WISE, Va. – Brad Robbins left Carl Smith Stadium on Saturday afternoon a bruised and battered man.
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise quarterback was sacked 10 times and threw three interceptions in the Highland Cavaliers’ 27-20 loss to Cumberland (Tenn.) University.
The bitterly cold afternoon was full of frustration for UVa.-Wise (4-4), which fell behind early and made key mistakes in all phases of the game.
“It was just one of those days,” said Robbins. “We came out and had a lot of momentum, but they did a good job getting after us quick and making us sputter a little bit. I think the defense played really good all day, we just put them in some bad positions … We just couldn’t get any rhythm going or any consistency going.”
The plan of attack for Cumberland (3-4) was simple. The Eagles relied on a methodical blitz and swarming defense all afternoon.
UVa.-Wise managed just 24 yards of total offense in the opening half against Cumberland’s aggressive defense and trailed 10-0 at halftime.
“Coming into it, we knew we wanted to put pressure on [Robbins],” said Cumberland linebacker Todd Holman, who recorded two interceptions and finished with 1½ sacks. “The kid’s got an arm and we knew he could throw the ball, so we wanted to get pressure on him, before he could make plays.”
Holman, Chris Miles, Stephon Ransom, Josh Smith, Ben Miller, Steven Clemons and Dwain Harris were among the Eagles’ defenders that applied pressure to Robbins and harassed him throughout the contest.
“They were bringing more than we could block a few times,” Robbins said. “They did a good job. They had a good game plan.”
Offensively, Cumberland got the upper-hand as well. The Eagles finished with 432 total yards of offense, including 296 on the ground. Mitch McChurch gained 151 rushing yards and scored twice to lead Cumberland.
UVa.-Wise had erased a 17-point halftime deficit in collecting a 32-31 victory over Campbellsville (Ky.) last week. This time, a comeback wasn’t in the cards.
“Not taking nothing away from that team, they were a great team and they came in here prepared to play today, and we didn’t show up,” said UVa.-Wise senior wide receiver Matt Barbour. “By the time we got here, it was a little too late.”
Despite that poor first-half effort, Wise still had a chance to win. Robbins rebounded to finish with 253 passing yards and connected with Aric Evans and Jason Lovett for scoring strikes in the second half.
UVa.-Wise actually forced Cumberland to punt with 2:41 left in the contest, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Eagles a first down and new life. An offsides penalty prolonged the drive and sealed UVa.-Wise’s fate.
Matt Gular led UVa.-Wise with 12 tackles and now has a team-high 70 on the season. Dennis Bennett (11 tackles) and Josh Weaver (10 tackles) were the other defensive leaders for the Cavs.
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