[Football] Late Game Heroics Send Patriots to NAIA FCS Quarterfinals with Win over Keiser

Story by: University of the Cumberlands Athletics

West Palm Beach, FL – On a night where two Mid-South Conference schools that went a combined 18-1 on the season would face each other in a win or go home situation, an all-out war would ensue where it would take each and every blow that the victor would throw to take out their opposition. Today, the Patriots would come up with the final 1-2 knockout blow it took to take down the Seahawks of Keiser University 28-24 to advance to the NAIA Football Championship Series Quarterfinals.

Keiser would get the ball to open the game, but UC's defense would hold to a three-and-out and a punt. Cumberlands would drive a stellar 12 play drive to get the ball inside the red zone to Keiser's 11-yard line, but a pass from Josiah Robbins would be broken up by Sage Chen-Young and picked off in the end zone by DeAndre Henderson and downed for a touchback. Another three-and-out for the Seahawks would follow, but a 38 yard punt return from Darius Young would put the Patriots in great field position to start the drive. This drive would see a healthy dose of Martize Smith as he would eventually punch it in from one yard out to give UC their first lead of the day. Devon McMillin's extra point was good, pushing the Patriots out front 7-0. The Patriots continued to dominate the quarter as Keiser's quarterback Eli Mathews would take a hit and fumble on the next drive, recovered by UC's Keshawn Catlett as the Patriots would have the ball to start the second quarter.