Robinson explodes in thrilling win over UPike

After a silent opener against Montana Tech, Jamarcus Robinson put his name on the map against Pikeville. The receiver broke out for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns in Georgetown's nailbiting 23-20 win over UPike to even the Tigers' record in 2024.

It took time for Robinson to get going on this afternoon in eastern Kentucky. Pikeville took the first possession and went 83 yards in 9 plays for an early touchdown. The PAT attempt failed to give the Bears a 6-0 lead. Georgetown took its turn and elected for a patient approach to keep the Bears' potent passing attack on the sideline. Robinson had 1 touch on the opening drive, a 1-yard run. The rest was a combination of quick Gehrig Slunaker throws and the ground game of Darius Neal and Reese Johnson. The Tigers reached the UPike 34 but were turned away on a 4th and 2 try. It wiped out a drive that lasted 13 plays and took 8:41 off the clock.

Pikeville took the ball back and methodically worked its way down the field as the game moved into the 2nd quarter. The patience paid off as Bears QB Lee Kirkland found D'Andre Stafford for a 5-yard TD pass. The PAT capped off a 13-play, 67-yard drive that ate 7 minutes off the clock. With 10:23 to go in the 2nd, Georgetown found itself down 13-0. The veteran offense remained poised and began to find its rhythm. The first big play came when Dillon Warren found room down the left sideline for a 39-yard reception. Darius Neal then came through with an important 10-yard run on an early 3rd down and 5 to keep the drive going in UPike territory. He would follow that a few plays later with a gain of 7 on 3rd down to move the ball to the UPike 8. 2 more runs from Neal gave him a touchdown. The PAT hold was mishandled and Georgetown trailed 13-6 with just over 4 minutes to go. The scoring drive went 88 yards on 12 plays and took 6:26.

The Tigers then forced the 1st punt of the game and took over on their own 39 with 1:44 to go until halftime. Gehrig Slunaker started the drive with a quick gain of 8 to Jamarcus Robinson. On 1st down from the UPike 46, Slunaker took off on a scramble for a minimal gain but was hit after sliding, which tacked on 15 yards to the run. With the ball at the UPike 30, Slunaker found Robinson down the left sideline all alone for a 30-yard score. Drew Rader's extra point tied the game at 13 at the half.

Georgetown started the 3rd quarter with possession and the continued patient approach. A 3rd down conversion from Slunaker to Robinson moved the ball near midfield. Matt Miller followed with a 10-yard catch to the UPike 41. The drive ultimately stalled at the Bears' 33. Nate Craft then came out for a 50-yard field goal try. The kick had plenty of distance but slid just wide right to keep the game tied after a 6-minute drive. UPike took over and began to show more balance on offense to keep the Tigers' D off-balance. The Bears found the end zone on a 16-yard pass from Lee Kirkland to Diego Soto. The extra point gave UPike a 20-13 lead with just over 4 minutes left in the 3rd.

The Tigers countered with another balanced, methodical drive. Starting on the GC 27, Slunaker completed passes to Darius Neal and Matt Miller for a total of 19 yards. 3 Darius Neal runs carried the game into the 4th quarter. A Pikeville penalty moved the ball to the Bears' 32. Enter Jamarcus Robinson. He found space on the right side and brought in a perfect pass from Slunaker for a pickup of 23 yards to the 9. The drive stalled at the 8, but Georgetown came away with points. Drew Rader drilled a 25-yard field goal to cap another drive of 12 plays and over 6 minutes used. With 12:29 to go, Georgetown trailed 20-16.

Pikeville went back to the air on its ensuing drive with all 8 plays being passes. A series of penalties halted the Bears drive at the Georgetown 48. Pikeville QB Lee Kirkland lined up for a pooch punt and executed to perfection as the ball was eventually downed at the 1-yard line. The offense again remained undaunted. 3 straight runs from Neal gave the Tigers breathing room at the 10. Slunaker took another shot downfield and Jamarcus Robinson delivered again. A diving grab over a defender went for 26 yards. The tandem hooked up for another 7 yards on the following play to the GC 43. A combination of run and quick passes settled the ball at the Bears 42 when the big play happened. With Robinson lined up on the left side, Gehrig Slunaker lofted a ball over the middle with Robinson in mind. The ball was deflected up in the air and right into Robinson's hands. The defender had fallen down. Robinson had himself a spectacular 42-yard touchdown reception and Georgetown had a 23-20 lead with 2:49 to go on the strength of a 10-play, 99-yard drive.

Nobody on the Tiger side was ready to celebrate anything with last week's heartbreaker in mind. That and the prowess of UPike's passing attack left everyone with a patient mindset. The Bears went to work with a series of short passes as Georgetown kept the defense deep. The strategy worked as UPike did not cross midfield with just 38 seconds to go. 2 pass completions moved the ball to the Georgetown 25 with 13 seconds left, at which point UPike burned its last timeout. On a 3rd & 1, the Bears converted to the 19-yard line and then spiked the ball to stop the clock with 5 seconds to go. The Bears sent out kicker Austan Shuffler for a 36-yard field goal to try to send the game to overtime. The snap and hold were perfect, but Shuffler's leg did not have the strength as the kick fluttered short of the cross bar, giving Georgetown the thrilling win.

Jamarcus Robinson proved the big play man on this day, finishing with 9 catches for 171 yards and the 2 long touchdowns. They came from Gehrig Slunaker, who had a strong bounceback performance after a tough week 1. The junior QB finished the day 19-24 for 262 yards and the 2 touchdowns to Robinson. Darius Neal put in a workman day with 97 yards on 28 carries and his first TD of the year. Nate Craft's big leg continually pushed the Bears deep as he averaged nearly 60 yards per kickoff with 1 touchback. Chad Holleran led the defense with 9 tackles, 1 TFL and a pass breakup.

The Tigers next prepare for another road trip next Saturday. This time, the team heads to Huntsville, Alabama to take on NCAA FCS Alabama A&M. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.