For a quick video and a photo gallery from this game, click here and here.
Sure Buckingham was up by 25 points. But after a rash of first half turnovers and some lackluster play, the Knights had something to prove.
So in the fourth quarter they did just that, with Antonn Briley halting Cumberland quarterback Triquan Swann at the 1-yard line on fourth down to snuff out the Dukes’ best scoring threat on the night.
The Knights’ offense then unleashed a methodical 99-yard drive, never throwing, relying solely on their three-headed rushing attack to march down the field on 16 plays for a five-yard Maurice Taylor touchdown that closed out a 32-0 victory over Cumberland.
“We needed that to get some respect back,” said Buckingham coach Craig Gill. “That’s the way to cap off a good ballgame.”
Taylor put together a strong performance, pacing the Knights’ rushing attack with 233 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. His first quarter 40-yard touchdown allowed the Knights to dictate the pace of the game and keep the ball on the ground—a necessity in the slippery, muddy conditions that caused several turnovers by both squads.
During the game-sealing march, the constant pounding of fullback Kevin Jamerson and big, rugged back Ja’Rodd Wade forced Cumberland to pursue the action in the backfield hard. That perfectly set up Taylor to dominate on counters back to the weakside, where huge holes opened up, allowing Taylor to gash the Dukes for big gains.
“That counter has been good to us, people tend to run to our flow,” Gill said. “.”
Wade got his job done too, picking up 80 yards on 14 carries.
The Knights’ defense, anchored by Taylor Boyers at linebacker, wrapped up its third shutout on the season. In the last three weeks, opponents have scored just eight total points against the aggressive, attacking Buckingham defense.
The momentum is clearly building for unbeaten Buckingham, now winners of seven in a row, fans were packed into the stadium’s bleachers,
“The town and community is responding to it,” Boyers said. “It was a really good crowd tonight.”
Buckingham hits the road for a battle with Randolph Macon next week, the first of three straight James River District road games that should motivate the magazines well.
