Game Notes
JACKSON, Miss.- The Belhaven football team will look for win number one on Saturday when the team travels to Cumberland (TN) for its Mid-South Conference West Division opener. The Blazers fell 24-13 last week in their home opener to Louisiana College.
 
Blazer Bits
Game 2: Belhaven (0-2) vs. Cumberland (TN) (1-1 and 25^th NAIA Poll), Saturday September 15^th, 1:30 PM, in Lebanon, Tennessee. Last Meeting: Belhaven 34-21 on November 5^th, 2011.
Radio:  Listen Live at blazers.belhaven.edu Powered by Stretch Internet GameCentral
 
Coaches: Joe Thrasher (Belhaven-4^th Season), Dewayne Alexander (Cumberland-7^th Season)
 
Series vs. Cumberland (Tied 7-7): This will be the 15^th meeting between the Blazers and Bulldogs.
 
On the Road Again: Saturday's game will be the second road contest of the season after the team opened the year at University of the Cumberlands (KY) on September 1^st. The Blazers have not fared well away from H.T. Newell Field and hope that trend changes this weekend. Belhaven fell in all five away games in 2011.
 
Quick Stats: Senior kicker James “Bo” Bryan leads the NAIA in punting going into week three of the season averaging 48.6 yards per kick. On defense, junior defensive back Justin Mims is third in the country in passes defended per game (2.5) while senior defensive back Alex Valdez is 7^th in the NAIA in interceptions thanks to a pair of INT's last week against Louisiana College.
 
Climbing the Charts: Sophomore quarterback Raymond Cotton now owns the team lead in rushing after Saturday night's game against Louisiana College. Cotton ran for 97 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry last week. On the season, Cotton is averaging 70 yards per game and is picking up 6.4 yards per carry.
 
Defensively, senior defensive back Craig McDonald racked up 12 tackles, defended two passes, and deflected a punt in his first game of the year last week. Junior linebacker Calvin Lewis has had a solid start to the season with a team best 19 tackles.
 
Tale of the Tape: The Blazers will face another high powered offense similar to the University of the Cumberlands in week one. Cumberland likes to keep the ball on the ground and through the first two weeks of the season is averaging 248 rushing yards per game. Each team has almost identical numbers in total yards, yards per game and yards per play. Belhaven has 661 yards, is averaging 330.5 yards per game, and 4.9 yards per play through two contests. On the other side of the ledger, the Bulldogs have accumulated 670 yards, are averaging 335 yards per game, and 5.3 yards per play.
 
For a closer inside look at this week's matchup, fans can click on the game notes link above. Media coverage this weekend includes live play-by-by play audio courtesy of Stretch Internet through the Belhaven Athletics website. Fans can access the broadcast by clicking here. Follow Belhaven Athletics on Twitter and get score updates throughout the game. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 PM with the pregame show online at 1:15 PM.