PIKEVILLE, Ky. – For the first time this season, the University of Pikeville football team will take on a ranked opponent as No. 19 Lindsey Wilson comes to town at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday for a Mid-South Conference East Division matchup at the Hambley Athletic Complex.
While the Bears have lost two straight, they did win their conference opener at Bluefield (Va.) to enter Saturday's game 1-0 in the league. The Blue Raiders are playing their first conference game after opening up the year with a win at Campbellsville, followed by home wins against Reinhardt (Ga.) and Kentucky Wesleyan.
UPIKE and Lindsey Wilson have played every season since LWC resurrected its football program after a 75-year hiatus in 2010. Since then nearly all of the games have been classics with the Blue Raiders taking a win in all four.
Last season LWC led 28-3 at halftime before holding on for a 35-26 win, while other close calls include a 59-52 win in 2010 and 28-24 in 2011. The teams are coming off a similar finish last season with mirroring 3-3 record in the MSC East Division.
Lindsey Wilson utilizes a pass-friendly attack, ranking fourth in the NAIA in yard per game at 354, but this season it has also shown a knack for getting to the quarterback on defense. Through three games, LWC is the leader nationally in total sacks with 13 and fourth in sacks per contest at 4.3.
UPIKE is no stranger to the national stats lists either, coming in at No. 1 in third-down conversions with a perfect 100-percent mark and ninth nationally in points per game at 48.7, but the Bears will have to shore up penalties where they lead the nation with 136.3 penalty yards per game.
Lindsey Wilson leads UPIKE in average total offense 515.3 to 451.0, but has scored just one more touchdown at 22 to 21. Fourteen of LWC's touchdowns have come through the air, while 12 of UPIKE were scored on the ground. The Bears' back are averaging nearly 200 yards per game, compared to just over 160 for the Blue Raiders.
