BAINBRIDGE, Ga. — A fourth down stop and an 11-play, 75-yard third quarter drive lifted a weight off the Tift County Blue Devils on Friday night and started the ball rolling toward a 31-14 victory at Centennial Field.

Down 14-10 at intermission, Tift, which had struggled in the first half, seemed destined for more difficulties on Bainbridge’s initial drive of the third quarter. Bainbridge had gone from its own 22 to the Devils’ 24, but with only five yards of offense. Tift’s defense had supplied the rest of the yardage with three penalties.

The Bearcats had fourth-and-inches at the 24. A scant yard would have reset the downs and moved the first down chains ever closer a potential back-breaking score.

But at the 24, quarterback Deyon Bouie was tripped up behind his line of scrimmage. Bainbridge lost possession on downs and Tift County had a new beginning.

The Blue Devils’ main struggle during the first half was on offense. Tift had lost two turnovers, missed a field goal (albeit a 50-yard attempt) and had a touchdown called back for a holding penalty during those 24 minutes of play.

Now with the the ball in their hands in the third quarter, all those troubles were seemingly left in the locker room.

Tift lost a yard on an initial rush attempt, but a short pass from Patrick Felton to Tyler Ajiero turned into a 13-yard first down, Ajiero picking up the last part of the gain by sliding over the back of a defender.

Another Felton-to-Ajiero connection moved the ball into Bainbridge territory and from there, Tift moved methodically. Danny Hill and Mike Jones gained yards on runs and following offsides penalties by both teams, Felton hit Jameson Turner on a nine-yarder to the five.

Felton finished off the drive with a 5-yard run with 1:43 left in the third quarter. Rosendo Ramirez, who booted all four Tift extra points, split the uprights for a 17-14 lead.

Out in front by three points, Tift County’s lead looked tenuous, but the Blue Devils quickly made it a certainty.

Starting at its own 20, Bainbridge lost a yard on its next possession, then could not even punt far enough for a first down; the boot traveled all of six yards, putting Tift in business at the 25.

Jones ran to the 18 to end the quarter. After gaining a first down, Felton spotted Bricin Savage near the goal line and threw a perfect pass to his receiver for a 16-yard score at 10:29, upping the advantage to 24-14.

Unable to get anything started on its next possession Bainbridge punted out to the 45, Tift returning to the 32. On the first play from scrimmage, Turner lost a defender on a deep route and caught a Felton pass in the end zone, only 1:17 after the Devils’ last score.

Bainbridge had a brief last gasp with Caleb McDowell rushing for 42 yards into Tift territory, but ended with Ricky Perry sacking Quayde Hawkins. After an exchange of punts, Tift knelt on the ball to end the game.

The Bearcats, who came into the contest with a three-game losing skid, were the aggressors for more of the first half.

Randy Fillingame fell on a fumble at the 30 on Tift’s opening drive, which had started positively with Ajiero gaining 38 yards on a pass from Felton on the opening play of the game.

Bainbridge struck quickly.

McDowell swept to the right and up the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown at 10:10. Caleb Harris provided the kick, giving the hosts a 7-0 lead.

Tift’s second try with the ball ended with two sacks, but the Devils swung momentum in their favor near the end of the opening frame. Mainly running with Jones from their own 20 to the 35, Felton kept the next snap and raced down the sidelines before being knocked out of bounds at the 1. Felton ran off left tackle on the next play, tying the game at 7-all with 40 seconds left.

In the second quarter, a 14-yard Bainbridge punt set up the next drive, but it stalled at the 18. Ramirez came in for a 35-yard field goal for a 10-7 Tift advantage.

The Devils seemed to be pulling away when after another defensive stop, Felton ran for a 73-yard score, but it was called back for a holding penalty. Bainbridge then got a sack before coming up with a fumble recovery at Tift’s 34.

Bainbridge then stunned an already-dazed Tift County with a trick play, a reverse to Aaron Spivie, which covered all 34 yards needed for the touchdown.

Tift’s defense, which outside of the two big plays, held the Bearcats to an unofficial 44 yards in the first half, stuffed Bouie three times late in the second, the last at his own 4. After surrendering a 20-yard punt return to the 20, Bainbridge held equally tough. By the time Ramirez attempted the 50-yard field goal, the line of scrimmage had moved back to the 33. The kick fell short and Bainbridge went into the locker room with the lead.

The Bearcats had an unofficial 159 yards on the ground. Three plays — the two touchdown runs and a 42-yard McDowell run — accounted for 146 of those yards. They added 77 yards through the air, but lost eight on a sack. Hawkins was 7-of-13, Bouie, 2-of-7, through the air.

McDowell had 112 yards on 13 carries, with one touchdown.

For Tift, Felton was 12-of-18 for 145 yards. He went 7-of-7 in the second half with 87 yards and two touchdowns. Jones led the ground attack with 54 yards on 24 carries. Ajiero had 76 recieving yards and a touchdown on four catches and Turner added a touchdown on five snags for 56 yards.

Tift improved its record to 4-2 on the season. They will host Miller Grove next Friday for homecoming.