LEBANON, Tenn. — On Saturday night, the Tigers traveled down to Tennessee to go against the Cumberland University Phoenix. Despite trailing the Phoenix at the end of the first quarter, Campbellsville put the clamps on the Cumberland passing game while their own airborne offense excelled, grabbing their third win in a row, 34-16.
The game was set in motion with a slow offensive start, as neither team scored in their first drive. The Phoenix made their first field goal in the fourth play of their second possession, followed by a 17-yard touchdown on the first play of their third drive. The first quarter ended with the Tigers on the trailing end of the scoreboard, 9-0.
Campbellsville took to the second quarter with a seven-yard touchdown with a completed pass from
Jagger Gillis to Tre Bass and a successful point after from
Colin Fratus. Following a few defensive stands, Gillis completed another pass to
Ashton Auker for the touchdown propelling the Tigers forward, going into the second half with the lead, 13-9.
At the intermission, Campbellsville led the game in first downs, total yards, average yards per play, and receptions. The Tigers had nine first downs to the Phoenix's six, 149 total yards to their 110, 4.81 average yards per play to their 3.55, and 11 receptions to their three.
As the third quarter started, the Tigers sought to widen their lead. Within the first five minutes of the second half, Gillis hit
Austin Mullins with a pass, ending in a 21-yard touchdown. Within the next couple of minutes,
Kale Hagan intercepted the Phoenix in the second play of their second drive, returning the ball 22 yards for the pick-six. Cumberland landed another touchdown in their fourth drive. The Tigers went into the last quarter ahead, 27-16.
In the opening minutes of the last quarter, Gillis sent home his fourth touchdown pass to
Luke Sheperson for 21 yards (tying his career high for passing touchdowns in a contest). The Phoenix were advancing into Tiger territory during their second drive of the quarter, but they fumbled the ball, and Campbellsville recovered it. Throughout the rest of the fourth, both defenses remained steadfast, preventing either team from scoring any further. The Tigers closed the game with a win, taking the game over Cumberland, 34-16.
The Phoenix collected 275 total yards compared to the Tigers' 332, with most of that coming from their ground game (218 yards of the 275). Campbellsville (3) punted half as many times as Cumberland (6).
Ellis Reed spearheaded the defense with his team-leading eight tackles while
Keeland Lemar and
Amaucheckukwu Nnaji-Collins had one sack each. The leading receiver was Sheperson, with five receptions for 77 yards.
The Tigers will be back in action, traveling to Montgomery, Alabama, to go against the Faulkner University Eagles on October 7th, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
