Reinhardt Eagles (7-0) 52 Cumberland Bulldogs (3-4) 18 Nokes-Lasater Field Lebanon, TN
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Written by: Tyler Pineda and Ally Hurd
After leading by just 10, 28-18, Reinhardt scored 24 unanswered points to take out the bulldogs of Cumberland University 52-18.
When Reinhardt Had the Ball
The Eagles were led by junior running back L.J. Stegall with 112 yards and a touchdown. Seniors Sam Jones and Niagel Curtis also contributed offensively by combining for 172 yards on the ground. RU produced a convincing 405 yards rushing. In the first half, Reinhardt was stopped on the opening drive on a tough 4th and 1 conversion. After halftime, the eagles did not look back and marched on to victory. Redshirt junior quarterback and former NAIA Offensive Player of the Week Ryan Thompson completed 10 out of 16 passes for 161 yards. In a post-game interview, head coach Drew Cronic stated, “That’s a good, tough, disciplined Cumberland team we beat today. Obviously, we need to run the ball well, but hopefully, we are a team that can take what defenses give us.” Reinhardt remains the top ranked team in the nation, both in total rushing offense (2575) and rushing offense per game (367.9).
Defensively, Alex Campagne made his name known with 10 tackles on the game, 7 being solo. Linebacker Nathan Jernigan also contributed with 3 solo tackles and 6 assists. The Bulldogs could not come together to put a halt on the best rushing offense in the nation. CU did not find the quarterback during the game, but did make some good stops on the rushing attack of Reinhardt, allowing only 5 third down conversions out of 12. In addition, Cumberland recovered two fumbles to put the Bulldogs in a position to potentially score.
Photo credit: Stephanie Scott, Reinhardt Football
When Cumberland Had the Ball
Offensively, redshirt junior quarterback Justin Snyder led the Bulldogs. Snyder threw for 196 yards and rushed for 9 with one touchdown. Running back Austin Chaplin rushed for 87 yards on 22 attempts. Sophomore Brandon Byrd saw the end zone once later in the game. The redshirt sophomore out of Riverview, FL rushed for 62 yards on 14 attempts. CU was 8-19 on third down and were forced to punt 5 times. On a positive note, the Bulldogs accumulated 154 yards off kickoff returns. CU won the total play margin 80-74, but was unable to get going in the second half.
Sophomores Jacob Gross led the Eagles and Marcus Miller with 12 tackles apiece. Although Reinhardt was stopped on the opening drive, the defense responded with a sack/forced fumble by defensive end Javier Dyer. Junior linebacker DeVante Wynn scooped up the ball and raced down the sideline before being tackled on the one-yard line. Towards the end of the second quarter, Cumberland produced a long drive on the final possession of the half. On a 4th and 11 attempt, redshirt junior defensive linemen Tyler Pineda sacked the quarterback to send the Eagles with momentum during halftime. The defense would not allow CU to score again for the rest of the game. Defensive back Nick Johnson returned an interception 100 yards off a failed two-point conversion from Cumberland in the beginning of the 4th quarter. The eagles saw the end zone again off a 24-yard interception by Juice Arnold. Reinhardt’s defense has seen the end zone four times this season.
Keys to the Game
Reinhardt tallied up a 566-yard total offense, and exceeded in the run game. The defense only allowed 18 points and saw the end zone twice.
Cumberland only trailed by 10 the whole game before failing to keep up with eagle offense, allowing 24 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.
Prediction
The Reinhardt Sport Studies crew has a prediction record of 7-0 this season.
Up Next
This Saturday, October 24, 2015, Reinhardt will host No. 1 Lindsey Wilson College (6-0) in a homecoming match up. The blue raiders are coming off a tough 24-19 comeback win over Faulkner University.
Schedule
August 29th @ Point University W 73-21
September 12th vs Kentucky Christian W 52-3
September 19th @ Georgetown College W 22-19
September 26th vs University of Pikeville W 32-28
October 3rd @ Bluefield College W 80-14
October 10th vs #10 Faulkner University W 55-27
October 17th @ Cumberland University W 52-18
October 24th vs #1 Lindsey Wilson 12 noon EST
November 7th @ Campbellsville University 12 noon EST
November 14th vs Bethel University 12 noon EST
