Mars Hill, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne University Football Team (4-3, 3-1) knocked No. 21 Mars Hill College (6-2, 4-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten in the South Atlantic Conference with a 51-21 win Saturday afternoon at Meares Stadium.

The Bears finished with a season-high 589 yards of total offense including 429 on the ground as Lenoir-Rhyne won at Mars Hill for the first time since 1989.

Senior quarterback Major Herron (Kingsland, Ga.) led Lenoir-Rhyne with 129 yards rushing and two scores to go along with 147 yards through the air with a pair of touchdown passes as the Bears snapped the Lions' five-game winning streak.

L-R jumped on Mars Hill early by scoring on its first five possessions en route to the win.

On the game's opening drive, Herron found senior wide receiver Nick Stutts (Statesville, N.C.) for a 32-yard touchdown reception just 1:40 into the contest.

Senior halfback Jasper Thomas (High Point, N.C.) gave the Bears a 14-0 advantage midway through the first quarter on a 32-yard touchdown run.

L-R senior placekicker Colin Corpe (Ocala, Fla.) sandwiched a 41-yard field goal between two Mars Hill touchdowns at the 1:10 mark of the first quarter.

Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph (Daleville, Ala.) scored from 13 yards out early in the second quarter to cut Lenoir-Rhyne's lead to 17-14 but the Lions couldn't get any closer the rest of the way.

Lenoir-Rhyne held Randolph, the NCAA Division II's leading rusher, to just 48 yards on 13 carries.

Thomas (16 yards) and Herron (one yard) scored on the ground to push L-R's lead to 30-14 before Mars Hill scored just before halftime on Anthony Lewis' (Jonesboro, Ga.) five-yard fumble return.

Lenoir-Rhyne then put the contest away by scoring touchdowns on its first three drives of the second half, all in the third quarter.

L-R redshirt freshman fullback Isaiah Whitaker (Salisbury, N.C.) scored from 40 yards out while Herron ran for a score and threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to sophomore halfback Graham Duncan (Gainesville, Ga.).

Whitaker added 96 yards rushing while Stutts caught five passes for a game-high 104 yards in the victory.

On defense, the Bears limited the Lions to just 251 yards of total offense.? Mars Hill came into the game averaging over a league-high 480 yards.

Lenoir-Rhyne, which has now beaten two nationally-ranked teams this season, returns home to face Wingate (5-3, 4-1) in a South Atlantic Conference showdown on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.?

Mars Hill plays at Tusculum (2-6, 1-3) in a league contest next Saturday in Greeneville, Tenn., beginning at 1:30 p.m.