But there is more; Dustin Huffaker, who pulled in seven interceptions, was ranked ninth in the NAIA for most interceptions this season and he now also holds the University of the Cumberlands career record for most interceptions at 21. For his hard work on the field, he was recognized by the NAIA as a second team All-American and by the NAIAfootball.net as a third team All-American. Ben Beeler who anchored the #1 rushing offense at the center position also earned top dog honors as he was honored by the NAIA as a first team All-American and by the NAIAfootball.net as a second team All-American. No small feat! But, oh yes, there is still more! The Mid-South Conference honors proved that Cumberland was beginning to receive the recognition they so rightly deserved as the following were placed on the All-Conference teams: Ben Beeler, Phillip Petway, Frank Shope, Dustin Huffaker, Quincey McNair, Lawrence McGee, Larry Hay, Derrion Gee, Mark Gotcher, Brandon Lucas, Denny Earls, Adam Housley, John Patton, Mike Crowder, and Derrick Hightower.

The Patriots opened their 2004 “Mission Possible” campaign with a huge win over Presbyterian College. It was an action packed game that Cumberlands secured in the final seconds. Bo Bartik (Billings, MT) from the quarterback position found tight-end Quincey McNair (Cochran, GA) at the three-yard line to set up a quarterback sneak that put Cumberlands on top, 33-29, over the Presbyterian Bluehoses.

In the second game of the season the Patriots suffered a loss at the hands of Pikeville College, 24-14, as they just could not get the ball moving. The Bears held Cumberlands to only 63 yards rushing and 197 yards through the air. On the bright side senior Dustin Huffaker (Sevierville, TN) broke the University's all-time interception record for a career putting him at 17.

The University's home opener came on September 11th as the Patriots entertained the Tigers of Campbellsville University. The Patriots won 33-17 with a great defensive show. The University's defense scored nine points on the day on a fumble recovery in the endzone and a safety. Phillip Petway (Dalton, GA) led the offense with 87 yards and one touch down.

Coming off a bye week in week four the Patriots settled into a groove that was virtually unstoppable as the offense went ballistic as the Patriots set a new record for most points in a game with a score of 58-28 over Bethel College. Along with a record breaking score quarterback Larry Hay (Henderson, KY) was named Mid-South Conference player of the week. He led the team in rushing with 159 yards.

In the University's fifth game of the season they faced Kentucky Wesleyan College. Cumberlands racked up 437 total yards and won 49-14. The University's defense held the Panthers to only 228 yards of total offense. Matt Rhymer (Cranks, KY) lead the team with seven total tackles.

In the sixth game for the Patriots, they battled the other Cumberlands, Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN. The Patriots beat the Bulldogs easily by a score of 47-6. Many Patriots had touchdowns in the game including: Hay, Derrion Gee (Pelham, AL), Moses Cochran (Thomasville, GA), Aljuan Carter (Gretna, VA) and Ricky Walker (Thomasville, GA). On the defensive front, Dustin Huffaker added another interception making his season total five and career total 19.

Cumberlands then took on the Bulldogs of Union College in the annual Battle for the Brass Lantern. The Bulldogs did not provide much competition for the Patriots who won by a score of 42-14. Coach King spread out the ball in the back field and the Patriots amassed 409 rushing yards. The University's defensive held Union to only 257 total yards and forced three turnovers, allowing the Brass Lantern to remain in the hands of the Patriots for the second year.

In week nine, the Patriots suffered a 28-12 loss to the Lambuth University Eagles in Jackson, Tennessee. Although Cumberlands lost, they controlled a first-half lead of 12-0. Unfortunately, Lambuth scored 28 unanswered points and went on to secure the win.

Going into the next game against Belhaven, Cumberlands was the number one rushing team in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) and was facing the number one passing offense in the MSC. The Patriots found a hard fought battle at Taylor II, but in the end prevailed 35-16. The University's defensive played a key in the win; with Adam Housley (Elkton, KY) leading the team with 11 total tackles.

The Patriots had no trouble with the Cavaliers of UVA-Wise as they racked up 695 total yards of offense. With a 76-21 win over the Cavaliers, Cumberlands broke the previous record they set earlier the season for most points scored in a game and Petway rushed for 206 yards and averaged 20.6 yards per carry. Huffaker added another interception to improve his total to 7 for the season and 21 for his career.

The University's final game of the season was a showdown as the Patriots faced off against the Mid-South Conference reigning champion Georgetown College. In order for the Patriots to secure a NAIA play-off berth, they would have to secure a victory due to two previous MSC losses. Unfortunately, the Tigers came out of top 27-21. The Patriots held close the entire game, but lost in the final seconds off a kickoff return for 90 yards. Defensively, Frank Shope (Harlan, KY) had 10 total tackles and was named the NAIA defensive player of the week. On the season Shope was second on the team with 71 total tackles.

Offensively, Phillip Petway led the way recording 859 yards rushing averaging 6.6 a carry. Larry Hay was dependable at the QB position, amassing 824 yards rushing and 490 yards through the air. His leading receiver was Lawrence McGee who hauled in 25 catches for 458 yards, an average of 18.3 a catch.

Defensively, the Patriots were once again fantastic. Leading the way was Matt Rhymer who racked up 77 total tackles, 28 of those were solos. Behind him was Frank Shope who recorded 71 total tackles and led the team in sacks with three for a loss of 17 yards. On the secondary front, Dustin Huffaker led the way with seven interceptions for 43 yards and he also added 26 tackles to his resume.

The Patriots will miss their nineteen seniors who were lost to graduation, but look to continue to be strong as Coach Chuck King and his staff is busy working with the 2005 football team and recruiting to fill the voids. The loss of All-American’s Ben Beeler and Dustin Huffaker will be hard to replace, but there are many capable and ready to step up and pursue the football to the next level. The improvement continues to be seen and King and his staff expect even more next season. The Patriots have passed the turning point and are no longer a “Diamond in the Rough” team; they are a group of young men who are looking to “Take It All.”