Football 10/11/2024 3:06:00 PM

Phoenix looking to Bounce Back against Fourth-Ranked Bethel on Homecoming

LEBANON, Tenn.--The Phoenix look to regroup on Homecoming against fourth-ranked Bethel on Saturday.

Cumberland and Bethel will meet for the 28th time in history. The Phoenix lead the All-Time Series 15-12, but Bethel has brought it closer to that .500 mark winning the last three meetings out.

The Phoenix come in with a 4-1 record after dropping their last game on the road to a tough Campbellsville squad. Bethel comes in highly ranked after reaching the NAIA Quarterfinals last season and started off 2024 with a 5-0 record.

Bethel earned an At-Large Bid to the championship playoffs last season going 10-1 in the regular season with the only loss coming to Georgetown. The Wildcats won the Mid-South Conference the year before in 2022 before making a first round exit in the playoffs with a loss to Keiser.

Cumberland will come into this one after their first loss of the season. The Phoenix and Campbellsville were locked in a battle, but Cumberland turned the ball over three times to help Campbellsville pull away in the fourth quarter.

The Phoenix remain as one of the Top 5 rushing offenses in the country holding strong in fourth averaging 261.8 yards per game. Bethel has had a strong run-stopping defense only giving up 62.0 yards on the ground per game while holding opponents to 8.0 points per game.

Quarterback Luke Holloway has completed over 70% of his passes this season for 737 yards and seven touchdowns. He also has taken over the team lead in rushing yards just shy of 400 on the season with six touchdowns. Running backs Jeremiah Bryant and Jacob Cornejo have combined for 600 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns. Cornejo has gone for 288 in the last three games with two scores.

Receiver Jarrius Rogers added two more touchdowns to his freshman campaign, scoring once on the ground and once in the air. Rogers has scored five touchdowns this season and is just shy of 200 yards receiving.

The Wildcats had some question marks on offense coming into the season after losing Second Team All-American Quarterback Joaquin Collazo III and First Team All-American Receiver JD Dixon along with others. After their first few games, University of the Cumberlands transfer Ben Nixon has settled in at quarterback. Over the last two games, Nixon has thrown for 450 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 69 yards last week against the Patriots.

Jordan Cason is the lead running back for the Wildcats. Cason has rushed for 353 yards and three touchdowns this season. CJ Campbell has the second-most rushing yards getting more time in the last three weeks. He has scored one touchdown in the last three games and has 313 yards this season.

Western Kentucky transfer TeeJay Taylor is the leading receiver for Bethel this season. He has hauled in 17 catches for 244 yards. Taylor scored three touchdowns in the game against Bluefield. Avont Burrus and Will Secker are also some weapons on the outside for Nixon, both over 100 yards receiving this season with two touchdowns each.

The Wildcats defense has been stellar this season even with the loss of Second Team NAIA All-American Demetrice Gilbert. We already mentioned how they are holding opponents to 8.0 points per game, but the Wildcats have been ballhawks on the back side with 12 interceptions this year, second-most in the NAIA.

Linebacker Darrien Lewis leads the team in tackles this season with 46 with 6.5 tackles for a loss. Safety Jazzir Merricks has picked off four passes, tied for the most in the NAIA this season.

The weather for tomorrow's game will be perfect, sunny and 80 degrees at kick-off. Prior to the game, the 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees will be honored at the field. Homecoming festivities will take place at halftime with the presentation of the Homecoming King and Queen.

The game can be viewed live on the Cumberland Sports Network. Christian Kaposy and Bob Lea will bring all the action to Cumberland fans on go on WANT FM 98.9 on WCOR AM 1490. The duo will go live 30-minutes before kick-off at 1:00 p.m. central time.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Luke Holloway: QB; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#29 Jacob Cornejo: RB; 6' 0"; Freshman

#82 Jarrius Rogers: WR; 5' 9"; Freshman

#21 Jeremiah Bryant: RB; 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

#3 Luke Holloway
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: QB

#29 Jacob Cornejo
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: RB

#82 Jarrius Rogers
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: WR

#21 Jeremiah Bryant
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior
: RB