PIKEVILLE, Ky. – For nearly 53 minutes the University of Pikeville football team led No. 14 Cumberland (Tenn.), but a costly interception and two turnovers on downs in the fourth quarter provided the Bulldogs with the boost to come back and beat the Bears 36-30 in overtime on Saturday at the Hambley Athletic Complex.

UPIKE led 30-14 heading into the final quarter, but just over a minute into the frame Anthony Knight picked off a screen pass from R.J. Rosemond Jr. for a touchdown to cut the Bears' lead to 10.

Cumberland quarterback Reed Gurchiek's pass on the two-point conversion attempt was incomplete, but the Bulldogs were rewarded with a do-over after a defensive holding penalty in the UPIKE secondary. The next attempt, a Gurchiek keeper, was successful to make it a one-possession game.

The Bears failed to convert a fourth down at the Cumberland 36-yard line on their next drive, followed by another stop on fourth down when Rosemond Jr. was brought down for a loss with just over two minutes to play.

Looking for a chance to tie it up, the Bulldogs got off to a good start as Gurchiek used a draw play to march down the field 28 yards and into UPIKE territory. A face-mask penalty followed and suddenly Cumberland was in business at the Bears' 14. A pass-interference penalty three plays later had the Bulldogs at the one with 30 seconds to go before Blake DeBoard took a handoff into the endzone for six.

Three straight timeouts were called with it being a two-point game at 30-28. Both coaches wanted a look at how each other would line up for the biggest play of the game, but Gurchiek eventually found a way to beat the attack, dumping a pass off to DeBoard at the two where he fought his way in for the tie.

Starting on its own 25, UPIKE got a gift on its first play as Seth Millar hauled in a short five-yard pass and took it 30 yards to Bulldog territory. But the drive stalled from there and the teams headed to overtime.

Bad luck continued in OT for the Bears as a holding penalty led to them settling for a 37 yard field-goal attempt from Damir Karapandzic that fell short. Needing any type of score to win, the Bulldogs used a 13-yard run from Gurchiek on third down to set up fullback Brandon Mallory with a one-yard burst to win it.

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise stellar performance from the Bears who has multiple big-time individual performances. Rosemond Jr. was a technician running the offense, finishing 15-of-21 through the air with a touchdown and Millar, who became UPIKE's all-time leader in career rushing attempts, tallied 135 yards with a score as well.

The Bears nearly had two 100-yard rushers as Quan Weaver finished with 98 on 13 carries for a 7.5-yard average and Rosemond Jr. added two rushing touchdowns while picking up 36 yards. The Bears outgained the Bulldogs 502-421 in total offense, including a 232-139 advantage passing.

Rosemond Jr. opened the game with a 13-play, nearly seven-minute drive that ended with him using a one-yard keeper to put UPIKE up 7-0. Following a Bulldog fumble, the Bears got back on the board with a 37-yard field goal from Karapandzic to make it 10-0, then after nearly 14 minutes without any points UPIKE struck in a big way.

After stopping Cumberland on downs at their one-yard line, Rosemond Jr. stepped back and threw a bomb to Aaron Jackson that he caught with his defender falling down and took all the way to the end zone for a program-record 99-yard touchdown pass. It was the longest play from scrimmage in UPIKE history.

Cumberland scored just before halftime to make it 17-7, but the Bears got right back on track five minutes into the third quarter with another Rosemond Jr. keeper to go back up by 17. The teams traded touchdowns again, but on UPIKE's last score, a 14-yard run by Millar, the extra point was missed, keeping the Bulldog's deficit at 16.

The Bulldogs went on to score the final 22 points of the game with the energy of the 54-yard interception return leading the charge. Gurchiek finished with 117 yards rushing and a touchdown, while DeBiard added 84 yards and a touchdown. Gurchiek was also an efficient 10-of-13 passing for 121 yards to help pull off the win despite his offense losing a pair of fumbles.

Nik Lacey paced the UPIKE defense with nine tackles and John Dudley Hilton chipped in with seven, while Donald Styles had a strong showing with six stops, including one for a loss.

The Bears were dealt a big blow in the first half when leading receiver Shawntez Johnson was ejected from the game for a targeting penalty while blocking during a rush. Although Cumberland is part of the Mid-South Conference, they play in the West Division, so this was essentially a non-conference game, making the Bears 2-1 in the MSC East. This is the second straight loss to Cumberland in overtime, losing 49-42 in Lebanon, Tenn., last season.