Box Score Danny Hinkle partially blocked a David Hon 30-yard field goal attempt with less than a minute to play to seal a University of Virginia College at Wise's 32-31 victory and spoil Campbellsville University's homecoming at Ron Finley Stadium on Saturday. The win shifted Campbellsville from first place to fourth in the Mid-South Conference East Division, while UVa.-Wise jumped into second place behind unbeaten University of the Cumberlands.



"I think it's a situation where you're on a nasty surface and when you hit that plant foot, sometimes it shifts on you when it hits the mud. I don't think he had a firm plant and the D-line stepped through and tipped the ball. That happens sometimes. The thing you don't want is for it to come down to (a field goal)," CU head coach Perry Thomas said.

After the Highland Cavaliers scored to open the game, CU quarterback Nathan Cooper found Harold Small on a pair of touchdown passes. Small took the first one 66 yards after splitting the Wise defenders and breaking to the sideline for a footrace to the end zone, which he won with a flip over the goal line. The second was from 19 yards out to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead.

The Cavs answered with a 32-yard pass from Brad Robbins to Jason Lovett to tie the game before the end of the quarter. Campbellsville answered Lovett's second touchdown with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter. Calvin Mann caught an 11-yard touchdown from Cooper, followed by a 3-yard run by Dy'lan Underwood and 2-point conversion pass to Josh Madding to give the Tigers a 28-14 lead. Hon, who was 1-of-3 on field goal attempts in the game, hit one from 27 yards out with 5:54 left in the first half. Cavs defender Jahmal Potter robbed the Tigers of a scoring opportunity before the half, picking off a Cooper pass in the end zone, sending the game into halftime with the Tigers up, 31-14.
 

Harold Small looks for open field on a 66-yard touchdown reception.

Robbins came out on fire in the second half, as the Highland Cavaliers built momentum off the Tigers' only turnover of the game, and threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the third quarter. Robbins was 12-of-21 passing, finding Lovett on passes of 18 and 42 yards for the first two touchdowns on the second half, cutting the Tigers' lead down to 31-26. With 4:22 to play in the third, Robbins struck again for his fifth touchdown pass, an 11-yard strike to Matt Barbour to gain the lead, 32-31. Robbins finished the game with 364 yards passing. Lovett had nine catches for 175 yards and four touchdowns.

"They got hot for a while, and we were able to adjust and keep them out of the end zone the rest of the game, but it was too late at that point," Thomas said. "When you go into halftime with a 31-14 lead you want to be able to put them away. We knew defensively they would make some adjustments and come back. We knew they would come back and score a few times, we were hoping we'd be able to protect our lead."

In the fourth quarter, both teams were held scoreless, as the Tigers stalled inside the 10 on the final drive of the game. The loss is the Tigers fifth straight on homecoming, twice to UVa.-Wise.

"One of the things about this game is that last year we would be celebrating a 32-31 loss, even if we had the lead and had given it up, but now, our expectations are beginning to rise, and we're beginning to expect to win, and not only expect to win, but expect to win big games," said Thomas. "It hurts. It hurts not only the players, but the fans and the community … We played a good team today that found a way to beat us in the second half."

The Tigers did win the turnover battle as Michael McCubbin came away with an interception and Trey Mayes scooped up a stripped ball by William Harris.

Cooper led Campbellsville with 281 yards passing and three touchdowns, while Small caught six passes for 122 yards and two scores. Underwood rushed for 115 yards and a TD.
 

Cheris Young crowns Maria Gomez as the 2009 homecoming queen.

Prior to the game, a moment of silence was observed for former Campbellsville head coach Ron Finley, who died Oct. 5 after battling multiple health issues. The Tigers won a "RF" decal on the back center of their helmets in memory of Finley. At halftime, CU tennis player Maria Gomez, a senior from Madrid, Spain, was crowned the 2009 Campbellsville University homecoming queen.

Campbellsville (3-3, 1-1 MSC East) travels to MSC West front runner Belhaven in Jackson, Miss., next Saturday at 2 p.m., while UVa.-Wise (4-3, 3-1 MSC) hosts Cumberland University (Tenn.)

"We still have a ways to go to know what to do when you're the front runner and the X is on your chest," said Thomas. "That's part of building a program, and we're certainly not there yet, but we are closing the gap, and our guys will bounce back next week."

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