Bright Day: Quarterback runs for two, throws one to lead Pats past Bears

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Sophomore quarterback Jay Bright ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead sixth-ranked University of the Cumberlands past Pikeville College 30-14 Saturday afternoon.

The win for Cumberlands (5-0) came in the Mid-South Conference East Division opener for both schools.

The Patriots ran for 273 yards in the win, and may be the only team in the country who could be disappointed in that – they entered play Saturday leading the nation by averaging a robust 368.8 yards per game on the ground.

Senior fullback Coheleach Holmes ran for an even 100 yards on only 12 carries to pace the Patriots; Bright finished with 46 on 11 carries.

Early on it looked as if the Bears had something for the Patriots. On the first play of the game, freshman tailback Jeremy Mobely caught a pass from freshman quarterback Chase Ellis and ran 70 yards for pay dirt. Senior Kyle Chilton made it 7-0 with the extra-point only 18 seconds in to the game.

But that would be the lion’s share of the Bear offense on the day – after three periods of play, the Bears had added only 21 yards of total offense to the scoring pass.

Cumberlands took the lead before the period ended. After senior Andrew Carr kicked a 32-yard field goal, the Pats turned the Bears away on fourth-and-two at midfield and needed eight plays to score, with Bright finishing the drive on a two-yard run. Carr made it 10-7 with 29 seconds left in the period.

But before it ended, the Bears would respond: Senior DeVaughn Whitley took the kickoff at his own 14 and hustled 86 yards for the score. Chilton’s kick made it 14-10 with 17 seconds left in the period.

Bright regained the lead for his team before the half, hitting sophomore Willie Gibson on a 32-yard score before converting a fourth-and-inches into a 21-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the half, sending the Pats to a 23-14 lead at recess.

The only scoring in the fourth quarter came on a two-yard run by freshman Frederick Bayer with 8:00 left.

In the air, Bright was 9-of-16 for 87 yards with one score and one interception. He hit freshman Julius Moore three times for 29 yards; Gibson, who caught the scoring pass, had two for 34 yards.

Pikeville’s quarterback tandem of Chase Ellis and Matt Jones, both true freshmen, combined to go 4-of-11 for 94 yards with two interceptions and the score.

While Mobely led the team in receiving yards with his scoring pass, his only catch of the game, freshman Ali Keita caught two for 14 yards.

In addition to the return touchdown, Whitley led the team with 16 tackles, 13 of them being solos. Both numbers are good for second all-time in Pikeville College history. His five tackles for loss, costing the Pats 13 yards, ties for third all-time.

Senior Kenny Harris, who two weeks ago became the school’s all-time leader in tackles, added 11 more on Saturday. Eight of them were solos, including the first sack of the season recorded against Cumberlands.

Sophomore linebacker Johnathan Yeary led Cumberlands with a full day – eight tackles, six being solos, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal.

The field goal was the first miss by Pikeville’s Chilton since Oct. 11, 2008, ending a stretch in which he made seven in a row to tie the school record.

Cumberlands will return home next week to play its closest rival when Union College pays a visit; Pikeville heads to McKenzie, Tenn., to meet Bethel College.

PC