Phoenix beats Lions 47-35 | Sports

The decisive play may have come early in the second quarter when quarterback Cedquan Smith, who had led the Lions to a 14-7 lead before Tim Pannell's 3-yard touchdown run tied Cumberland, was injured on an incomplete pass under pressure from nickel Kane Burnley. The left-hander left the field and did not return.

David Buggs came into the game and threw three interceptions before halftime finally arrived. The first interception went to Burnley, who carried the ball 44 yards down the CU sideline to give the Phoenix their first lead at 21-14.

Cornerback DeAndre Caldwell had the next INT in the end zone, ending FMU's attempt to tie.

Luke Holloway, who helped Cumberland to a 7-7 tie with a 4-yard run in the first quarter, carried the Phoenix 80 yards in seven snaps and made it 28-14 with his 18-yard touchdown run. Holloway, who had an interception of his own in the first quarter that was nullified by a Lions encroachment penalty, ran for three touchdowns and 171 yards on 12 carries and completed 11 of his 12 passes for another 85.

Because of his performance, Holloway was named Mid-South Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Buggs, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 251 yards, was intercepted for a third time by nickel Cannon Johnson at the Cumberland 21-yard line on the final play of the first half, sending the Phoenix to the locker room with a 28-14 lead.

“We just calmed down and played our football,” Cumberland coach Tim Mathis said. “Our guys kept fighting. I'm so proud of the defense because they kept fighting, made them lose the ball four times and we didn't lose the ball.”

Holloway found a diving Isaiah O'Neal in the corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter. FMU coaches challenged the play, claiming O'Neal didn't put a foot on the field, but the replay system was temporarily out of action.

No replay was necessary later in the quarter, as Holloway drove the ball 55 yards to the goal line, taking a 41-21 lead into the fourth quarter.

After Florida Memorial pulled within 41-35, Jacob Cornejo burst up the middle and out in the open for a 57-yard run as CU survived a pair of late missed extra points to pull out the win. Cornejo had his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game, managing 102 yards on eight carries. Overall, Cumberland amassed 343 rushing yards and 423 total yards.

“Our offense played fantastic,” said Mathis. “We were able to put the decisive pressure on them while running.”

The most impressive running performance, however, came from Florida Memorial's Walter Wilbon, who gave the Lions an early lead with a 54-yard touchdown run and tried to claw it back in the second half with touchdown runs of 14 and 10 yards. He finished the hot afternoon with 178 yards on 24 carries.

“He's a special guy,” Mathis said of Wilbon. “He's a really good football player. It didn't hurt that the quarterback had to go out early and they had to bring in the backup. But he did a pretty good job, too.”

“It's all about making the right plays. And we made the plays when we needed to, and they didn't.”

Smith put the Lions back up 14-7 with a 9-yard pass to David Studstill. Smith threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Markell Lee in the fourth inning before the Lions returned to South Florida with a 1-1-1 record.

The Phoenix have this week off before beginning a six-week sprint through the Mid-South Conference at Campbellsville on October 4 at 6 p.m. CDT.

“We told them on the field that we haven't done anything yet,” Mathis said. “You have to take that approach every day.”

“We told them we finished 4-0 in non-conference games. But none of that matters because you go into the conference and that's all that matters now: conference wins and losses.”

Cumberland 47, Florida Memorial 35

Florida Memorial 14 0 7 14—35

Cumberland 7 21 13 6—47

Florida Memorial – 54 run by Walter Wilbon (kick by Oliver Robbins), 13:29.

Cumberland – Luke Holloway, 4 runs (kick by Jack Kantner), 10:02.

Florida Memorial – 9-Pass from Cedquan Smith to David Studstill (Robbins kick), 5:55.

Cumberland – Tim Pannell, 3 runs (Kantner kick), 14:18.

Cumberland – Kane Burnley 44, interception return (Kantner kick), 6:44.

Cumberland—Holloway 18 run (Kantner kick), :32.

Cumberland – Isaiah O'Neal 12 pass from Holloway (kick failed), 7:17.

Florida Memorial – Wilbon 14 run (Robbins kick), 3:48.

Cumberland—Holloway 64 run (Kantner kick), 1:39.

Florida Memorial – Run by Wilbon 10 (kick by Robbins), 9:44.

Florida Memorial – Pass from David Buggs (Robbins kick) to Markell Lee in the six-yard box, 5:56.

Cumberland—Jacob Cornejo 57 run (kick failed), 4:17.

Rush Yards 41-215 50-343

-Comp.-Att.-Int. 22-38-3 11-12-0

Penalty yards 5-39 4-33

RUSHING – Florida Memorial: Walter Wilbon 24-178, George Young 8-17, David Buggs 4-12, Marcus Barthel 2-10, Charles Philias 1-5, Jeremiah Simms 1-3, Oliver Robbins 1-(-10). Cumberland: Luke Holloway 12-171, Jacob Cornejo 8-102, Jeremiah Bryant 10-38, Tim Pannell 10-26, Nick Burge 6-13, Kaiden Hatchett 1-5, Nate Stephens 2-0, Team 1-(-2 ).

PASSING—Florida Memorial: David Buggs 18-31-3—251, Cedquan Smith 4-7-0—65. Cumberland: Luke Holloway 11-12-0—85.

RECEPTION – Florida Memorial: David Studstill 10-156, George Young 2-34, Jalen Holly 2-33, Markell Lee 4-32, Christian Edgerson 1-30, Walter Wilbon 2-24, Jeremiah Sims 1-7. Cumberland: Jarrius Rogers 2-30, Isaiah O'Neal 2-21, Jeremiah Bryant 1-13, Kaiden Hatchett 1-10, Nate Stephens 3-7, Timothy Freel 1-4, Jacob Cornejo 1-0.