Football Goes Down Swinging

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Football is a game of inches, and Union College football came up short in a wild 27-20 Mid-South Conference (MSC) Appalachian Division loss to visiting Point University (Ga.) on Saturday.

The loss drops Union to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in divisional play, while Point is 2-6 overall and 2-3 in MSC Appalachian Division play.

NEVER SAY DIE

After trailing 21-7 at the half, things looked bleak for Union when Point scored on an Adam Sanders 15-yard touchdown run with 3:20 to go in the third quarter. But momentum began to swing when Paul Maxwell blocked the PAT, keeping the score at 27-7.

On the ensuing possession, Walker Russell hooked up with a streaking Chris Thomas for a 74-yard touchdown pass to cut the margin to 27-14 at the 2:24 mark in the quarter.

The Bulldog defense stepped up big time and kept the Skyhawk offense at bay. Meanwhile, Union kept trying to cut into the deficit. Seth Burke provided two field goals of 32 and 35 yards to make it 27-20 with 5:14 to play.

Union forced Point to go three-and-out, but the Skyhawks ate over three minutes off the clock. Union got the ball for its final possession on its own 18 with 1:59 to play. Aided by a pair of passing interference calls, Union was able to get the ball down to the Point 29 with eight seconds to play. Russell had to scramble to keep the play alive before heaving the ball to the back of the end zone. Isaiah Wright was there and caught the ball, but as he was coming down, a defender pushed him out of bounds to make the pass incomplete as the Skyhawks held on for the 27-20 win.

BIG PASSING GAME FOR RUSSELL

Russell had his best day in the pocket as he completed 21-of-35 for 237 yards and a touchdown. Coming into the game, he had only passed for 212 yards on the year.

ANOTHER 100-YARD GAME

Wright collected another 100-yard rushing game, but Point made him work for every inch he gained. The Bulldog running back rushed for 117 yards on 26 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per rush. He scored his 11th touchdown of the year with an 18-yard run in the first quarter. Wright also caught six passes for 50 yards.

On the year, Wright has 935 rushing yards and leads the NAIA with a 155.8 yards per game average. In addition, his 935 rushing yards rank him eighth-most in a season in program history.

BULLDOG NOTES

• Despite not recording a tackling, Malik Watt was a menace on defense as he intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. He also broke up two passes.
• Justin Turner led Union with nine tackles and a half-sack. Tramonte Gardner had eight stops, while Dayvon Moore and Jay Brown each registered seven tackles.
• Burke's 35-yard field goal was a career long.
• The 74-yard touchdown pass to Thomas is the longest pass play for Union this season.
• Thomas had three catches for 94 yards.
• Zach Young caught four passes for 34 yards.
• Before the game, Union honored the senior members of the team. The honorees were Watt, Turner, Burke, Jacob Brison, Josh Spencer, Terran Cox, Jordan Brown, Chandler Love, and Chris Knight.

NEXT FOR THE BULLDOGS

Union hits the road on Saturday, Nov. 6, to face No. 8 Reinhardt University (Ga.) in MSC Appalachian Division play. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

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