Jackson, MS-The Belhaven football team will try and rebound from a tough 43-28 homecoming loss last weekend to Bethel when they meet up with Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL on Saturday afternoon. The Blazers enter the contest with an overall record of 3-2 and 0-1 in the Mid-South Conference Western Division. Bethel pounded out 221 yards on the ground and added 214 yards passing on their way to the victory last week. Belhaven racked up 419 yards of total offense, but three interceptions proved to be costly.

The Eagles are 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the MSC West and are coming off a 31-10 loss to Shorter last weekend. Shorter racked up 323 rushing yards en route to the win and a slow first quarter by Faulkner where they fell behind 14-3 put their backs against the wall for the rest of the game. Like Belhaven, Faulkner was plagued by turnovers that included a lost fumble and four interceptions. The Eagles lone win of the year was 42-36 OT victory against Pikeville September 25th. Faulkner's two other losses came at the hands of Birmingham Southern and Huntingdon.

Saturday's game with Faulkner will be the third meeting in the series with Belhaven leading 2-0. Belhaven traveled to Faulkner last season and came away from the Crampton Bowl with a 29-10 victory. In 2008, the Blazers pulled away for a 49-24 win at H.T. Newell Field. Last season, Belhaven quarterback Alex Williams threw three touchdowns and ran for another helping guide the Blazers to a win.

THE BELHAVEN REPORT:
It was a disappointing afternoon for the Belhaven football team as the Blazers could not slow down Bethel University losing to the Wildcats 43-28 in a Mid-South Conference Western Division battle at H.T. Newell Field. Bethel pounded out 221 yards on the ground and added 214 yards passing on their way to the victory.

The Blazers were led on offense by quarterback Alex Williams who completed 21 of 38 pass attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Williams was also intercepted three times in the game. Johnson broke the 100 yard rushing mark using 13 carries to move the ball 107 yards while adding two touchdowns. Calvin ended the afternoon as the Blazers leading receiver with six receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Henry had six catches for 56 yards and a touchdown followed by Kevin Dizer who came up with four receptions for 82 yards. As a team, Belhaven ran the ball 25 times for 181 yards and put it in the air 38 times for 238 yards.

Defensively, Ricky Wadlington had a big game for Belhaven with 13 total tackles including 1.5 for a loss. Wadlington also had a quarterback hurry on Saturday afternoon. Michael Johnsa had 11 total tackles followed by Jonathan Gamberi and Billy Hammer who recorded 10 each. Gamberi had a sack and Hammer was credited with a tackle for a loss.

The Belhaven offense, which is second in the Mid-South Conference in yards per game (432.4), will face another 3-4 defense this week from Faulkner. The Blazers will test the Eagles defensive backs through the air and will look once again to get the ball in the hands of Calvin. The Blazers lead the MSC in passing offense at 293 yards per game and Williams is the conference's leading passer averaging 276.4 yards per outing.

The Belhaven defense will match up against a Faulkner offense that is averaging 310 yards per game The Eagles base offense consists of three wide receivers that will look to spread the field along with two running backs in the backfield with the quarterback. Faulkner had 281 yards of total offense last week and put the ball in the air 45 times. The Blazers hope to have some success putting pressure on the quarterback. So far this season, Belhaven is third in the conference in total sacks with 15 and average three sacks per contest.

THE FAULKNER REPORT:
Faulkner University is led by second year Head Coach Gregg Baker who guided the Eagles to a 2-9 overall record last season. Baker started with the Faulkner program in 2008 as the offensive line coach and running game coordinator. Baker played collegiate football at Georgia Tech University under then Head Coach Bill Curry.

The Eagle running attack is led by Triston McCarthern who rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries last week against Shorter University. McCarthern is averaging 56 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry this season. Another running back to watch out for is Brandon Cheatham who leads the Eagles in rushing touchdowns with three. Cheatham touched the ball 10 times last week and ran for 35 yards.

Four different players have thrown passes this season for Faulkner including Zach Tribble who has attempted the most with 122. Tribble has completed 66 of those attempts for 576 yards with four touchdowns. However, Tribble has thrown five interceptions and is averaging 192 per yards per game.

In the passing game running back Jurell Williams leads Faulkner in receptions in 2010 with 12. Kyle McDowell has been the most productive receiver hauling in 11 receptions for 117 yards. McDowell has a pair of touchdown catches and averages 29.3 yards per game and 10.6 yards per catch.

Defensively, free safety Anthony Haywood is Faulkner's leading tackler with 21. Haywood had six tackles last week including one tackle for a loss. Linebacker Ben Stange had 10 tackles against Shorter and is second on the team with 20. Nose guard Eric Thompson has a team high of two sacks and owns 2.5 tackles for a loss. Defensive lineman Michael Miller has four tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. As a team, the Eagles are allowing 433.8 yards of total offense per game to their opponents.

Saturday's kickoff is slated 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.