Reinhardt Eagles (5-3) vs. Cumberland University (6-3)
Nokes- Lasater Field Lebanon, TN
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Kickoff at 12 noon EST
By: Kraig Doremus and Ben Greene
This week the Reinhardt Eagles (5-3, 2-1) travel to Lebanon, Tennessee to take on the 12th ranked Bulldogs of Cumberland University (6-3, 2-2) in a Mid-South West Division Conference matchup. The Eagles are coming off a bye week, while the Bulldogs defeated Bethel University this past weekend.
To close out October, the Reinhardt Eagles had their final bye week of the 2014 season. Prior to the bye week, the Eagles played two straight road contests, both of which were victories. Reinhardt’s most recent victory came on October 25th, as they defeated the University of the Cumberlands Patriots, 49-23. In that game, the Eagles turned the ball over on their first two possessions before quarterback Jonathon Chamblee threw the first of his three touchdown passes to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead. After relinquishing the lead, the Patriots scored a touchdown to make the score 10-7 in their favor. However, Reinhardt would strike back as Sam Jones carried the ball into the end zone, giving the Eagles a 14-10 lead. After Jones’ TD run, running back L.J. Stegall reeled off an 86-yard touchdown run, the longest run from scrimmage in Reinhardt football history, making the score 21-10. The Patriots would hit two field goals before halftime, while the Eagles added two touchdowns, a 14-yard pass from Jonathon Chamblee to Aaron Kennedy and a two-yard rush by Niagel Curtis. At the intermission, Reinhardt led by a score of 35-16
In the second half, Reinhardt built upon their lead, scoring two touchdowns, while holding the University of the Cumberlands to one score. The Eagles of Reinhardt scored both their touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. First, Jonathan Chamblee threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Kennedy to make the score 42-16. In addition, running back LJ. Stegall would score from 81-yards out, his second touchdown of greater than 80 yards, to give Reinhardt a 49-16 lead. In the 4th, the Patriots scored a single touchdown, but it made little difference as Reinhardt walked away victorious, 49-23.
After the final horn sounded, the Eagles had ran for 387 yards, led by Stegall’s 175. Quarterback Jonathon Chamblee amassed 208 yards through the air. Defensively, A.J. Thomas totaled a game high eight tackles for Reinhardt.
Last week, Cumberland University suffered a hard fought loss at Bethel University. Cumberland only scored twice, as they fell 49-14. In the contest, the Bulldogs managed only 225 yards of offense. Redshirt senior Broc Loveless was 8 of 29 passing for 84 yards and one touchdown, while redshirt sophomore Justin Snyder added 56 yards on three completions. The team’s leading rusher was junior running back Brandon Mallory who had 41 yards on 12 carries. Redshirt junior running back George Nwokaji rushed for 35 yards on 13 attempts and one touchdown. The team leader in receptions was redshirt freshman Kentavious Eberhart who caught four passes for 60 yards and one touchdown.
To be successful against Cumberland, Reinhardt needs to have a good all-around defense. They must stop the Cumberland rushing attack, which averages over 215 yards per game. In addition, the RU defense must stall the Bulldogs air attack, which averages 140 yards per contest. For the Patriots of Cumberland, one of the keys to the game is to have a sharp run defense, as they will try to stop sophomore L.J. Stegall who rushed for 175 yards on only four carries in Reinhardt’s most recent contest.
Kickoff between the Eagles and Bulldogs is set for 12 noon from Nokes-Lasater field in Lebanon, Tennessee.