Cougars Take Next Step to Rome

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - After a slow first half, Daniel Carter revived the offense in the second half with 4 third quarter touchdowns to lead Saint Francis to a 58-3 playoff win over #11 Union.

Saint Francis looked to send a message early, blocking Union's punt on their first possession, but they were only able to muster a field goal out of the special teams play.  The Cougars eventually reached the end zone for the first time when Jeff Wedding connected with Brian Schultz for an 8-yard touchdown to give Saint Francis a 10-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Wedding found Kyle Peabody in the end zone to open the lead to 17-0.  The defense then created some offense.  Ross Bauman hauled in a tipped pass and scampered 33 yards to put Saint Francis up 24-0.  Union added a field goal to make the score 24-3 at the half.

In the third quarter, Daniel Carter took over.  Having been contained for the first half, Carter busted out with 4 touchdowns in the third quarter alone to really open the game up.  Saint Francis went on to win the game 58-3.

Check back to see who the Cougars will face in the second round at Bishop D'Arcy Stadium next Saturday.

The following was released by the Sports Department at the University of Saint Francis courtesy of Sports Information Director Bill Scott:

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - This time the Mid-South Conference is sending a champion.

The NAIA released Football Championship Series Quarterfinal pairings on Sunday and MSC East Division champion University of the Cumberlands will travel north from Williamsburg, Ky., to tackle No. 3 University of Saint Francis on Sat., Nov. 29.

The Patriots (10-1) have won 10 straight games since dropping their opener, is ranked No. 8 in last Sunday's final regular season NAIA Top 25, and won the unofficial MSC championship game on Saturday with a 31-7 decision over MSC West Division and No. 12 Shorter College.
The Cougars improved to 11-0 for the sixth time in seven seasons with a convincing 58-3 win over 11th-ranked Union College (KY) on Saturday (Nov. 22). Union finished second to the Patriots, who made the Bulldogs their fifth straight win with a 35-28 decision on Oct. 11 at Union.

The Patriots run an option spread offense and 3-3 defense. John Bland is the head coach of the Patriots, is 24-8 at University of the Cumberlands in his third season and has a 29-13 career coaching record.

CU dropped its opening game of the season at Mars Hill 37-14. Mars Hill College (near Asheville, N.C.) is an NCAA Division II member. The Lions finished with a 7-4 record in the South Atlantic Conference. Since losing that first road game on Sept. 6, the Patriots have won four straight road tests starting with a 22-20 win at then No. 24 Bethel College (MacKenzie, Tenn.).

Travis Thurmond, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior linebacker for CU, was named MSC East Defensive Player of the Year last week. He was one of seven Patriots named to the first team and 13 more Patriots were honorable mention.

This will be the first meeting between USF and CU.
"They run the triple option, something we haven't seen this year, so they will be a difficult challenge," USF coach Kevin Donley said.

CU athletics website: www.ucumberlands.edu/athletics
USF athletics website: www.saintfranciscougars.com

2008 NAIA Football Championship Series

Football Championship Series Quarterfinal Pairings | Saturday, Nov. 29

Game 1: #10 Northwestern Oklahoma State @ #1 Carroll (Mont.) (12-0), TBD

Game 2: #9 Langston (Okla.) @ #2 Sioux Falls (S.D.), TBD

Game 3: #8 University of Cumberlands (Ky.) @ #3 University of Saint Francis (Ind.), Noon

Game 4: #7 Lindenwood (Mo.) @ #6 Morningside (Iowa), TBD

First Round Results | Saturday, Nov. 22 | All Times Tentative

Game 1: @ #1 Carroll (Mont.) College (12-0) 35, #14 Dickinson State (N.D.) (7-4) 18

Game 2: @ #2 University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) (11-0) 28, #15 St. Ambrose (Iowa) (8-4) 0

Game 3: @ # 3 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) (11-0) 58, # 11 Union College (Ky.) (9-3) 3

Game 4: #9 Langston University (Okla.) (10-2) 20 @ #4 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University (10-1) 14

Game 5: #10 Northwestern Oklahoma University (10-2) 42, @ #5 Friends University (Kan.) (10-1) 7

Game 6: @ #6 Morningside (Iowa) College (10-1) 65 , #13 Baker University (Kan.) (8-4) 27

Game 7: @ #7 Lindenwood (Mo.) University (10-1) 65 , #16 Lambuth (Tenn.) University (8-4) 48

Game 8: @ University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) College (10-1) 31 , #12 Shorter College (Ga.) (9-3) 7

University of the Cumberlands 2008 Game-by-Game scores

Overall Record (10-1) Home (6-0) Away (4-1) Streak: Won 10
Conference (6-0) Home (3-0) Away (3-0)

09/06/08 a Mars Hill 14-37 L 0-1
09/13/08 h Mississippi 49-28 W 1-1
09/20/08 a Bethel College 22-20 W 2-1
09/27/08 h Cumberland University 52-37 W 3-1
10/04/08 h Pikeville College 42-7 W 4-1
10/11/08 a Union College 35-28 W 5-1
10/18/08 h Georgetown College 35-20 W 6-1
10/25/08 a West Virginia Tech U. 28-19 W 7-1
11/01/08 a Campbellsville University 34-27 W 8-1
11/08/08 h UVA-Wise 56-37 W 9-1
11/22/08 h Shorter College 31-7 W 10-1

Head Coach: John Bland 24-8, 3rd season at CU, 29-14 career (4 seasons)

CU Quick Leaders
Rushing AVG TOT Long TD
Kyle King 64.6 711 65 9

Passing AVG C-A-I COMP% TD
Kyle King 111.9 54-118-8 .458 11

Receiving No. Yds AVG Avg./G
Matt Jones 17 324 19.1 40.5


Tackles Solo TOT
P.J. Hughes 43 123

Sacks Solo Ast TOT Yds
Corey Maddox 4 3 5.5 37.5



QUICK FACTS
University of the
Cumberland Football
2008-2009
Last Updated 7-21-08
GENERAL

Name of School: University of the Cumberlands
City/Zip: Williamsburg, KY 40769
Founded: 1889
Enrollment: 2,100
Nickname: Patriots
Stadium: James H. Taylor II
Capacity: 2,400
School Colors: Maroon and White
Surface: Grass
Affiliation: NAIA Division I
Conference: Mid-South Conference
President: Dr. James H. Taylor
Alma Mater, Yr: Cumberland College, 1968
Athletics Director: Randy Vernon
Alma Mater, Year: Tennessee Wesleyan, 1978
Athletic Dept. Phone: 606-539-4389

HISTORY

First year of football: 1985
All-time bowl/play-off record: 0-2
Years in post-season play: 2
Last post-season appearance: 2007
Result: L - 35-62
All-time record: 111-118-2
All-time Home record: 60-56-1
All-time Away record: 56-60-1
MSC All-time record: 65-68

SPORTS INFORMATION

Sports Information Dir: Jennifer Wake-Floyd
SID office phone: 606-539-4364
SID Fax: 606-539-4459
Press Box phone: 606-539-4071
SID Mailing Address:
7988 College Station Dr.
Williamsburg, KY 40769
Overnight Address: 816 Walnut Street

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: John Bland
Alma Mater/Year: University of Arkansas/1990
Record at School: 14-7-0
Career Record: 19-12
Football Office Phone: 606-539-4423

Asst. Coaches (Responsibilities):
Edgar Weiser: Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
Jamie Smiddy: Running Backs
Michael Collins: Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Russ Shearer: Defensive Backs
Jordan Brown: Kicker's/Punter's/Wide Receivers
Matt Rhymer: Defensive Line
Thomas Leinenbach: Tight Ends
Robert Chester: Outside Linebackers

Athletic Training:
Peggy Haus, ATC and Brina Strebeck, ATC

TEAM INFORMATION

Overall record last year: 8-3
Division/Conference Record/Finish:
4-1; 6-1; 1st in MSC East
Final ranking last year (MSC/NAIA poll):
1st in MSC East; 16th in NAIA
Basic Offense: Option Spread
Basic Defense: 3-3