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Eagles Come Up One Point Short on the Road at Cumberlands, 20-19

Eagles Come Up One Point Short on the Road at Cumberlands, 20-19
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September 17, 2023
Williamsburg, KY - The Eagles had their first road trip of the 2023 season when they visited the Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands.  Reinhardt was coming into the game with a 1-1 record and a previous weekend loss to Southeastern University so picking up a win this weekend in Kentucky was very important.  Unfortunately, the Eagles were unable to overcome the early lead by the Patriots and narrowly lost 20 to 19.
 
Both teams did not get a score until the second quarter when Cumberlands hit a 20-yard pass to go up 7-0.  After a good portion of the second quarter had passed, the Patriots got three more points on the Eagles from a 30-yard field goal.
 
Reinhardt would quickly answer the 10-0 deficit on a quick 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Stephen Craig to junior wideout - David Friedberg.  Friedberg's touchdown got the Eagles back to within three of the Patriots, 10-7.  This play from Craig to Friedberg was the longest play from scrimmage this season.
 
Friedberg had a big day for the Eagles catching 4 passes for a total of 116 yards and the one touchdown. Collin Fletcher was second in receiving with 2 catches for 28 total yards.  
 
The game went into the halftime break with Cumberlands leading the Eagles 10-7, however, Reinhardt came back with another big play in the game to start the scoring in the second half. Running Back Jerdavian Colbert (Jah) capped off an eight-play drive with a 59-yard run to put the Eagles into the lead 14 to 10. Colbert had a superb day rushing for 165 total yards on 24 carries and the one touchdown.
 
A couple of turnovers by each team gave Cumberlands favorable positioning late in the third quarter, which they took full advantage of to score a touchdown putting them up 17-14 early in the fourth quarter. Despite being down, Reinhardt would rally to lock the game again at 17 points each on a 29-yard field goal by Alex Hardy.
 
Reinhardt's defense held strong led by defensive tackle Herve Aktolsoe who ended up with 10 total tackles (5 solo) and he recorded one sack for a 5-yard loss. Key Whitlock and Kendrick Hawkins were not far behind Aktolsoe with 7 tackles each. The defense had two interceptions in the game along with two fumble recoveries, but they did allow 322 yards of total offense.
 
With the game tied 17 all with just 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots had a "clock-eating" drive that went for 8 plays and around 8 total minutes. Cumberland's placekicker put the Patriots up for good with a 35-yard-field goal, 20-17.  
 
After being held to not much gain, Reinhardt's offense would stall out on this late 4th quarter drive and Craig would throw one of his 3 interceptions in the game.  The Patriots would get the ball back with the ability to run out the clock with a few stops, however, the Eagles held strong and pushed Cumberlands back to pick up a safety cutting the point spread to just one, 20-19 in favor of the Patriots.
 
Reinhardt got the ball back with just over twenty seconds to try to take the lead and win the game. On the first play, Craig completed a pass to Friedberg again, which was a 19-yard play and moved the Eagles slightly closer to their goal.  Craig would try to stretch out this final drive with a long "Hail Mary" and was intercepted to seal the Eagles' fate.
 
The loss leaves the Eagles with a 1-2 record going into a tough matchup with #12 ranked Georgetown College, but the Eagles will be in the comforts of their own field where the team has the ability to make things happen and create a big win. Reinhardt will need to turn things around quickly in this next game and stop the current losing streak at just two games.
 
The game is scheduled for Saturday, September 23rd with a noon kick-off at Ken White Field. This could be one of the most anticipated games in the NAIA next weekend with a #12 Georgetown Tigers versus the  #14 Reinhardt Eagles.