Greeneville, Tenn. ? The Lenoir-Rhyne University Football Team (4-2, 1-1) took advantage of seven Tusculum turnovers to defeat the Pioneers (1-4, 0-2), 38-17, Saturday night in a South Atlantic Conference contest.? L-R also saw its seven-game losing streak to league opponents snapped and won on Tusculum?s field for the first time in school history.

In addition to forcing seven turnovers (the most ever by a Tusculum squad), Lenoir-Rhyne rushed the ball 68 times for 299 yards and held a 41:03-18:57 advantage in time of possession.

After a scoreless first quarter, Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore quarterback Major Herron (Kingsland, Ga.) got the Bears on the board with a four-yard touchdown run with 11:19 remaining before intermission.? The four-play, 30-yard drive was set up by a Pioneer fumble.

After Tusculum cut the margin to 7-3 with a field goal on the ensuing possession, Herron scored from one yard out (his second score of the night) to give L-R a 14-3 advantage going into halftime.

Lenoir-Rhyne broke the contest wide open when freshman Artis Gilmore (Asheville, N.C.) returned opening kickoff of the second half 89 yards for a score as the Bears pushed the margin to 21-3 and never looked back.? The kickoff return for a score was L-R?s second of the 2009 season.

A 25-yard touchdown pass from Herron to redshirt freshman Reuben Haynes (Commerce, Ga.) and a six-yard touchdown run by sophomore fullback Bobby Epps (Gainesville, Ga.) increased the lead to 35-3 for Lenoir-Rhyne in the fourth quarter?before Tusculum?scored twice later in the?last stanza?to make it a 38-17 final.

L-R?s defense held Tusculum?s third-ranked NCAA Division II passing offense to just 193 yards (167 yards below its average) and picked off three passes.?

Freshman defensive back Michael Green (Kingsland, Ga.) led the way for Lenoir-Rhyne with a team-high seven tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Herron finished with a game-high 91 yards rushing, 35 yards passing and three total scores as Lenoir-Rhyne's 4-2 start is its best since 1999.

Tusculum?s Bo Cordell (Cincinnati, Ohio) passed for 177 yards but was intercepted three times.

Lenoir-Rhyne returns home to play Wingate next Saturday at 2 p.m., in the Bears? annual Homecoming affair while Tusculum travels to Brevard, N.C., to face Brevard on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.