GEORGETOWN, Ky. - For the first time this season, a defense held Faulkner quarterback Terrell Robinson in check and the end result was a 27-10 Georgetown victory here Saturday afternoon in a Mid-South Conference cross-divisional showdown at Toyota Stadium.

Robinson was sacked 13 times, just one shy of the NAIA record, for 102 yards in losses, as the fourth-ranked Eagles' offensive front struggled all afternoon in containing the sixth-ranked Tigers pass rush. Georgetown quarterback Neal Pawsat completed big passes on three Tiger scoring drives, providing the difference in the NAIA's Game of the Week.

"It was combination of a couple of things that got us," said Faulkner head coach Charlie Boren, whose team fell to 5-1 with the loss. "We had a hard time blocking them up front, and I think after awhile Terrell might have lost his composure in the pocket a little bit. We'll get it fixed though. Things were probably never as good as we thought they were, and they're not as bad as our kids think they are right now after losing."

A field goal by Josh Depp in the first quarter and a touchdown pass from Pawsat to Ben Patenaude early in the second staked Georgetown (4-0) to a 10-0 lead. Minutes later, the Georgetown defense scored a touchdown of its own, stripping the ball from Faulkner wideout Jazeric Peterson after a short reception. Linebacker Dylan Sims picked it up and ran 51 yards to the end zone. Depp's kick made it 17-0, and the Eagles could never recover. The lead was 20-3 at the half.

Robinson did complete 23 of 32 passes for 249 yards, and his 81-yard touchdown strike to Rob Lockhart early in the fourth quarter cut the Georgetown lead to 20-10, but the Tigers snuffed out any thoughts of an Eagle comeback with its relentless harassment of the Faulkner quarterback.

After a sack of Robinson on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter, the Tigers put the game away with a 39-yard scoring drive, culminating in Demonte Smith's 1-yard plunge on fourth down. The Eagles appeared to have stopped the Tigers with a gallant goal-line stand, with Pawsat coming up short on a fourth-down sneak from the 1. Faulkner was flagged for offsides, however, setting the stage for Smith's score.

The Tigers' Arthur Pollard led the way 3.5 sacks, while Nick Seither added three. Tommy Campbell and Sims had 2.5 apiece, with Michael Sherrard tallying 1.5 of his own. With the sacks, Faulkner was held to 55 yards rushing on 35 carries, although Joe Jones did have 60 yards on the ground on 11 tries for the Eagles.

The Faulkner defense was stout as well, holding Georgetown 31 points below its per-game scoring average. Both teams managed just 304 yards of total offense in the game. Caleb Taylor had eight solo stops and 11 total tackles to lead the way for the Eagles.

Faulkner lost three fumbles in the game and Robinson was intercepted once. Georgetown didn't turn the ball over.

"Our defense continues to improve, and it played well enough to win today," Boren said. "This was one game, and we'll learn from it. We will be a better football team down the road because of what we experienced today."

Georgetown jumped on top on its second possession, driving 61 yards on 10 plays with Josh Depp connecting on a 26-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead with 3:57 left in the opening quarter. 

After Faulkner failed to move the ball on its ensuing drive, Georgetown added to its lead. A 51-yard pass from Pawsat to A. J. Johnson was the key play in the touchdown march, with Patenaude catching a 10-yard strike for the score. Depp's point-after made it 10-0 with 10:55 left in the half.

Then came the back-breaker for the Eagles. On the fourth play following the kickoff, the Tigers' defense extended the lead on Sims' fumble return, allowing Georgetown a lead Faulkner could not overcome.

Faulkner scored its first points with 4:32 left in the half on Cameron Golob's 24-yard field goal, but Depp answered with a 28-yarder on the final play of the half that sent the Tigers to the locker room with the 17-point advantage. The Eagles made it into the red zone three times in the first half, but a couple of costly penalties and a pair of sacks on Robinson thwarted the other Faulkner scoring opportunities.

The halftime stats were much closer than the score, with Georgetown holding a slim 209-197 edge in total offense. Robinson was sacked seven times in the first half for a loss of 51 yards.

Faulkner is off next Saturday, and will host MSC West rival Cumberland on Oct. 18. The game will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium.

"It's the perfect time for an off week," Boren said. "We can take care of some nagging injuries, and kind of reset things as we get ready for the key divisional games on our schedule."