Cumberlands pulls away from Bulldogs in football opener

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - After going blow-for-blow with Cumberlands (Ky.) in the first half, the Union football team ran out of gas in the seconds.

The Patriots outgained the Bulldogs 243-50 over the final 30 minutes and outscored them 23-0 in the same frame, taking down Union 30-6 in the first Battle of Brass Lantern game since 2019 on Saturday, the season opener for both teams.

THIRD QUARTER WOES

Down just 7-6 after out-gaining the Patriots in the first half, Union was sluggish on both sides of the ball out of the locker room as Cumberlands held a 164 to negative-4 yardage edge in the period.

Quarterback Ben Nixon accounted for both third-quarter touchdowns, connection with Ap Parham for a 59-yard touchdown, then running in a score from 28 yards on consecutive drives.

Prior to the final drive of the game, Union only ran one play in Cumberlands territory in the second half. Robmonte Bryant forced a fumble that Brajuan Fields recovered at the Patriot 42. But after a delay of game penalty, quarterback Myron Norfleet was sacked for a 14-yard loss.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Union got on the board late in the second quarter, when a 27-yard Kadell Robinson punt return put the ball at the Cumberlands 15, which set up a 1-yard Jahaslin James touchdown run, pulling the Bulldogs within 7-6 at the half.

But that was hardly Union's only scoring opportunity, as the Bulldogs moved into Patriot territory on each of their first four drives.

A 34-yard Norfleet run helped push the ball to the Cumberlands 29 on the opening drive, while a balanced attack got it to the 27 on the third drive, only for both series to end in missed field goals. In between that, Union got to the Patriot 48 but turned the ball over on downs on an incomplete pass on 4th-and-4.

Union was also undone by 55 penalty yards two turnovers.

BULLDOG NOTES

• Cumberlands has now won four straight games against Union, winning the last three by the combined score of 195-13.
• Norfleet ran for a team-high 71 yards while he and Jake Medders split snaps at quarterback. Norfleet went 12-of-19 for 69 yards, while Medders was 4-of-13 for 32 while each had an interception.
• Tramonte Gardner and Zion McCray each had a team-high nine tackles

NEXT UP FOR THE BULLDOGS

Union opens the home slate of its scheduled with a brutal game next Saturday, when they host No. 4 Lindsey Wilson at 7 p.m. next Saturday. The Blue Raiders blitzed St. Andrews 57-6 on Saturday, scoring all of their points in the first half.