Jackson, MS-The Belhaven football team is hoping to rebound this week when they battle Lindsey Wilson College on Saturday afternoon in the friendly confines of H.T. Newell Field. The Blazers suffered a disappointing 21-14 loss at the hands of Mississippi College last Saturday night in Clinton. Belhaven let some opportunities slip away and could not capitalize on a couple of Choctaw fumbles in the second half. The game essentially ended when Belhaven quarterback Alex Williams was sacked by Brad Holt with just over two minutes to go on a 4th and 10 play from the Mississippi College 11 yard line. It was the first setback of the season for the Blazers who opened the year with wins against Texas College and Louisiana College.

It's week number two for the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College fresh off a drubbing of Southern Virginia last weekend 44-3. Lindsey Wilson revived its football program this season and played their first game in 75 years losing to Notre Dame College (Ohio) 14-10 on September 4th. The Blue Raiders are the first Mid-South Conference opponent that Belhaven will face this year. Lindsey Wilson is in the Eastern Division making this the first of two cross over games for Belhaven on the 2010 schedule. Since the contest is a cross divisional matchup, the outcome of Saturday's game will not affect the Western Division standings. This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

BELHAVEN REPORT:
Despite forcing four turnovers, the Belhaven football team could only muster 14 points at Mississippi College last weekend losing to the Choctaws 21-14. The Blazers were also just one of four in red zone opportunities after not being able to capitalize on great field position. Belhaven's average starting field position was on their 39 yard line compared to the Choctaws average starting field position at their own 25.

Williams completed 20 of 36 passes for 232 yards, a touchdown, and had an interception. Calvin hauled in six passes for 66 yards and a TD. Dizer had another big game with five catches and a team high 71 yards. On the ground Johnson had 14 rushes for 31 yards and a touchdown. The Mississippi College defense held the Belhaven offense in check limiting the Blazers to 286 yards of total offense after having generated over 400 yards of total offense in the first two games of the season.

Defensively for Belhaven, Michael Johnsa led the way with 15 total tackles followed by Ricky Wadlington who had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery. Carlos Young garnered nine tackles with two for a loss including a sack. Jonathan Gamberi and Baqui Thomas also tallied a sack each against Reyer.

Williams has come out of the gate strong in 2010 and even though he is just a sophomore has proven through the first three weeks that he can lead the Belhaven offense. Williams has completed 61.1 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and has thrown only two interceptions. Williams leads the MSC in total offense at 294.7 yards per game and in passing with 255.7 yards per contest. At the national level, Williams is second in both total offense (884 yards) and total passing (767 yards).

The Blazer defense has been very effective at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks through the first three games of 2010. Belhaven has recorded nine sacks as a team which is the fourth most in the NAIA. Jonathan Gamberi, Baqui Thomas, and Michael Sellers each lead the Blazers with two sacks each. Gamberi and Sellers also have 3.5 tackles for a loss.

Belhaven will face a Blue Raider team with a lot of momentum heading into Saturday's game coming off their win against Southern Virginia. Lindsey Wilson runs a spread offense with three wide receivers and a tight end as their base offensive set. Like Mississippi College, Belhaven will have to be ready to stop the run. Last week, the Blue Raiders ran the ball 39 times for 129 yards while putting the ball in the 29 times for 383 yards. On defense, the Blazer offense will face a three man front with three to four linebackers. Last week Lindsey Wilson held Southern Virginia to just 83 yards of total offense.

LINDSEY WILSON REPORT:
Lindsey Wilson College is led by Head Coach Chris Oliver who is tasked with building the Blue Raider program. Oliver was an assistant at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio where he helped build a very successful Panthers program from scratch. He was the offensive coordinator at ODU from 2006-08 and in 2007 his offense led the NAIA in total offense and passing. Oliver is a graduate of The Ohio State University and worked under Buckeyes Head Coach Jim Tressel as a student assistant. Oliver assisted with the Buckeyes tight ends and special teams.

Belhaven will have to keep an eye on running back Richard Kennedy who is leading the Blue Raiders in both rushing and receiving. Kennedy rolled up 95 yards on just six carries with a touchdown last week against Southern Virginia. He also hauled in six receptions for 121 yards and another score. He is averaging 179.5 all purpose yards per game and has 359 total all purpose yards. Quarterback Ricky Bowling and Greg Young have split time at the position so far this season. Young is 14 of 21 for 262 yards with an interception and two touchdowns. Bowling is 20 of 38 throwing the football for 283 yards with an interception and three touchdowns.

On defense, Lindsey Wilson has four players who have double digit tackles through the first two games this season. Linebacker Sam Wilson leads the way with 13 total tackles and has 2.5 tackles for a loss. Linebacker Sam Smith and safety Martin Dietrich own 12 tackles each so far this season and Darius Coffey has notched 11 tackles. As a team, the Blue Raiders have allowed only 8.5 points per game and just 137 yards per game through the first two weeks. The Blazers offense is arguably the best offense that Lindsey Wilson has seen so far as Belhaven comes in leading the MSC in passing yards per game (279.7 yards) an is third in total yards per game at (339) and scoring (37.7 points per game). Lindsey Wilson is a young football team with the active roster being made up of all freshman with the exception of five sophomores.

All the action of Saturday night's game can be heard via Stretch Internet through the Belhaven Athletics website starting with the pregame show at 1:15 PM followed by the kickoff at 1:30 PM. Fans can also follow along with live stats thanks to Game Central by Stretch Internet which is your one stop shop for live coverage of Belhaven football. Game Central can be accessed by clicking here.