CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The Campbellsville University Football team had their home opener Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Tigers matched-up against St. Andrews University and collected their first win of the 2022 season.
To begin the game, St. Andrews had a loss of yards as
Ha'keem Dillard and
Abood Elias sacked the Knights' quarterback. After a bungled punt attempt, the Tigers took possession at the one-yard line and
Tre' Bass rushed through the defense for Campbellsville's first touchdown. After a short defensive stand,
Joshua Meglis threw a 28-yard pass to
Andre Siler for a first-down. Bass then ran the ball five yards for another Tiger touchdown. Moments later, the Knights scratched at their deficit as they scored a 68-yard touchdown making it 14-6. It was then a tug-of-war for a large portion of the quarter with no points scored. That was until
Charles Collins rushed for 56-yards to the endzone with 44 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Knights fought back for yards as they had an impressive 48-yard run past Campbellsville's defense. St. Andrews stood on Campbellsville's seven-yard line. The combination of an incomplete pass and a sack by
Trevor Harmon and Dillard returned the ball to Campbellsville's possession. Shortly after, the Knights were in position to score again.12 yards away from the endzone, a fumble was forced by Dillard and recovered by Dennis Leggett. Campbellsville used this turn of possession to their advantage. On the subsequent drive, Meglis found Pope for a 27-yard pass. A couple plays later,
Archelus Smith rushed for a 20-yard touchdown. St. Andrews had found an open pass at the nine-yard line, but
DeAgo Brumfield intercepted the pass. Attempting to get in as many scores as they could before the half,
Devin Neally's field goal rang true with just ten seconds remaining and Campbellsville went into the half leading 32-6.
At the half, St. Andrews had 37 total plays compared to Campbellsville's 34. Although the Tigers had less plays, they had capitalized on their plays more often. Campbellsville's fourth-down efficiency reigned at 100% versus the Knights' 25%.
Campbellsville remained hot in the third quarter as Meglis's 37-yard throw to Siler went for a touchdown. The Knights were unsuccessful in their offense and resulted to punting. After receiving the ball back from St. Andrews punt, Campbellsville worked their way downfield. The Tigers returned for another touchdown as Meglis completed a pass to
Zachary Cole for ten yards. The Knights struggled to keep up with the Tigers by procuring a couple incomplete passes. Jagger Gillis came in to relieve Meglis and make his collegiate debut as quarterback. His 36-yard completed pass to
Taishaun Key solidified another Tiger Touchdown. The Knights slipped up again as their possession had ended short with an interception from
Anton Fant.
The fourth quarter began with a Campbellsville first down on the five-yard line. Campbellsville dove deeper into up the red zone and A. Smith found ground in the endzone for another Campbellsville touchdown. St. Andrews continued to seek opportunities to score and collected small amounts of yardage until they acquired a touchdown of their own. The clock diminished and the Tigers took a 60-14 victory. Their triumph set a new record as the biggest score difference since their 2018 match-up against Cincinnati Christian University on November 28
th, 2018 (59-14).
As a team, Campbellsville's third down efficiency stood at 58% whereas St. Andrews' equaled out to 17%. The Tigers tallied 211 net yards passing compared to the Knights' 128. On the defensive end, Dillard accumulated six tackles, a sack, and two forced fumbles. Brumfield and Fant both logged an interception. Offensively, Collins (108 yards) and A. Smith (103 yards) both tallied over 100 yards rushing apiece. Siler collected over a 100-yard receiving with 106.
The Tigers will head to Barbourville, Kentucky to compete against Union College next Saturday, September 10
th. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
