Bluefield Va. - The University of Pikeville Bears traveled to Virginia to take on the Bluefield Rams and were defeated 50-26.
How It Went Down:
UPIKE received the opening kickoff and drove the ball deep into the Rams territory. The Bears rolled the dice early by going for it on 4th and 1 from the Bluefield 8, but turned the ball over on downs. With momentum on their side, the Rams went 92 yards on eight plays to go up 6-0. Bluefield was successful on the ensuing two-point try and led 8-0 with 9:12 in the first.
After driving deep into Bluefield territory on their first possession, the Bears drove the ball all the way to the Bluefield 15 yard line. A holding call backed them up ten yards, and three straight incompletions led to the Bears turning it over on downs. UPIKE started the game off 0 for 2 in red zone scoring.
The Rams wasted no time scoring on the ensuing possession, going 75 yards in 1 play to take a 15-0 lead. The Bears next two possessions ended in three-and-outs and the Rams scored two more touchdowns.
Trailing 29-0 in the second quarter, the Bears desperately needed a score and got one. Lee Kirkland connected with D'Andre Stafford for a 49-yard touchdown to cut the Rams lead to 29-7. Bluefield responded with a touchdown drive of their own, going 53 yards in 9 plays to make it a 36-7 game.
After a UPIKE three-and-out, the Rams went 80 yards in 4 plays to go up 43-7. The Bears came back with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive before the half. UPIKE trailed 43-14 after two quarters.
UPIKE gained some momentum coming out of the half, forcing Bluefield to go three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter. Then, Xavier Malone connected with Cameron Brown 56 yards down the sideline for a score. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and UPIKE trailed 43-20. Bluefield responded with a 12-play, 67-yard scoring drive to put the game out of reach. UPIKE would score another touchdown but would not score again, and lost 50-26.
UPIKE Stats and Leaders:
The UPIKE offense, despite only scoring 26 points, racked up 512 yards of total offense and averaged 7.3 yards per play. The Bears were 5 of 14 on third down and only 2 of 6 on fourth down.
Sophomore quarterback Xavier Malone was 17/29 for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns tonight. Twelve different Bears receivers caught a pass in tonight's game, led by Derrick Griffith with 8 receptions for 126 yards.
Defensively, freshman linebacker Anthony Grant led the Bears in total tackles with 11. Grant also set a personal-best with 10 solo tackles on the night.
The Game Was Decided By…
Red zone scoring. The UPIKE offense only scored on two of their six red zone trips. UPIKE's first two drives got them into the red zone but they could not capitalize. Contrast that statistic with the Rams who scored on three of their four red zone trips.
What Lies Ahead:
The Bears' record now drops to an even 2-2 (1-1 MSC) on the year. Next Saturday, the Bears will host the Georgetown College Tigers at home for Homecoming 2022.
