Late heroics seal comeback win over Cumberlands

Georgetown knew Saturday's Senior Day against Cumberlands was going to be a tough one all week long. It proved more than such for all 60 minutes of the game until late plays allowed Georgetown to survive the upset bid with a 19-16 win.

Cumberlands took the opening possession after Georgetown deferred the coin toss. The Patriots used a mix of runs and passes to move down the field. On a 4th & 2 from the Georgetown 9, a Cumberlands pass fell incomplete, but the Tigers were called for pass interference in the end zone. With the ball at the 2-yard line, Juan Bullard ran in for an opening touchdown to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive to give the Patriots the 7-0 lead.

Georgetown's first drive started with a nice kick return from linebacker Blake Hobbs to the GC 42. Darius Neal's first carry went for 10 yards to cross into Patriots territory. On 4th & 3 from the UC 41, Georgetown went for the conversion but Neal's run was stuffed at the line as the Tigers turned the ball over. Cumberlands went 3 & out on the ensuing drive and punted. Gehrig Slunaker hit Dillon Warren for 12 yards on 1st down to the GC 29. On 3rd & 3, Slunaker was sacked and saw the ball roll all the way back to the 15-yard line. Fortunately for Georgetown, the ball rolled out of bounds, thus allowing the Tigers to retain possession and punt. The Tigers got the ball right back as Chandler Godby forced a muffed punt return. Trey Schoen fell on the ball at the GC 47 for a fresh set of downs for the Tigers. The Cumberlands defense proved stout again as Georgetown punted after 3 plays. Georgetown's defense returned the favor and got the offense the ball heading heading to the 2nd quarter.

Georgetown's possession started at the Cumberlands 42 after a meager 20-yard punt. Georgetown went for another 4th down from the 36. Slunaker found Clayton Davis over the middle for a gain of 7 to continue the drive. 2 plays later, Slunaker looked down the seam but his pass was picked off at the 8-yard line to wipe out the drive. After a 15-yard run on 1st down, Jackson Geilear brought down Cumberlands QB Trace Thompson for a sack. It led to another punt, but the snap sailed over punter Job Matossian's head and out of the endzone for a Georgetown safety. With 10 minutes left in the 2nd, Georgetown got the ball trailing 7-2, but the Tigers' offense continued to struggle. One yard was gained on 3 plays, leading to another Drew Rader punt. Georgetown's defense forced Cumberlands into a punting situation on 4th and 3 from its own 26. The Patriots initally lined up to punt but then shifted and tried to run for a first down. Georgetown's defense held up just enough as a chain measurement gave the ball back to the Tigers on the Cumberlands 28. On the 1st play, Luke Olive was interfered with on a pass downfield to move the ball to the 14. Gehrig Slunaker then connected with Clayton Davis for a pickup of 9 to the UC 5. Darius Neal did the rest as he hurdled and powered his way into the endzone. It marked Neal's 4th straight game with a touchdown. The PAT gave Georgetown a 9-7 lead with just over 6 minutes to go in the first half.

Cumberlands took the ball from its 25 and got going with 3 runs of 17 yards by Trent Davis. The Patriots moved near midfield at the 2-minute timeout and kept going on the otherside. Trace Thompson completed passes of 13 and 11 yards. Georgetown was also flagged for a personal foul on the drive. From the 9-yard line, Trent Davis broke free over the right side and sprinted to the endzone. A 2-point conversion failed as Cumberlands took a 13-9 to halftime. Georgetown only trailed by 4 despite just 41 total yards of offense in the half.

The Tigers' opening drive in the 3rd turned out similar to a number of 1st half drives: 3 plays and out. Cumberlands took the ball on its own 39. The big play came on 3rd down from the 45 when Trace Thompson lofted a perfect pass to Trent Davis for a pickup of 33 yards to the GC 22. Cumberlands worked its way to a 1st & Goal from the Georgetown 2. Before 3rd down, the Patriots were flagged for a false start. The Tigers D held and forced Cumberlands into a 24-yard field goal. The score gave Cumberlands a 16-9 lead midway through the 3rd. Georgetown picked up one first down on its ensuing drive but could not reach midfield and punted once more.

Cumberlands took a deep shot on the first play from scrimmage and drew a pass interference against Javyn Martin. The penalty moved the ball to the Patriots' 47. On 3rd down, Thompson again went downfield and found Adam Foulk for a gain of 37 to the Georgetown 16. On the next play, the Patriots tried a double reverse run but were flagged for a chop block. The 15-yard penalty backed Cumberlands up to the 31. The drive stalled at the 28 where the Patriots lined up for a field goal. Instead, holder Adam Foulk took the snap and tried running around the left side. Georgetown's special teams met him at the line to keep things the same. With 1:39 to go in the 3rd, the Tigers needed a spark and turned to their All-American Darius Neal. 6 straight runs by Neal to start the drive totaled 51 yards to push the drive to the Cumberlands' 22. It led to a 36-yard field goal from Nate Craft as Georgetown cut the deficit to 16-12 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the 4th.

Cumberlands thought it had a 100-yard kickoff return for a score on the next sequence, but a holding penalty wiped it all out and forced the Patriots to start on its own 10. On 2nd down from the 30, Issac Young was penalized for hands to the face to give UC 15 yards and a 1st down. On that 1st down, Trace Thompson's pass was picked off by Justin Richardson at the Georgetown 40. With 6:09 left in the game, Georgetown took the ball back and again called on Neal. A run of 10 on the first play put the ball at midfield. 2 plays later, Gehrig Slunaker hit Matt Miller for a 1st down to the Cumberlands 39. On 2nd down, Slunaker faked a pass out wide then hit Luke Olive down the middle for a gain of 19 yards to the Cumberlands 23. The tandem hooked up 2 plays later as Olive bobbled, juggled and reeled in a pass on the right sideline to the Patriots' 10 at the 2-minute timeout. Enter Darius Neal. A run of 8 on 1st & goal followed by a 2-yard plunge into the endzone gave Neal his 2nd score of the day and Georgetown a lead of 19-16 with 1:45 to go in the game.

Cumberlands took over on its 25. On 2nd down, Trace Thompson hit DK Edwards for 22 yards to the 49. Georgetown thought the ball hit the turf and challenged the play. The call was upheld, costing the Tigers a timeout with 1:13 to go. A sequence of quick completions moved the ball to the Georgetown 36. From there, Thompson and Edwards hooked up for a gain of 12 to the 24 with 27 seconds to go. On the next play after a Cumberlands timeout, Thompson looked over the middle, but the pass sailed high and off a receiver's hands. Jayson Hayes came diving in from behind for the would-be game-clinching interception. Cumberlands immediately fired the red challenge flag onto the field as it argued the ball hit the turf. After a lengthy video review, the call stood as called to solidify the comeback win.

Georgetown was able to secure the win despite just 171 yards of total offense and no third down conversions all day. Darius Neal ran for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. The yardage total put him past Nick Ayers and into 3rd place on the all-time career yardage list with 2,974 yards. Gehrig Slunaker finished just 10-19 for 91 yards and a pick. Justin Richardson led the defense with 8 tackles and an interception. Chad Holleran and Romarion Warner tallied 7 tackles each. Jackson Geilear had 6 tackles and a sack.

With the win, the Tigers remain in the driver's seat for a conference title. Georgetown will travel to Campbellsville next Saturday for a massive showdown. Campbellsville sits just 1 game behind Georgetown in the MSC standings. Kickoff is set for 2:00pm.