CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville returns to Finley Stadium with an eye on knocking off its first ranked opponent of the season and picking up its first Mid-South Conference West Division win on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Fighting Tigers welcome No. 18 Bethel University to Tiger Town on Saturday, Oct. 15 for Homecoming 2016 – Best of the Bluegrass.  
 
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. ET with the Tiger Tailgate Show starting at 1:30 p.m. Fans can tune in to both, with Jim Freeman, Matt Payton and Jordan Alves, on the Campbellsville University Sports Network – 88.7 The Tiger (wlcufm.com), Comcast Channel 10 and www.CampbellsvilleTigers.com/watch.
 
Campbellsville is coming off its second bye week of the season after falling to Faulkner University, 69-51, on Oct. 1. The Fighting Tigers will play five-straight weekends – three home games and two on the road – to finish the 2016 slate.
 
Tiger Clawz:

• Campbellsville and Bethel are meeting Saturday for the first time during CU's
  homecoming. The Wildcats are also playing their first MSC West Divisional game.
• CU has started the season 1-4 for the first time since 2012 - during that season, CU lost to Bethel, 33-24.
• Campbellsville boasts an all-time record of 146-159-1.
• Coach Perry Thomas is 3-5 in sixth games of the season.
• Head coaches Perry Thomas and Chris Elliott are meeting for the fifth time. CU and
  Thomas lead the series over Bethel and Elliott, 3-1.
• In the first five games of the season, kicker Bradley Bates has hit eight field goals - including a career-long 42-yard field goal. He ranks No. 1 in field goals per game (1.6), No. 2 in the NAIA in field goals (8) and No. 3 in total scoring (46). Bates was named the MSC Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 3.
• Quarterback Hunter Brown has started the year very well for the Tigers, ranking No. 2 in passing yards per game (380.4), No. 3 in yards per game (377.2) and No. 5 in the NAIA in total passing yards (1,902).
• Tyus Alcorn has been Brown's favorite target. Alcorn ranks No. 16 in the NAIA with 32 receptions, No. 10 in receptions per game (6.5) and scoring per game (9.6). He also ranks No. 20 in total receiving yards (506).
• Lead stat-man, Kevin Burkhead, is working consecutive game no. 307 today. A role he's held since 1987. He has not missed a game since the rebirth of the program.

Stat	BU	CU
Record	6-0	1-4
Total Offense	2914	2465
Yards/Game	485.7	493.0
Touchdowns	33	24
Rushing/Game	322.5	112.6
Passing/Game	163.2	380.4
Punt/avg.	33.0	38.0
Penalties/game	7.8	9.0
Fumbles/Lost	11-6	8-4
3rd Down %	46.8%	45.5%
4th Down %	25%	61.5%

 
29^th Anniversary of First Homecoming Game:

• This is the 29^th anniversary of CU's first Homecoming game.
• The first one occurred with a loss, 28-12, on Nov. 5, 1988 to Earlham College
• Dating back to the rebirth of the program in 1988, Campbellsville has a Homecoming record of 15-13.
• During the weekend, Campbellsville will host multiple alumni events – Alumni softball game (10 a.m.), men's wrestling youth clinic and alumni matches (10 a.m.), Alumni Band reunion (25^th anniversary), Homecoming parade (10 a.m. downtown), Lady Tiger soccer vs. Shawnee State (6:30), Tiger soccer vs. Shawnee State (9:00).
• The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime of the football game.
• Mrs. Phyllis Finley, wife of the late Ron Finley, will be the honorary captain at the coin toss.
• Football alumni will be honored between the third and fourth quarters.

 
Fighting Tigers vs. Wildcats

• Saturday is the 13th meeting between CU and Bethel, with the Fighting Tigers leading the series, 9-3.
• While playing the series at Finley Stadium, the series is tied at 3-3. While playing in McKenzie, Tenn., the Tigers are a perfect 6-0.
• The Tigers average 28.5 points per game in the series compared to 17.8 for Bethel.
• With the series played at Finley Stadium, CU averages 26.3 points, while the Wildcats score 23.1 in the six games.
• Campbellsville shutout Bethel, 26-0, three years ago in McKenzie, Tenn. The scoreless ledger marked the seventh shutout win in CU history. It was also the third shutout in the series.
• The first shutout against Bethel came in the second meeting on Sept. 16, 1995. CU forced eight turnovers in a 19-0 win for the Wildcats' first trip to Campbellsville. The second came shutout was a 47-0 win by Bethel in 2006, but was later forfeited by the Wildcats.
• The longest win streak in the series belongs to Campbellsville, five games from 1994-96, 2003-04. The two teams did not play from 1997 to 2002 and 2008-2011.
• Bethel or Campbellsville has won seven of the last 10 Mid-South Conference West Division titles. Bethel has five and CU has two.
• Campbellsville won last season's contest in a big way, 69-21, in McKenzie.
• The 69 points scored last year currently is a program record for most points scoring in a game. Also, it is only the third 60-plus point game in CU history.