URBANA, Ohio - - UVa-Wise forced five turnovers, limited Urbana to 147 yards of total offense and posted its first shutout against a NCAA Division II program with a 17-0 triumph at Urbana Stadium Saturday. The win spoiled the Blue Knights' Homecoming Game and snapped a six-game conference road losing streak for the Cavaliers.
UVa-Wise's (2-4, 2-4 MEC) defense provided the opening points of the game when Bryce Harty stripped the ball from Urbana (4-2, 3-2 MEC) quarterback Zairn Davis which led to 5-foot-11, 306-pound defensive lineman Rondre Knowles-Tenner recovering the fumble and racing 55 yards for a touchdown. Following Trevor Owens' point after attempt, the visitors led 7-0 with 3:50 to play in the first half.
It was a first half that was dominated by each team's defense. UVa-Wise forced three turnovers in the half as Marquis Hamilton and Demetrius Mann had an interception in the opening half. Hamilton's interception thwarted Urbana's best scoring chance of the day as he snagged an errant pass in the end zone and returned it 39 yards.
The Blue Knights limited the Cavs to just 83 yards of offense in the half. UVa-Wise's best scoring chance went by the wayside when senior receiver Kaian Duverger hauled in a touchdown pass only to see it wiped away by an offensive pass interference penalty. An Owens field goal attempt would be pushed wide left by the wind to end the drive.
The third quarter featured a combined four first downs and a record setting punt by Owens. The Lebanon, Va. product booted an 81-yard punt to flip the field in the period and establish a new Mountain East Conference record in the process.
After Urbana was backed up to a 4th-and-33 situation on its first offensive possession of the fourth quarter, the Blue Knights punted the ball away with the guests taking over on their own 32-yard line.
From there, UVa-Wise would put together its best offensive drive of the day. Freshman quarterback Tanner Bernard would find freshman receiver Rob Jones twice on the drive, including a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to two scores. The touchdown was the first of Jones' collegiate career and was part of a day that saw the Richmond, Va. native post 40 receiving yards.
The Cavs' defense would force a 3-and-out on the following drive and following a 40-yard punt return by Darrien Newton, UVa-Wise was in scoring position with 5:20 to play. Five plays later, Owens converted a 34-yard field goal to provide the winning margin of 17-0.
Hamilton added a second interception while posting five tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage in the win. Dez Hopkins also had an interception as the five forced turnovers were a season-high for the defensive unit. Overall, Urbana signal callers completed just 8-of-24 pass attempts for 39 yards while throwing four interceptions. Buster Henderson posted a team-high 11 tackles for the Cavs.
The game featured a combined 18 punts with 10 of the punts coming from Urbana's Brandon Purk who averaged 46.8 yards per attempt.
Offensively, Bernard finished 16-of-25 for 139 yards without throwing an interception.
The victory was the fourth consecutive for UVa-Wise against Urbana; the Blue Knights entered the game in second place in the MEC standings having won three consecutive games. It was the first time the team had been shutout since Oct. 3, 2015, when Fairmont State defeated Urbana 6-0.
The shutout was the 12th in the history of the Cavs' football program and it marked the first time the program had shutout a conference foe since Oct. 1, 2011 when the team claimed a 13-0 win at West Virginia Tech as a NAIA Mid-South Conference member.
Next up, UVa-Wise will entertain West Virginia Wesleyan in a 2 p.m. kickoff next Saturday at Smith Stadium.
