McKENZIE, Tenn. - No. 5 Faulkner woke up from a slow start here Saturday, taking control in a dominant third quarter en route to a 27-7 victory over Bethel in a Mid-South Conference West Division battle at Wildcat Stadium.

The Eagles scored on three of their four possessions in the third quarter, breaking open what had been a close 6-0 contest at halftime. Quarterback Terrell Robinson ran for one score and passed for another during the decisive stretch, as Faulkner fought off a gallant effort from the Wildcats, who saw their two-game win streak come to an end.

With the victory, Faulkner (7-1, 3-0 MSC West) takes over sole possession of the lead in the MSC's West Division, thanks to Cumberland's 27-17 victory over Campbellsville earlier in the day.

While Robinson was passing for 296 yards, freshman Joe Jones was supplying the punishment on the ground. The 225-pound bruiser overcame an early fumble to rush for 127 yards and a touchdown. Raquis Hale and Jazeric Peterson both scored third-quarter touchdowns, with Hale's coming on a 7-yard run and Peterson's on a 9-yard reception.

The Faulkner offense amassed 527 yards on the day, but it was the Eagles' defense that shined brightest on this day. The Wildcats managed only 245 yards of offense, with Faulkner safety Marte Sears making one big play after another. The senior from Fresno, Calif., had two interceptions - one in the end zone to stop a Wildcat threat and the other setting up a scoring drive - and 10 total tackles, with eight of them solo stops. He also had two tackles behind the line of scrimmage in what was most assuredly his best afternoon in an Eagles' uniform.

Gabe Chambers paced the Faulkner receiving corps with seven receptions for 121 yards. Hale added 63 yards on the ground. Austin Kerr and Mitchell Hoskins aided the defensive effort with six total tackles apiece.

"We played pretty well on offense," Faulkner head coach Charlie Boren said. "Our defense, however, is what has really been the difference these past few weeks. Marte had a great game today, and our guys were really flying to the ball. As a coach, you always feel a bit more comfortable when your defense is stopping the other team. It was a good game for us, despite the slow start, but we're going to work on some things next week to try and get things going in the right direction a little earlier."

Leading 6-0, Faulkner drove 80 yards in six plays on its first possession of the second half, with Robinson tight-roping the sideline to the end zone from nine yards out for the score. The Wildcats answered midway through the quarter when quarterback Kerry Sellers found Logan Diebold on a 10-yard swing pass, and Casey Kammerzell's extra point trimmed the advantage to 13-7. The Eagles put it away with touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. Hale capped a 78-yard drive with his scoring run and, after Sears' interception, Robinson passed to Peterson in the back corner of the end zone for the game's final score. Hunter Kennamer, after missing his first attempt, made his last three extra points for the Eagles.

"Winning a road game in your division is always a good thing," Boren added. "We still have a lot of things we can improve on, and that's exciting for us. We still haven't played our best game."

It was a sluggish first half for both teams, with few opportunities to score. Kammerzell missed a 40-yard field goal on the Wildcats' first possession, and Bethel never threatened again in the opening 30 minutes of play. Faulkner had its chances, driving 71 yards in nine plays to a first-and-goal at the Bethel 10 late in the first quarter. On first down, however, Jones fumbled as he drove his way toward the goal line, and Bethel recovered it in the end zone for a touchback.

The Eagles finally broke through midway through the second quarter, marching 78 yards in 10 plays. Again it was Jones on first-and-goal from the 5, with the Buford, Ga., native carrying Wildcat defenders into the end zone this time for the score. Kennamer's extra point was wide, leaving Faulkner with a narrow lead at intermission.

Despite the tight score, the Eagles' controlled the first-half statistics. Faulkner had 17 first downs in the first two quarters to just five for Bethel, and outgained the Wildcats by almost 200 yards. The Eagles had 284 yards of offense, while the Wildcats produced just 89 prior to the break.

Faulkner hosts Belhaven in another MSC West Division battle next Saturday. The game kicks off at 1:30 at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium.