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BLUEFIELD, Va. -- Bluefield College is amidst its Homecoming Weekend celebration and the Rams football team is looking to make it an extra special time for alumni, friends and family in attendance, as they seek an upset over 18th-ranked Cumberland University on Saturday.

Fans are welcome to join the pregame tailgating, which will feature live music beginning at 11:30 a.m. Complete information for Homecoming Weekend is available in the link above.

The Matchup
Bluefield and Cumberland University square off for the third-straight year as the Rams look to tighten the gap with the Bulldogs.

CU held BC scoreless in the programs' first meeting in 2012 en route to a 49-0 win. Last season, the Rams fell in Lebanon by a score of 40-10. Bluefield faced just a 16-7 deficit at halftime, but the Bulldogs responded with 24 second-half points to just a field goal for the Rams.

The Rams are coming off a 43-16 loss at Kentucky Christian, where the Knights scored 33 points in the second quarter to break the game open, while CU knocked off its MSC-West opponent Belhaven, 41-9 last week.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Reed Gurchiek and Broc Loveless split time to lead the Bulldogs at the quarterback position. Gurchiek has logged the start each game this season, completing 17-of-38 passes for 237 yards while Loveless is 11-for-33 for 161 yards. Each has one passing touchdown on the season.

Loveless also provides a rushing threat, as he leads the team with 29 attempts for 183 yards, an average of 61 yards per game. Blake DeBoard has 26 carries on the year for 144 yards. He and Loveless each have three rushing scores.

Michael Green is the Bulldogs' only receiver with over 100-yards so far this season, making eight catches for 156 yards. He averages 52 yars per game.

Defensively, Nathan Jernigan leads CU with 29 tackles, one being for loss.

100+
Marion Harris logged his third career 100-yard rushing game last week at Kentucky Christian. He took 11 carries 123 yards and had scoring runs of 48 and 49 yards. He'll look for similar success against the Bulldogs, as he had 15 carries for 121 yards in Lebanon, Tenn., last season.

Field Position Struggles
The Rams struggled with giving KCU a short field last week as a short punt and a lost fumble placed the Knights inside the Rams' 30-yard line. Overall, the Rams had two lost fumbles and two interceptions to lose offensive opportunities.

A bright spot was kicker James Gunn's performance on kickoffs, as the senior had a pair of touchbacks and totaled 257 yards on four kicks (64.3 yards per kick).

Ranked Opponents
Cumberland serves as the Rams' first ranked opponent for the 2014 season. The Bulldogs were No. 21 in last week's NAIA Coaches' Poll, and moved up to No. 18 this week after their win over Belhaven.

BC last faced a ranked opponent in the season finale of 2014, when they hosted No. 1 and eventual NAIA runner-up University of the Cumberlands (Ky.). The Patriots took a 56-14 win at Mitchell Stadium.