LEBANON, Tenn. – Kylan Pollard caught a touchdown and rushed for another and Belhaven University put together four scoring drives of 60-plus yards and defeated 14th-ranked Cumberland, 34-21, here Saturday afternoon at H.T. Newell Field.

The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Bulldogs (7-2, 4-1 Mid-South West) and put CU into a first-place tie with Bethel University. Cumberland committed three turnovers in the contest, all fumbles, and the Blazers (5-5, 3-3) turned those miscues into 10 points.

Belhaven scored 34 unanswered points after the Bulldogs took an early lead and the Blazers stayed undefeated at home. James Bryan booted a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter before Pollard caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the second period.

The CU defense stiffened inside its own five yard line just before the half, forcing another field goal, but Bulldog punter Tyler Emmetts dropped the snap on the next possession, setting up Belhaven with 44 seconds remaining before intermission.

Three plays later Clinton Smith avoided four tacklers and sneaked into the end zone, giving Belhaven a 20-7 advantage at the break.

Pollard rushed eight yards on a reverse near the end of the third period, extending BU’s lead to 27-7. Cumberland drove inside the BU five early in the final quarter but was stopped on fourth down and Justin Gaines capped the ensuing possession for the Blazers with a three-yard scoring run and a 34-7 edge for Belhaven.

Chris Simpson intercepted a pass and ran it back 22 yards for a touchdown and Broc Loveless hit Dillon Kirkham with a 14-yard TD pass in the final minute after Josh Walker picked off another Belhaven pass.

Gaines finished the contest with 153 yards on 24 carries and one score, while the two Belhaven quarterbacks combined to complete 15-of-26 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns.

Lemeco Miller returned to the lineup to carry nine times for 77 yards while Adrian Baker rushed eight times for a career-high 60 yards. Reed Gurchiek and Loveless were 10-of-21 for 132 yards and two scores, though the Bulldogs dropped several passes and just missed hitting deep balls to James McClain and Quan Johnson.

The Bulldogs struck first in the game, with Gurchiek hooking up with McClain for a 65-yard touchdown with 7:42 to play in the first period.

The Blazers answered with an eight-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 35-yard field goal by Bryan. Belhaven took the lead early in the second quarter, with Williams connecting on a 23-yard scoring play to Pollard, finishing another eight-play drive that covered 77 yards.

Cumberland’s first turnover of the game came after a 58-yard run by Miller put CU inside the Blazers 30. On the next play McClain broke a couple of tackles but the ball was poked away and recovered by BU’s Jared McCarthy.

Belhaven then put together a 14-play, 71-yard drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock. The Bulldogs held inside the five and forced a 26-yard field goal by Bryan, giving the home team a 13-7 advantage with 1:47 left in the half.

Disaster struck again on the next drive, with Johnson unable to hall in a long pass from Gurchiek on third down. Then Emmetts dropped a good snap on the punt and fell to his knees when he recovered, giving the Blazers one last chance before intermission.

BU took advantage, moving inside the five before calling a wide receiver screen to Smith, who avoided four tacklers and sneaked his way into the end zone with 15 seconds left before halftime for a 20-7 advantage.

Cumberland finishes the regular season at home next Saturday against the University of the Cumberland at Noon at Lindsey Donnell Stadium-Kirk Field.