CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The Campbellsville University football team was looking to build off of back-to-back solid offensive performances Saturday night against Georgetown College but it was the Tigers in orange and black that took the win at Finley Stadium by a final of 23-14.
The turning point in the game came on the very first play of the fourth quarter with CU holding a 14-10 lead after a scoreless third quarter by each side. Quarterback
Talaileva Sufia dropped back to pass from CU territory, was sacked and fumbled with GC recovering deep in Campbellsville territory.
The Georgetown pass rush was a key factor in the game as they finished with 10 sacks as a team for a total yardage loss of 65 yards for Campbellsville. GC's Landon Corolla was the leading force on that defensive line finishing with 6.5 sacks of Sufia.
Georgetown took six plays to score from the Campbellsville 11 yard line, even converting on a fourth and short quarterback sneak before GC quarterback Zach Dampier used the sneak again to punch it in from the one yard line as GC took a 16-14 lead.
Dampier wasn't the most efficient but finished with over 260 passing yards, a passing touchdown and that rushing TD on the ground. His two most important plays came on their final touchdown drive to essentially put the game away.
In a drive with under 10 minutes to go, CU forced a third and 31 after a pair of sacks but as Dampier rolled left and release a deep throw that fell incomplete, a roughing the passer penalty was called, giving Georgetown a first down to keep the drive alive.
The very next third down, this time a third and six, Dampier launched a ball down the right sideline to Shawn Gilliam as Gilliam made the catch for a 55-yard gain to the CU two yard line. Georgetown scored on the next play with a two-yard run from Nick Conley to put GC up nine points at 23-14.
Campbellsville got off to a rough start offensively and it started from the opening kickoff as
Ziyon Kenner fumbled on the return to give Georgetown a short field on the CU 15 yard line.
But CU's defense was able to come through three plays later, forcing a fumble from Georgetown's Daric Pugh as they kept GC off the board early on.
The special teams ball security issues continued as
Blake Baker wasn't able to field a punt cleanly later in the first quarter as Georgetown got another short field as they cashed in one play later on a 12-yard strike from Dampier to Gilliam.
Gilliam had a huge game on Saturday finishing with six catches for 132 yards, that touchdown reception, and the deep ball in the fourth quarter to set up their final score.
The very next drive CU was able to drive down the field after plays of over 20 yards first by
Arian Belt after breaking a tackle on the sideline then Baker busted a run for 21 on the very next play.
After another 1
st down, Campbellsville took a shot to the end zone towards tight end
Zachary Cole as Cole was interfered with give CU a first and goal from the two yard line. Sufia was able to punch in the first Campbellsville touchdown of the game on a QB sneak from the two to tie the game at 7-7 late in the quarter.
When Sufia was given time to throw or use his legs he was pretty efficient, finishing 21-for-29 for 199 yards with two total touchdowns and an interception. Taking away the 65 yards lost due to the 10 sacks, he also ran the ball 11 times for 64 yards, using his legs to make a play when an open receiver wasn't available.
Georgetown's next drive was able to get down the field during the transition between the first and second quarter as they opened the second with a 39-yard field goal from Tyler Dummer.
Both offenses came to a bit of a stall but CU was sparked on their first interception of the season as a team as Parish Howell Jr. picked off Dampier and returned it to the GC 32 yard line. Two plays later Sufia found Cole for a 24-yard touchdown pass to give Campbellsville their first lead of the game at 14-10, as they went into halftime with that four-point lead.
CU will remain home for the next two weeks, starting next Saturday when they host Thomas More College at 7 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium for the first meeting between the Tigers and Saints since 1998.
