PIKEVILLE, Ky. - University of Pikeville football has released their schedule for the upcoming 2025 season.
The Bears open the season on August 30th with a trip up the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway for a 6 p.m. game against the Georgetown College Tigers. UPIKE lost a 23-20 nail biter to the Tigers last season and look to snap a seven-game losing streak to GC.
Two weeks after facing the Georgetown, the Bears will take on another old Mid-South Conference foe in Campbellsville. The 2024 edition of UPIKE and Campbellsville saw the Tigers edge out the Bears, 34-33, in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 39 seconds of game time.
UPIKE's home opener will be on September 20th when the Cumberland Phoenix travel to Hambley for a 6 p.m. matchup. Lee Kirkland completed 31 passes for 579 yards and four touchdowns to a 47-33 UPIKE victory when these teams last met in 2022. The Bears have won four consecutive games against the Phoenix dating back to 2019.
One week after their home opener, UPIKE will travel to Maryville, Tenn., and will take on NCAA Division III Maryville College. It will be the first-ever meeting between UPIKE and Maryville and the Bears' first non-NAIA game since 2019.
The Bears will return home on October 11th for their Appalachian Athletic Conference opener against the University of Rio Grande. The Red Storm restarted their football program in 2025 and will be the first-ever football meeting between UPIKE and URG.
UPIKE will stay at home the next week with another AAC matchup against Point University on October 18th. The Skyhawks won last year's meeting 23-21 after hitting a field goal as time expired.
After facing the Skyhawks, the Bears will travel to Bluefield to take on the Rams. UPIKE won 48-34 over BU in 2024 after running back Amon Williams rushed for 380 yards and four touchdowns. Williams set school and conference records for rushing yards in a single game and named AAC and NAIA Offensive Player of the Week.
UPIKE will return to Hambley for its final two home games of the season, with the first being against the Union Commonwealth Bulldogs. The game on November 1st will be the 15th all-time meeting between the two schools, with UPIKE holding a 9-5 advantage in the series. The Bears made it three in a row over the Bulldogs in 2024 with a 62-35 win in Barbourville.
The Bears final home game of the 2025 season will be on November 8th against Coach Corey Fipps's former team, the KCU Knights. UPIKE has won the last nine meetings over the Knights, including last year's 66-34 win.
UPIKE will travel to Reinhardt for its final game of the 2025 season. The Bears scored 41 second-half points en route to a 47-21 win over the Eagles in 2024, a win that gave them the tiebreaker to win the 2024 AAC Championship and a berth in the 2024 NAIA Football Playoffs.
#BearDown
