BLUEFIELD, Va. – The Rams' deficit stood at seven late in the second quarter, but the offense of 18^th-ranked Cumberland closed the half with two touchdowns and pulled away over the final 30 minutes en route to a 59-28 win, Saturday afternoon at Mitchell Stadium.
 
The Rams (1-4) amassed 469 yards of total offense, but allowed 688 yards for the visiting Bulldogs (3-1), who covered 450 yards on the ground alone. Five different Cumberland players scampered for 50 yards or more, led by quarterback Reed Gurchiek's 89 yards on eight attempts. Bluefield's ground game, which totaled 255 yards, was led by Marion Harris' 92 yards on 14 carries.
 
Ashten Dixon completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 214 yards and two scores. Gurchiek and Broc Loveless combined for 17-of-20 throwing for 237 yards, with four scores coming in the air and being by four different Bulldogs.
 
Bluefield struck quickly, as Dixon found Richard Johnson in the middle of the field and he continued for the 68-yard touchdown, 19 seconds into play. But, the Bulldogs answered with a nine-play, 75 yard scoring drive in which Gurchiek broke into the endzone on a 10-yard run.
 
Bluefield was forced to punt on their next series after covering 36 yards on six plays, and the visitors didn't take long to grab the lead. A four-play, 87-yard drive took just 1:39 for Cumberland, punctuated by a 49-yard run by Kentavious Eberhart to earn the 14-7 lead.
 
The high-scoring first quarter rolled on with the Rams' response with a seven-play, 76-yard drive in just 1:44. A pair of Sam Bennett rushes moved Bluefield early in the drive, while a 20-yard rush for Rodrell Smith placed BC into Cumberland territory. Dixon connected with former quarterback Cory Mabry for 16 yards to move the chains again and found Mabry three plays later for an 11-yard scoring play, squaring the game at 14-14.
 
Cumberland's offense continued to move in the next possession, as the Bulldogs drove 89 yards on 10 plays. Brandon Mallory capped the drive with a two-yard rushing score and a 21-17 lead.
 
The Rams drove 66 yards on their next drive, but a Dixon pass on third-and-goal found the hands of Tyler Burr in the endzone to give possession to the Bulldogs in the second quarter.
 
Cumberland took advantage of the takeaway, as Gurchiek found Willis for a 47-yard scoring play and a 28-14 lead.
 
Bluefield's offense once again found its rhythm, this time chewing up 4:12 on the clock with a 14-play, 75-yard march. Dixon connected on seven passes to three different receivers on the drive, while a four-yard scamper from Mock capped the drive and pulled BC within seven, 28-21 with approximately five minutes left in the half.
 
Gurchiek led the Bulldogs once again, though, covering 75 yards on eight plays. A 27-yard strike to Michael Green gave CU a 35-21 lead.
 
Bluefield was forced to punt for just the second time during the half after a three-and-out, and CU made the Rams pay. Blake DeBoard returned the punt 31 yards, setting up the Bulldogs for a quick three-play, 54 yard score in just 32 ticks.
 
The Rams took a knee and allowed time to run out on the half, as CU capitalized late for a 42-21 lead.
 
Cumberland ate up the clock as they opened the second half with the ball, going 62 yards on 16 plays, but settling for a 30-yard field goal from Mike Self.
 
Bluefield turned the ball over on downs, and CU responded with another quick scoring drive—this one on four plays for 60 yards, closing on a Trevon Jones reception from Loveless.
 
The Rams' next possession continued into the fourth quarter, as they used 5:18 to move 79 yards in 15 plays. Bennett's number was called to close the deal on fourth-and-goal, making the deficit 52-28.
 
CU tacked on one more score with 8:57 left in the game for the 59-28 final.
 
The kicking game was impressive for both sides, as Mike Self went 8-for-8 on extra points and James Gunn was 4-of-4 for the Rams. Self averaged 60.7 yards on kickoffs (10 attempts) with three touchbacks, while Gunn had four touchbacks, and had just one kick returned which still sailed to the goal-line to give Gunn an average of 65 yards per kickoff.

Gabe Spencer led Bluefield with 13 tackles, followed by seven apiece from Anthony Rivers and Khalil Randall. Joel Calfee had three tackles to go along with a break up and a forced fumble which came late in the fourth quarter. Two of Darius Flowers' four tackles for the day were for a loss.
 
Bluefield returns to action at Mitchell Stadium once again next weekend, hosting Bethel University. The Wildcats (0-5) fell at home against Reinhardt, 63-35, Saturday.