Football season begins in earnest at the University of Pikeville on Thursday night with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Campbellsville University at the W.C. Hambley Athletics Complex.
 
The big news around campus is the return of quarterback Lee Kirkland. The 6-6, 265-pound graduate student is coming off a remarkable season that culminated with him being named the offensive player of the year in the Appalachian Athletics Conference.
 
Among his notable numbers were:
 
Category                        Kirkland           Rank
Completions                219                     1st
Attempts                      358                     3^rd*
Yards                           2741                  1st
Touchdowns (pass)     31                       1st
Interceptions               6                         Unranked
*Trevor Hoskins holds the single-season record with 376 in 2010 and followed it with 369 in 2011
 
Kirkland is also within striking distance of nearly every career passing milestone at the school. He is chasing down Hall of Fame quarterback, and his former coach, Trevor Hoskins in all five categories.
 
In fact, the only category that he probably won't pass him in the one record you don't really want, and that's interceptions. Here's where they stand:
 
Category                        Hoskins           Kirkland           Difference
Completions                     553                     544                     9
Attempts                          1073                  919                     154
Yards                               7414                  5879                  1535
Touchdowns (pass)        64                        63                        1
Interceptions                   56                        31                      25
 
Thanks to Kirkland's remarkable performance, we can shine this light on why last season was such a great one in the 23-year history of varsity football at the school.
 
The 2024 Bears matched the most points in a season in school history. They scored 383 points, equaling the 2018 team. Combine that with the fact that UPike had the fourth best scoring defense of all time, allowing only 233 points, and you see how they managed a 7-3 season, finishing only one game behind Reinhardt for the AAC title.
 
Kirkland isn't the only returner on the offensive side of the ball. Here are some other players who exceled on that side last season who are back with the Bears:
 

• Diego Soto, a second-team All-AAC performer, is a 5-11, 175-pound senior wide receiver, caught 38 passes for 532 yards. His seven receiving touchdowns tied for the team lead a year ago.
• D'Andre Stafford, a 6-2, 169-pound senior wide receiver, hauled in 21 passes for 298 yards and matched Soto with seven touchdowns in the air to help lead the team
• Tyrese Christian, a 5-7, 200-pound senior running back, carried 37 times for 180 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and a touchdown while catching 17 passes for 79 yards

 
The defense was solid as well in 2023, and some recognizable names are back there as well. Here are a few names who are back for another season in the orange and black:
 

• Chuck Moore, a 5-11, 210-pound junior linebacker who was named second-team all-conference in 2023, is the leading returning tackler with 55, including 33 solos. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and forced two fumbles
• Brett Coleman, a 6-2, 195-pound junior defensive back from Belfry, had 42 tackles, 31 of them of the solo variety. He also had an interception
• Ben Tate, a 6-0, 240-pound graduate student who plays defensive end. He had 37 tackles, 23 of the solos to go with four tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one recovery en route to being named first-team All-AAC a season ago
• Myson Livingston, a 6-0, 250-pound defensive end who is a graduate student, was named second-team All-AAC last year after having 33 tackles, including 20 on his own, to go with five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble

 
The kicking game isn't lacking for returning success either, with two special teams standouts are returning from the 2023 season. Here's a look at their numbers:
 

• Jakob Headley, a 5-10, 155-pound graduate student, was named AAC Special Teams Player of the Week five times last season. He hit 39 extra points and was 4-of-5 on field goal tries, finishing second on the team with 51 points. He has 149 career points, which has him ninth on the all-time scoring list. The record is 189 by Kyle Chilton, who kicked for the Bears from 2006-09
• Austan Shuffler, a 5-8, 160-pound senior, averaged 51.2 yards per kickoff last season, and handled the chore all but one time last year. He had 12 touchbacks on the season

 
All around, there are bright spots for the Bears, and plenty of reasons for a big crowd to be on hand Thursday evening as they kick off the season.