven tackles while
Ronald Carr tallied six.
Cumberlands got the ball to start the game and after getting one first down on the drive the Blue Raiders forced a punt. Saunders blocked the Cumberlands punt as the Blue Raiders took over on their own 40. The Blue Raiders were unable to capitalize on the good field position as the Patriots picked off a Brickey pass to take over on their own 18. The Lindsey Wilson defense responded to the sudden change forcing a three and out. Cumberlands intercepted a Brickey pass returning it to the Lindsey Wilson 32.
The Patriots were unable to get points off the turnover after missing a 43-yard field goal giving the Blue Raiders the ball on their own 26. Lindsey Wilson then put together a 13-play 74-yard drive capped off by a Gardner Jr. three-yard touchdown run to lead 7-0 with 11:57 to play in the first half. The Patriots responded with a 12-play 75-yard scoring drive and converting a two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead with 4:43 left in the second quarter. Following a Lindsey Wilson three and out, Cumberlands took a 15-7 18 seconds left in the half after an 11-play drive.
Lindsey Wilson started the second half with the ball on its own 35-yard line. The Blue Raiders then went on a 10-play 65-yard drive capped of by a Gardner Jr. one-yard touchdown run to trim the Patriots lead to 15-14 with 9:34 to play in the third quarter. The two teams traded punts on their next two possessions.
Cumberlands' next drive spanned 16 plays that took 79 yards and 9:25 off the clock. The Patriots connected on a 21-yard field goal increasing its lead to 18-14 with 6:40 to remaining. Lindsey Wilson took over on its own 32. Back-to-back runs by Saunders put the ball on the 50 and then a Patriots facemask gave the Blue Raiders a first down on the Cumberlands 35. Brickey kept the drive alive with an eight-yard rush on fourth down to the Patriots 18. The Blue Raiders face a 4th and 8 and were stopped as Cumberlands took over on its own 17 with 50 seconds left.
Lindsey Wilson will look to bounce back next week when they host (RV) Campbellsville in The Battle of Highway 55 at Parnell Family Stadium for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff.
