Football 9/13/2024 1:00:00 PM

Phoenix Football Excited for Home Opener Against St. Andrews

LEBANON, Tenn.--Football is finally back in the friendly confines of Nokes-Lasater Field this Saturday to host St. Andrews.

The Phoenix return home with two wins under the belt and a lot of confidence heading into week three. The CU offense was clicking on all cylinders last week at Union as quarterback Luke Hollow slung four touchdown passes and completed 12-of-14 on the outing. CU has put up over 400 yards of offense in both games having a pretty balanced attack with 190.5 passing yards per game and 218.5 yards per game on the ground.

This week, with the weather report (we'll get into that later), expect the Phoenix to pound the run game early and often. Senior transfer Jeremiah Bryant has been as good as advertised early on as CU has rotated several backs in the backfield. Bryant has picked up 131 yards on 23 carries for two scores. Holloway is the second-leading rusher on the team with 106 yards and two scores. Nick Burge has carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards and Lamar Childress picked up the most yards last week. Jacob Cornejo is listed as the No. 2 back on the depth chart this week. Cornejo is a highly talented freshman out of Alabama that has not seen the field yet this season. He rushed for 3,003 yards and 36 touchdowns his senior year. He was a member of the Alabama Super 12 last season.

A lot of receivers have been involved in the pass game as 10 different players have caught passes this season. Tim Freel has caught two bombs for touchdowns to lead the team in yards at 173. Freshman Jarrius Rogers has caught the most passes this year with five. He has hauled in 78 yards and two scores. Isaiah O'Neal has been a threat as well catching three passes for 52 yards and Nate Stephens is always a threat to burst for a big gain at any time.

The Phoenix defense has played well up to this point led by Dez Wallace. Wallace has picked up 16 tackles this season and is tied for the lead in the conference with two sacks. Boston Follis is 15th in the Mid-South in total tackles with 10 as the Phoenix defense has held opponents to 271.5 yards per game. Cumberland has created three turnovers, two interceptions, and one fumble.

St. Andrews has struggled to get anything going offensively in two games. They were handed a 52-0 loss to Erskine and a 51-14 loss to Anderson. Their offense has been held to 124.0 yards per game and have been turnover prone early on. They have fumbled the ball 11 times losing six of them and the starting quarterback Kedrick Patterson has tossed two interceptions. Juwon Lyons is one of the most explosive athletes on the field for St. Andrews. He will catch passes as well as run the ball at times.

Lavarius Heath-Lewis was the lone Knight to be represented on the AAC's All-Conference honorees last season as a safety. The Knights have given up 51.5 points per game and allowed 187.5 rushing yards and 145.0 yards through the air per game. Heath-Lewis and junior linebacker Nick Henderson lead the team in tackles with 13 a piece.

The weekend forecast looks to be a wet one. As Hurricane Francine works its way up north to Middle Tennessee, it will bring lots of rain and strong winds. We are hoping for the best for the game, but it is likely that we will get some rain during the game. At kick-off tomorrow, according to my weather app, we will be getting some showers with a temperature of 78 degrees and wind upwards of 10 MPH.

The game will be live on the Cumberland Sports Network. Christian Kaposy and Bob Lea will go on 30-minutes before kick-off at 1:00 p.m. on WANT FM 98.9, WCOR AM 1490, and the Cumberland Sports Network.

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Players Mentioned

#28 Nick Burge: RB; 5' 8"; Senior

#46 Boston Follis: LB; 6' 0"; Junior

#9 Nate Stephens: WR; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#6 Dez Wallace: LB; 6' 2"; Senior

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

#28 Nick Burge
: 5' 8"; Senior
: RB

#46 Boston Follis
: 6' 0"; Junior
: LB

#9 Nate Stephens
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: WR

#6 Dez Wallace
: 6' 2"; Senior
: LB

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

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

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