PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The University of Pikeville wrapped up the 2024 season with a 90-14 win over St. Andrews (N.C.) University on Saturday afternoon.
 
The win, combined with Bluefield's 18-17 win over Point, means the Bears will make the NAIA playoffs for only the second time in school history.
 
UPike will enter the postseason 5-5 on the season but 5-1 in the AAC. They tie with Reinhardt for the top spot, but because the Bears beat the Eagles 47-21 on Oct. 5, they win the tie-breaker and as a result, the automatic bid into postseason play.
 
The only other trip to postseason play came in 2005 when the Bears played at St. Francis (Ind.).
 
Saturday was a record-breaking day in many ways. Chief among them was the day of senior signal-caller Lee Kirkland, who finished the day with 11 touchdowns and 646 passing yards, both of which broke NAIA national records.
 
The touchdown record had stood in the record book for 56 years.
 
Kirkland was 41-of-47 on the day.
 
Many, many records fell on the day. Among them were:
 

• The team set a new record for points in a season with 435. The old mark was 383, which they scored in 2018 and 2023
• They also established new records for points in a half, posting 49 in the first half on Saturday, and in a game
• Kirkland broke three of his own single-game records. He now has records with 41 completions, 646 passing yards and the 11 touchdowns
• He also broke the record for touchdown passes in a season with 34. His old mark was 31 last season
• Freshman tailback Amon Williams had four carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns while catching six passes for 126 yards and a score, giving him 96 points for the season, which tied school record
• Williams now has 1,067 rushing yards this season, which is a new record for the AAC
• Senior receiver Diego Soto had nine catches on the day, giving him 64 for the season. That's one more than the old mark, held by his former teammate Alex Sanders in 2022
• Senior kicker Austan Shuffler set records for extra-point tries and makes in a season, going 12-for-12. That enabled him to break the single-season records in those categories. He now has 49-of-54 for the year
• Receiver Brandon Newton had six catches for 97 yards and four touchdowns. The old record of three in a game had been done eight different times
• Finally, it was the first time in school history the Bears played a football game without having to punt

 
The NAIA will announce the first-round pairings on Sunday. The Bears will know then who they will play next week.