LIVINGSTON, Ala. – West Alabama scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to erase a Cumberland halftime lead en route to a 34-8 win over the Bulldogs here Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.

The Bulldogs (1-1) lost to the first of two Division II teams on the schedule this season.

Nathan Anderson’s blocked punt out of the end zone for a safety in the first quarter and Justin Snyder’s five-yard TD pass to Trevon Jones midway through the second period gave Cumberland an 8-7 advantage at the half. CU took advantage of two special teams miscues by UWA for the scores, the first the blocked punt and the second a partially blocked punt by Nathan Jernigan that gave the Bulldogs another short field.

Snyder finished 14-of-28 for 139 yards and one touchdown, but Cumberland rushed for a net of 10 yards and accounted for only 173 yards of total offense.

West Alabama backup quarterback Dezmon Huntley sparked the Tigers (2-0) in the second half, leading all four scoring drives after intermission. The redshirt freshman rushed four times for 100 yards, including a 38-yard TD run, and also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Randy Satterfield.

Tyreek Hill caught a 68-yard shuffle pass and Tyler Rogers broke through the middle for a 26-yard scoring run that put UWA ahead for good midway through the third quarter.

West Alabama took the opening drive of the game 55 yards on 11 plays, converting two third downs and a 4th-and-1 before Trent Thompson found Satterfield for a 19-yard TD pass over the middle in the back of the end zone and a 7-0 Tigers lead.

The Bulldog offense struggled for the entire first quarter despite excellent field position, starting at its own 45, midfield and the UWA47. Cumberland gained just 15 yards of total offense in the period.

Anderson got CU on the scoreboard, blocking a punt out of the end zone with 5:53 remaining in the opening quarter, cutting the deficit to 7-2.

The defense bailed out the club early in the second quarter after the Bulldogs were stopped on fourth down at their own 29. CU forced a 46-yard field goal attempt that hit the left upright and bounced onto the field, keeping the score, 7-2.

Another special teams miscue by the Tigers set-up CU with a short field again midway through the period. The punt snap bounced to Jordan Ikner and Nathan Jernigan partially blocked the kick. The sailing ball ended up in the hands of Donovan Norfleet, who returned it to the UWA25, though a penalty moved the ball back to the Tigers 45.

The Bulldogs broke out the reverse pass for the second straight week, with Michael Green hitting Brandon Mallory for 24 yards. Brandon Byrd rushed for a first down to the UWA10 and three plays later Snyder found Jones on the out route in the front of the end zone. Snyder was tackled short on the two-point try and CU led 8-7 with 7:50 remaining in the half.

Cumberland gained almost double the yards on the drive that it had previously picked up in five possessions to that point in the contest.

Snyder completed a 40-yard pass to Green on the opening drive of the third quarter, but a sack pushed the ball back and Matthew Alter’s 41-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

West Alabama took the ensuing drive 62 yards on just six plays behind Huntley. Rogers broke free up the middle for 26 yards and the score, giving the home team a 13-8 edge midway through the period it would not relinquish.

Cumberland plays the second of four straight road games next Saturday, September 19, at the University of the Cumberlands at 6 p.m. Central Time.