Box Score
PINEVILLE, La. - Coming into the first game of their 2011 season, the LC Wildcats knew one of their biggest question marks was the quarterback position.

Gone is last year's All-American record-setter, Ben McLaughlin. The mantle has been passed to junior Jamie Bunting.

In his first test as the driver of LC's Lamborghini offense, Bunting showed at the very least he has an ability to overcome adversity - much the same as McLaughlin - in leading the Wildcats to a 32-24 triple overtime victory over Belhaven at Wildcats Stadium.

As if having to make his first start in the driving rains and swirling winds of Tropical Storm Lee weren't enough for Bunting, three interceptions and several mishandled snaps and handoffs that resulted in fumbles had the Wildcats staring at an opening night loss.

Bunting's second interception of the night, returned for a 32-yard touchdown by the Blazers' Ricky Wadlington, gave Belhaven a commanding 24-13 lead with 7:21 left in the 4th quarter.

But that's when the quarterback head coach Dennis Dunn has put his faith in for this season started to emerge. Bunting responded by leading the Wildcats on a quick-strike, three-play drive on the ensuing possession - capping it with a 28-yard touchdown pass to his favorite receiver on the night, senior D'Mario Parker, to bring the Wildcats to within three, 24-21 with 6:42 left in the game. Parker would finish with eight catches for 125 yards and the one touchdown.

LC's defense, which held Belhaven to just 200 total yards for the game, came up with a huge stand on Belhaven's next possession and gave Bunting and the LC offense one last chance with just over three minutes left in the game. The Wildcats would drive to the Blazers' 21-yard line, but with 24 seconds left, the drive would stall. Dunn had a difficult decision to make but chose to go with the freshman kicker out of Gilmer, TX, Robert Olivares for a tying field goal attempt. Belhaven coach Joseph Thrasher called two straight timeouts in an attempt to "freeze" the rookie kicker, but Olivares drilled the 38-yard attempt through the uprights to tie the game at 24 and send it into overtime.

It looked as though LC might suffer another tough overtime loss in its home opener as it did a year ago against Huntingdon when Bunting threw into triple coverage for Darnell Williams on the Cats' first overtime possession. All Belhaven had to do was kick a field goal or score a touchdown to win, but LC's defense rose up to shut down Jimmy Basford and the Blazers' offense to send the game into a second overtime.

Neither team would score in the second OT, so the game headed into a third extra period.

In that third overtime, the Cats would start first on offense and this time Bunting came through with a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior Justin Usey. LC would then convert the two-point play to take a 32-24 lead. The LC defense sealed the win by shutting down the Blazers in their possession and give LC it's first win of the 2011 season.

For Bunting, an up and down game saw him finish 21-of-36 for 235 yards and two touchdowns, respectable numbers if not for the three picks. But the real story was the fact that Bunting went 13-for-18 for 175 yards in the 4th quarter and three overtime periods.

Statistically, LC dominated the football game as the Wildcats gained twice as many yards as Belhaven. LC finished with 432 total yards to Belhaven's 200.

LC's ground game was both balanced and strong as four running backs combined for 197 yards on an un-LC-like 49 carries. Sophomore Ryan Montague rushed 19 times for 105 yards. Sophomore CerDerrick Tyson had seven carries for 55 yards, and junior Daron Bartholomew had 14 carries for 51 yards including the game's first touchdown that put LC up 6-0 (The extra point kick was missed). Sophomore Robert Williams also added six carries for three yards.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was how well Belhaven was able to contain LC's senior wide receiver Darnell Williams. Williams, who had a long touchdown reception called back by a holding penalty, finished with just three catches for 16 yards. In addition to Parker's 125-yard effort, the Cats got seven catches for 61 yards from Dayne Reeves and two catches and the overtime touchdown for Usey.

Defensively, LC was led by sophomore Peter "Phil" Ford with seven unassisted tackles and a sack. Most impressive was the fact LC held the Blazers to just two-of-16 on 3rd down conversions.

With their first victory in hand, the Wildcats will have two weeks to make adjustments before their next home game, Sept. 17 against Millsaps at 5 p.m.