PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- No. 17 Campbellsville outgained the University of Pikeville football team 505-470 in total offense and had 15 more first downs, but with the help of some explosive offense and clutch defensive plays, the Bears ended the game on top 41-34 on Thursday night.

Just how explosive were the big plays? Well, Campbellsville's Hunter Brown put the ball in the air 52 times and tallied 374 yards and UPIKE's Sani Warren attempted just 27 passes but ended up with 364 yards. That's what happens when you throw 71 and 49 yard touchdowns on back-to-back drives.

In fact, after trailing 13-7 early, Warren and the UPIKE (2-0) offense were able to get rolling near the end of the second quarter when they finished five out of six straight drives with touchdowns.

Even with the highlight-reel plays from UPIKE and air-raid attack from the Tigers, neither team was able to push ahead to a comfortable margin. The first two-score lead didn't come until the 5:22 mark of the third quarter when UPIKE's Braxton Whitmore went to the house on a 49-yard catch to make it 34-20.

The momentum changed in the game just before halftime with the Bears trailing 13-7. After Warren's last second effort on a keeper at the one seemed to stall, he kept the pile moving and gave his team its first lead at 14-13 going into halftime.

After trading touchdowns to start the second half, UPIKE led just 21-20 early in the third quarter, but then Whitmore happened.

And it happened quick as he used one play to go 71 yards and put the Bears up by eight. Three drives later, defensive end Chad Conway perfectly timed a pick of Brown at the line of scrimmage, and then right on schedule, Whitmore went to the house 49 yards on the very next play.

Campbellsville (0-2) tried to make things interesting with a late score, but its onside kick was unsuccessful, allowing Warren to go into victory formation for the win.

Tanner Fiser was a monster for the Bears' defense, tallying a game-high 14 tackles, including a sack, one tackle for a loss and five solo stops. Camron Parsley chipped in with 11 tackles and got in on one sack as well.

HOW IT WENT DOWN

• Campbellsville's Keanu Young took the opening kickoff 39 yards to midfield, allowing Brown to use a 20-yard pass to Jacob Lamb four plays later to get the Tigers to the three-yard line. From there Brown lofted an easy touchdown pass to Tyus Alcorn (0-7).
• It took eight plays and nearly four minutes off the clock, but UPIKE responded on the next drive with Jamar Kirksey doing the bulk of the work. Kirksey had a 23 yard run to the six called back after a hold, but made up for it with two six yard runs to even things up (7-7).
• Midway through the second quarter, the only other scoring in the game came off the foot of Campbellsville's Bradley Bates who nailed 26 and 23-yard field goals to put the Tigers in front 13-7.
• With Campbellsville threatening at the UPIKE 20, Jack Hopkins broke up a pass in the end zone, giving the ball enough air time to be intercepted by Darius Greene for a touchback. From there Warren completed a 29-yard strike to Russell Gordon and 48-yard heave to Mikal Howard to set up his go-ahead keeper near halftime (14-13).
• In the first drive of the third quarter, Kirksey got things rolling again from UPIKE's own 47 yard line. A hole broke open at the line and Kirksey got himself into open space where he outran the defense to extend the lead (21-13).
• Lamb caught the first of his three touchdown receptions on the next drive, getting alone in the end zone from eight yards out (21-20).
• Sha'Don Jones returned a kickoff to the 29, then Warren and Whitmore did the rest, using one play to go 71 yards for six (28-20).
• After a couple stalled drives, Conway got the Bears' bench excited with his pick at the line of scrimmage which was turned into another one-play score for Whitmore, this one from 49 yards out (34-20).
• Campbellsville got back on the board with an eight play, 64-yard drive that ended with another Lamb touchdown which was one of two long receptions he had on the drive (34-27).
• The next UPIKE drive, which extended into the fourth quarter, will go down as the Austin Pray drive, as the wide out hauled in a 22 yard pass to get deep into Tiger territory, then broke free on a 22-yard slant for six (41-27).
• The Tigers would score again, but it would be too little, too late as a 92-yard drive took 12 plays and three minutes to make it 41-34 with an 11-yard Lamb touchdown catch. But only two minutes were left to play and an ensuing onside kick fell into the Bears' hands.
• Warren closed the game with a pair of kneel downs as time expired.

BEAR FACTS

This is UPIKE's first win over Campbellsville at home in program history, going into Thursday 0-5 against the Tigers in Pikeville…The Bears are 2-0 for the first time since 2013...This is the first win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 23 Cumberlands in 2014…Campbellsville is the highest ranked team that UPIKE has beaten in program history at No. 17, the next highest was Campbellsville again in 2011 when they were No. 19…Whitmore led all receivers with 120 yards on just two catches, both going for touchdowns…Sani Warren has gone two games without throwing an interception, and in that time he has thrown four touchdowns..

UP NEXT

UPIKE travels to Richmond, Ky., to take on NCAA Div. I FCS Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Roy Kidd Stadium. EKU is the alma mater of UPIKE head coach Allan Holland Jr.

-UPIKE-