Jackson, MS-The Belhaven football team is gearing up for the final home game of the 2010 season. The Blazers will honor 14 seniors who will be playing their final game at H.T. Newell Field prior to Saturday's kickoff against the University of the Cumberlands. Belhaven is hoping to get a win for the seniors and end a four game losing streak that started with a Homecoming loss to Bethel followed by three more tough losses against Faulkner, Shorter, and last week at Union. Belhaven could do all of the above with a victory over the University of the Cumberlands on Saturday. The Blazers enter Saturday's game with an overall record of 3-5 and are still looking for their first Mid-South Conference West Division win at 0-4.

The University of Cumberlands is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the MSC West heading into this weekend's battle with the Blazers. The Patriots began the season 1-2, but have reeled off four straight wins including a 21-14 triumph over Shorter last week. Cumberlands other wins in 2010 include games with Bethel University (TN), Campbellsville, Union College (KY), and Virginia-Wise. The Patriots are in first place in the MSC West and control their own destiny as they hope to capture the divisional championship.

Belhaven leads the all time series 5-3 over the University of the Cumberlands with the last meeting taking place in 2007. The Patriots came out on top 41-28 in 2007 and have won three straight in the series dating back to 2003 when the University of the Cumberlands was Cumberland College. Belhaven and Cumberlands first played in 1998 and the Blazers prevailed in that game 29-22 and won the next four contests prior to the 48-24 setback in 2003.

THE BELHAVEN REPORT:
In Belhaven's 34-15 loss at Union last weekend the Bulldogs scored the first 20 points of the game in the first quarter before Belhaven could slow Union down and make a push to get back in the game. The Blazers got to within 12 points of the Bulldogs early in the fourth quarter but could not come up with some big plays to get them over the top. Belhaven had three more costly turnovers that either led to points for Union or took potential points off the board for the Blazers.

Quarterback Alex Williams was 17 of 39 through the air for 161 yards and two touchdowns and had an interception for Belhaven. Despite some troubles last week, Williams continues to be one of the top offensive performers in the NAIA as he is ranked ninth in total offensive (2,178 yards) and 10th in total passing at 1,993 yards. Kevin Dizer made six catches for 81 yards and had TD while Cordario Calvin came up with three catches for 46 yards and a score before leaving the game due to an injury. On the ground Michael Pettus rushed for 63 yards on 11 carries to pace the Blazers. Pettus was also active on special teams returning four kicks for 92 yards and is an exciting young player with a lot of potential on the Belhaven roster.

As a team, the Belhaven offense racked up 307 yards of total offense with 110 of them coming on the ground. The Blazers struggled on third down converting just 5 of 19 opportunities. Belhaven also had 10 costly penalties for 81 yards

Defensively, Belhaven was led by Trevor Butts with 11 tackles followed by Ricky Wadlington with 10 tackles. Wadlington continues to lead the MSC in total tackles with 75 and is averaging 9.4 tackles per game. Johnathan Gamberi had eight tackles and Craig McDonald came up with seven for the Blazers. Belhaven forced one turnover and that was an interception by Stephen Miner in the second half. Chad Smith and Michael Sellers each registered sacks in the game.

The Belhaven offense will face another solid defense this weekend from the University of the Cumberlands. The Patriots are fifth in the MSC in total defense allowing 366.6 yards of offense by their opponents per game. However, Belhaven could have some success on the ground again this week as the Patriots allow 188.9 yards per game rushing this season. Cumberlands is stronger against the pass surrendering just under 178 yards per game. The Patriots employ a three man front on defense, but will have a bit of a different look than Union did last week. Cumblerlands will have five linebackers along with a couple of corners and a safety which is a little different compared to the conventional 3-4 or 3-3-5 schemes.

On offense the Patriots will look similar to Shorter with the wing-t option attack. The main difference will be in the passing game as Cumberlands will put the ball in the air a little more than Shorter did. The Patriots average 119 yards passing per game, but their bread and butter is still the running attack which ranks 7th in the NAIA at 246 yards per game. Cumberlands was slowed down a bit last week by Shorter as the Hawks defense held them to 127 yards. When it comes to yards per game Belhaven's defense is ranked second in the MSC allowing 352.5 per contest. The Blazers are third in the conference versus the run.

THE CUMBERLANDS REPORT:
The Patriots are led by Head Coach John Bland who is in his fifth season at the helm of the Cumberlands football program. Bland has enjoyed tremendous success having recorded a 33-11 record heading into the 2010 season. Last year the Patriots finished 9-2 overall and won the MSC East Division with a record of 5-1 while making their third straight trip to the NAIA Football Championship Series. Prior to arriving at Cumberlands, Bland was the quarterbacks coach at NCAA Division I Rice University. Bland played collegiately at the University of Arkansas where he was a four year letterman as a quarterback.

The Patriot running game is led by Terrance Cobb who averages just under 61 yards per game on the ground. Justin Pritchett leads the team in touchdowns with five and averages 54.3 yards per game rushing. Pritchett also reels off 6.5 yards every time he carries the ball out of the fullback position. As is the case with any option offense, the quarterback is a threat to run the football on nearly every play. Jay Bright has run for 302 yards this season and has four touchdowns on the ground.

Bright can also put the ball in the air when need be and in seven games has thrown for 744 yards. He has only completed 33 passes on 86 attempts, but has thrown eight touchdowns and only one interception.

Bright's favorite target this season is wide receiver Dekeldric Felton who averages 53.6 receiving yards per game. Felton has three touchdown catches and is a big play threat down the field as evidenced by his 38.3 yards per catch average. The Blazers will also have to keep an eye on Cobb and Pritchett who can also catch the ball out of the backfield.

On defense safety Brendan Kelly is Cumberlands leading tackler with 62 so far this season. He also has an interception and six pass breakups to go along with one tackle for a loss. Linebacker Johnathan Yeary has 51 tackles including 4.5 for a loss. Weston Hazelhurst, another one of Cumberlands linebackers, has a nose for the football as well with 46 tackles including four for a loss. The defensive line is anchored by Corey Maddox who leads the team in tackles for a loss with six and sacks with 2.5. As a team, Cumberlands has 11.5 sacks and 43.5 total tackles for a loss in 2010.

Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 PM and all the play-by-play action can be heard via Stretch Internet through the Belhaven Athletics website beginning with the pregame show at 1:15 PM. The live audio and live stats page can be accessed by clicking here.