The Wright Stuff: Football Races to Season-Opening Win

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – It was one for the record books as Isaiah Wright made his Bulldog debut by recording the second-best, single-game rushing performance in Union College football history en route to a 33-18 win over host Campbellsville (Ky.) on Thursday.

Wright rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, registering the ninth 200-yard rushing game in program history. Only Armond Smith's 312-yard performance against Bethel (Tenn.) on Oct. 9, 2010, surpasses Wright's performance.

Union opens the season 1-0, while Campbellsville is 0-1.

SEIZING THE LEAD EARLY

The Bulldogs wasted no time in putting points on the board. Taking the opening kickoff, Union marched 71 yards in 10 plays to score the game's first points. Facing third-and-goal from the Tigers 12, Walker Russell hit Jason Jones in the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 9:52 to go in the first.

Early in the second, Wright scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 3-yard run to up Union's lead to 13-0.

FINISHING STRONG

Campbellsville made things interesting, scoring 10 points before halftime to make it 13-10 at the intermission.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Union put the game out of reach. Andrae Johnson scored on a 4-yard run and Wright added a 9-yard scamper to stretch the Bulldogs' lead to 27-10 with 5:15 to play. Campbellsville struck quickly and cut the margin to 27-18 with 4:15 left.

However, Wright punched the ball in from 1-yard out with 1:10 remaining to lock up the 33-18 victory.

LUTTRELL'S LINE

"I think we showed a lot of maturity in taking the lead and holding on to it," said head coach John Luttrell. "I'm pleased with how we played in all three phases of the game. Now, we have to continue to improve and learn how to handle being 1-0 as we move forward."

BULLDOG NOTES

• This is the first time since 2018 Union opened the season with a win. The Bulldogs defeated Cincinnati Christian (Ohio) 46-7 at home.
• This is the first time Union opened the season with a win on the road since 2008. The Bulldogs edged Lambuth (Tenn.) 27-21 in Jackson, Tenn.
• The was the first time Campbellsville last its home opener since 2012.
• Tramonte Gardner picked off a pass, giving him seven for his career.
• The last time a Bulldog rushed for more than 200 yards came on March 13, 2021, when Dominique Thomas ran for 222 against Point (Ga.).
• Eight of the nine 200-yard rushing games in Bulldog history have come since the 2010 season. James Fletcher posted the first one with 214 yards against Tennessee Wesleyan in 1985.
• Union rushed for 332 yards, marking the first time since the 2017 season it eclipsed the 300-yard rushing mark. The Bulldogs had three 300-yard rushing outings in 2017, going for 302 against Kentucky Christian (Sept. 9, 2017), 388 against Pikeville (Ky.) (Oct. 21, 2017), and 309 against St. Andrews (N.C.) (Nov. 4, 2017).
• Union converted 7-of-14 third-down conversions and was 3-for-3 on fourth down. Campbellsville went 4-of-15 (27 percent) on third down and was 2-for-4 on fourth down.
• The Bulldogs outgained the Tigers 378-298.
• Laron Mugashe led the Bulldog defense with eight total tackles including 2.0 for a loss and a sack. Dayvon Moore followed with seven tackles.
• Johnson had a solid outing, rushing for 65 yards and a score on 17 carries.
• Russell completed 7-of-13 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.

NEXT FOR THE BULLDOGS

Union remains on the road and will visit NCAA Division I Morehead State (Ky.) on Sept. 11. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.