JACKSON, Miss. – Records were set on both offense and defense, but the moments of flash were few and far between for the Campbellsville University Fighting Tigers on Saturday in a Mid-South Conference West Division loss at Belhaven University, 70-28.

 

"We got beat by a team that was much better than us. Obviously, we made some mistakes that contributed to it, but not that many," said Perry Thomas, CU head coach. "They are by far the best team we played to this point. We could play them 10 times and they'd line up and knock us off the ball like they did today, eight of those 10 times. I don't think they're 70-28 better though."

CU set records for the longest touchdown pass and longest fumble return in the game, accounting for two of its four touchdowns in the game.

Before the records though, the Tigers struck first with a 12-play, 89-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead. Bryan Parnes capped the drive with 3:32 remaining on a 3-yard touchdown run. Casey Clarke was good on his first of four successful point after touchdown kicks.

Cue up the first of two miscues though, which resulted in a lead change.

After forcing Belhaven to punt, the Tigers were pinned against their goal line on a fourth-down punt that missed the leg of freshman punter Eric Krivitsky. Alvin Fairly recovered the ball in the end zone to help even the score with a James Bryan kick, 7-7.

"That play gave them momentum. It gave them seven points and the fire. We were battling to get the fire back," Thomas said.

Campbellsville turned the ball over on its next possession at its own 21 after a bad snap exchange. It only poured fuel to the fire, as the Blazers took advantage with a 21-yard touchdown strike from Alex Williams to Kylan Pollard and a 14-7 lead.

The Fighting Tigers didn't waste time responding though, flashing signs of a potential back-and-forth barn burner. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Parnes found Demytreus Gipson on an 86-yard pass reception. Gipson dashed down the sideline for the longest touchdown run in Tiger history, breaking the 82-yard record set in 2002 on the same field by Alan Short and Shane Riley.

Gipson finished the day with a career-high 148 yards receiving on five catches – the most reception yards in 13 meetings by a CU receiver against Belhaven.

The big play only evened the score, not the momentum, as Belhaven scored twice on 9-yard runs by Justin Gaines before the half.

Belhaven went on to score 42 points in the third quarter, including a 35-yard interception return by Justin Mims off the arm of Robert Hill and a 38-yard pick-six by Darrius Wren against Parnes.

Isiah Wiley also mixed in a 65-yard punt return for a score the Blazers, as Belhaven scored 35 of its points off special teams or a turnover.

Campbellsville found the scoreboard again in the fourth quarter. After the second pick-six of the game for the Tigers, Cameron Looper saw his first action at quarterback this season. The sophomore signal caller led an 11-play, 44-yard drive that resulted in a 6-yard touchdown run by Chris Cook. Senior Earl McCann then recovered a Belhaven fumble and took it 85 yards for the score, breaking the mark that Rico Dickerson set of 82 yards in the 2011 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl.

For the third time this season, CU saw three quarterbacks throw passes under center. Hill started the game and was 2-of-9 passing for 24 yards and an interception. Parnes was 7-of-14 passing for 147 yards with a touchdown and interception. Looper was 4-of-6 passing for 27 yards.

The spark was too late for the Tigers, as they dropped to 0-4 on the season for the first time since 2007.

"We all know we're in a down year. We're not where we've been the past couple of years, and we need to get some things fixed," Thomas said. "Everybody wants to win championships every year, and believe me, nobody wants it more than I do, but when it gets down to it, it's about the quality of the people we're building and the quality of the program. That program can sustain some tough years if that character is legitimate. That's what we've been working on for five years.

"We're going to find out if it's legitimate. We'll start learning tomorrow in the weight room. I feel good about these guys. They're workers. I'm not going to give up on them, and I know they're going to come back ready to fight."

CU (0-4, 0-2 MSC West) will travel to Grayson, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 29 to face Kentucky Christian University (2-2, 0-1 MSC East). Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT.

"We need to find a way to get a win," Thomas said. "We're going to be playing a team that's one of the top teams. They're doing well. They had a big win to open the season against a highly ranked Lindsey Wilson team, and they have the ability to do what this team did today."

The game will be broadcasted on the Campbellsville University Sports Network beginning at 1 p.m. with the Tiger Tailgate Show on WLCU 88.7 FM and WLCUfm.com.

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NOTES
- The 70 points allowed are the second most in program history by CU and a Belhaven school record.
- Belhaven set a school record for most touchdowns (10) and PATs(10) in a game.
- Ninety-eight points are the most combined points in a CU vs. Belhaven game. The previous most was 95 in a 49-46 Belhaven win in 2006.
- Bryan Parnes' 86-yard touchdown pass to Demytreus Gipson breaks the school record for longest TD pass. Record was previously an 82-yard pass from Alan Short to Shane Riley at Belhaven in 2002.
- Earl McCann's 85-yard fumble return for a touchdown breaks the school record for longest fumble return. Record was previously an 82-yard return for a TD by Rico Dickerson in 2011.
- Cameron Looper received his first snap as CU's quarterback since Sept. 1, 2011.
- Casey Clarke averaged 65.0 yards per kickoff, placing all of his kickoffs in the end zone, including two touchbacks.
- Eric Krivitsky had a career-long 63-yard punt in the second quarter.