Pikeville, Ky. – Bears football suffered a 40-20 defeat Saturday afternoon at the hands of (13) Georgetown College. Homecoming at Hambley was marked by unforced errors and a 24-point second quarter that aided the Tigers in the win.
Georgetown netted 403 yards of total offense, holding the Bears to 234 on 71 plays. The Bears had their lowest passing total of the season with 117 yards, yet averaged over 10 yards per completion.
Key Points
UPIKE entered Saturday's showdown without standout quarterback Lee Kirkland, putting Eli Sammons under center for his first career start. The Tiger defense held Sammons to 11 completions for 117 yards, nabbing a pair of interceptions. However, the sophomore showed promise in the shadow of the Georgetown defense, making several key plays, including a 31-yard touchdown toss to Bralin Barton.
With the Bears' preferred "air-raid" approach crippled, Alex Sanders carried the load, churning out 116 yards on 26 attempts. Saturday's effort was the first game in which the Bears totaled 100 yards on the ground this season.
Special teams' blunders haunted the Bears in the contest, including Georgetown's opening PAT block, which they returned for their first two points. At the 5:00 mark in the third, after forcing a three-and-out around mid-field, the return unit turned it over on a bounce—this returned possession to Georgetown at the 34-yard line, poised to make it a two-possession ballgame. The Tigers capitalized on the next possession to take a 33-20 lead.
Another pain point for the UPIKE offense came on third and fourth down conversions. The Bears moved the chains just four of 19 attempts on third downs, converting one of four on fourth.
Bright Spots
Sanders was the workhorse, accounting for 164 of the Bears' 234 yards of total offense. The running back snagged three receptions out of the backfield, totaling 48 yards. The receiving stats included 33 yards, a touchdown from Barton, and a pair of receptions for Rashad Brown for 21 yards.
Despite the turnover, the Bears' found life in the second half and outscored the Tigers 14-7 in the third quarter. Two key interceptions came from the UPIKE defense, the first coming from Seneca Fuller, who picked off Slunaker in the midst of a Georgetown first and ten at UPIKE 35. Fuller's pick, and subsequent 35-yard return, put the Bears in Georgetown territory and led to Barton's touchdown catch.
Later in the third, Obie Wilson stepped up on a third and eight with an interception in which he would return 53 yards for a touchdown that put the Bears within six points.
Jonathan Morton commanded the defensive effort, matching his career high with 12 tackles. Morton added a tackle for loss that cost the Tigers six yards. As a whole, UPIKE's defense held its own against the Tigers, holding them to their second-lowest completion percentage of the season. The Bears recorded a season-best nine tackles for loss by way of Morton, Joe Timp (1), Josh Ervin (2), Brett Coleman (1), Jae Arnold (1). Myson Livingston and Travion Pope came up with a big sack, while Ervin and Coleman finished with one each.
Wilson led the effort for the Bears, who finished with five interceptions, their highest total of the season. Fuller finished with a pair of interceptions for 35 yards, while Pope added his first interception of the season.
Up Next
The loss drops the Bears to 2-3 (1-1 MSC) as they prepare for next Saturday's matchup on the road against Cumberlands (Ky.). Kickoff between the Bears and Patriots is slated for 7:00 PM.
