Box Score

BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Rams lost two fumbles and threw three interceptions which lead to 17 Southern Virginia points Saturday afternoon, en route to the 44-18 defeat to the hosting Knights. Despite the difficult outcome for BC, the Rams were supported by a strong contingent of fans as the Alumni Association hosted a pregame tailgate for alumni, family, friends and supporters of the program.

BC's struggles began early, as a third-and-one option pitch was fumbled and recovered by Southern Virginia at the Rams' 20-yard line. Southern Virginia took five plays to capitalize on the Rams' first miscue of the game and took a 7-0 lead behind an Andy Jones pass to Michael Goering and Davis Cragun's PAT.

While the Rams fumbled and lost the ensuing kickoff and gave possession back to SVU inside BC territory, Harry Hollins halted the Knights' attack with an interception. However, the sloppy first quarter on both sides continued as Joshua Erby tossed his first of three interceptions of the day, once again giving SVU possession on the Rams' end of the field.

The Rams' defense contained the Knights to just a field goal, giving SVU a 10-0 lead with less than four minutes to play in the opening quarter.

After a Bluefield punt, the Knights extended their lead to 13-0 with another field goal from Cragun.

Bluefield responded with a 12-play scoring drive, featuring three crucial third-down conversions. The first was a third-and-nine in which Dylan Kidd rushed for 13 yards on a pitch, while Erby called his own number on a third-and-three later in the drive. Finally, on a third-and-10 in SVU territory, Erby connected with David Gianesin for 12 yards. Sam Bennett then finished the drive with a 20-yard rushing touchdown. But, BC only cut the lead to 13-6, as the PAT effort was unsuccessful following a botched snap.

The Rams never added a point-after on the day, going 0-2, along with a failed two-point conversion.

SVU punted on its next possession, followed by Erby's second interception for BC. The Knights did not capitalize this time either, as a fumble was lost and recovered by Hollins inside the Rams' own 15-yard line.

The Rams approached midfield on their next drive, but a pair of penalties knocked them back before Daniel Griffin's punt would be blocked and recovered by SVU at the Rams' 15-yard-line with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

SVU's Jones found Dee Sanford for the quick TD connection and a 19-6 lead.

The Rams looked to make a move before the half, but SVU picked off Erby for the third time and found themselves with possession at the Rams' 25-yard line with 20 seconds remaining. Jones connected with Goering for a 23-yard touchdown, and the Knights then tacked on a two-point conversion and took a 27-6 lead at the half.

SVU opened the second half with a 10-play drive which finished with another Cragun field goal, lifting the lead to 30-6.

Bluefield was able to respond by piecing together a 10-play, 81-yard drive, capped by a 32-yard run by Armani Ford.

After a pair of empty possessions, SVU carried a drive over into the fourth quarter. The Rams' defense nearly made a goal-line stand, halting the Knights three times inside the three-yard line, but Steven Scott finally broke through to push the lead to 37-12.

Clifton Bishop scored the Rams' final touchdown on the afternoon to make it 37-18 with 5:33 remaining.

SVU finished off the game with another score with under a minute remaining in the game, as a 32-yard punt return from Sanford set up the Knights at BC's 15-yard line.

Bluefield finished the contest outgaining the Knights 287-260 in total offensive yards and had 16 first downs to SVU's 14.

Bennett's 85 rushing yards led BC's ground attack, while Erby's 10 completions totaled 83 yards. Armani Ford quarterbacked the offense in the second half, only attempting two passes and rushing for 63 yards.

BC's defense was led by Robert Boatright's eight total tackles, followed by six from Ramir Hollis. Hollins had five total tackles to go along with his interception and fumble recovery.

The Rams begin a tough finish to the 2013 season next weekend as they will face three nationally ranked opponents in the closing weeks. First up is Georgetown (currently No. 17), who picked up a 48-13 win over Pikeville on Saturday. Kickoff in Georgetown, Ky., is slated for 1:30 p.m.