MCKENZIE, Tenn. – There were lots of storylines to the University of Pikeville football team’s 28-14 loss at Bethel on Saturday, but in the end it comes down to missed opportunities as UPIKE threw an interception, had to punt five times and turned the ball over three times on downs after a hot start.
In the beginning, it felt like offense would be all there was to talk about.
There were three touchdowns scored in the first four minutes, starting with Bethel marching down the field for a seven-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Logan Diebold hammering the ball in from seven-yards out. UPIKE, running back Seth Millar in particular, wasted no time responding using two plays, including a 68-yard scamper by Millar to tie it up.
But keeping up with the game’s narrative early on, the Wildcats (2-5, 0-2 MSC West) took the lead with a two-play drive of their own. After a short run by Alexandrian Nesbitt, Bethel quarterback Kerry Sellers II hit Quincy Walden for a 53-yard scoring strike to give Bethel a lead that it wouldn’t surrender as both teams stalled offensively until late in the third quarter.
UPIKE’s R.J. Rosemond Jr., threw a pick on the next drive, starting a sequence that saw Bethel fumble two drives later, followed by the teams trading four straight points after a controversial field-goal miss.
Early in the second quarter, Damir Karapandzic attempted a 45-yard field goal that appeared to be good, but the officials said it went wide. Many administrators in the Bethel press box, the UPIKE coaches and especially Karapandzic disagreed, but without video repla, the game moved on.
At the start of the third frame, Karapandzic missed again from 46-yards out as Bethel took over for its best drive of the game, going 71 yards on 10 plays to take a 21-7 lead. Looking to give itself one last chance to come back, UPIKE put together a lengthy drive, using 20 plays to go 79 yards for eight minutes and 32 seconds to get within seven as Millar scored his second touchdown of the game.
Needing a stop with about 10 minutes to play, UPIKE (2-5, 2-1 MSC East) couldn’t catch a break as it was whistled for two personal foul penalties that took the ball from near midfield all the way to the 14-yard line. Devan Raymer took advantage for the Wildcats, tallying a rushing touchdown on the very next play to get to the final 28-14 advantage.
The Bears didn’t stop their comeback effort, but were forced to punt on their next drive before being stopped on downs twice. Sani Warren was sacked in the final minute, forcing him to spike the ball before two incompletions in the end zone ended the game.
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UPIKE outgained the Wildcats 407-323 in total offense, including running 88 plays compared to 54. The Bears also had 24 first downs to the Wildcats 12 and had possession for nearly 11 more minutes. But Bethel made the big plays when it mattered and did a nice job slowing the Bears’ rushers after struggling in the first quarter.
Millar finished with 95 yards rushing after collecting 84 in the first quarter alone. With the Wildcats keying on Millar, Rosemond Jr., had to make some plays with his feet too, rushing for 36 yards on 11 carries, Rosemond Jr., went 18-for-34 passing for 196 yards with an interception, while Warren was just 3-of-9 for 42 yards.
Shawntez Johnson and Shawntay Zachary had big days receiving with seven catches each, as Johnson racked up 107 yards and Zachary finished with 71.
John Dudley-Hilton led the UPIKE defense with nine total tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, while Derek Harris added six tackles and Demetrius Taylor wound up with five. Cameron Nolan gave the Bears a spark with their lone interception while also making a pair of tackles.
Sellers II threw the ball just eight times for the Wildcats, completing three for 98 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jaquell Fitts was hard to stop in the Bethel backfield, tallying 112 yards for an average of nearly six yards per carry. Walden had all three of Bethel’s receptions, while Tyler Murray led the defense with 10 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss.
UPIKE is back in action at 1:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 25, hosting No. 9 Georgetown at the Hambley Athletic Complex.
Bear Facts
· Running back Seth Millar became just the second player in UPIKE history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a career as his 95 yards at Bethel put him at 2,008. Millar is now second on the all-time rushing list with just Leonard Moore in front of him with 3,216 yards.
· With his team-leading nine tackles against the Wildcats, linebacker John Dudley Hilton is just 11 tackles shy of becoming the all-time leader at UPIKE. His seven solo stops give him 160 for his career, just seven away from taking over the No. 1 spot from Anson Cunningham.
· Fourteen points matches the season low for the Bears after losing 44-14 earlier in the season to Lindsey Wilson.
· Millar’s 68-yard run in the first quarter at Bethel is the sixth longest rush in UPIKE history.
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