WALESKA, Ga. - In an old-fashioned Mid-South Conference shootout, Faulkner quarterback Terrell Robinson and the Eagles' defense had just enough bullets to survive.

The sixth-ranked Eagles beat Reinhardt 55-52 in overtime here Saturday afternoon at Ken White Field, erasing a two-touchdown, fourth-quarter deficit before winning it on a 23-yard touchdown strike from Robinson to Jazeric Peterson. The winning score was set up after the Faulkner defense held Reinhardt to a 41-yard field goal by Ryan Hopper on its overtime possession.

"Today our team showed tremendous resiliency and the heart of a champion," said Faulkner head coach Charlie Boren, whose team moved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the MSC West Division. "We were down but refused to give in. We made plays on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter, and it took every one of them for us to win the game. 

"Reinhardt has a really fine football team, and we showed today that we're pretty good too."

Struggling to stop the deception of Reinhardt's Wing-T offensive attack, the Eagles found themselves trailing 35-28 early in the fourth quarter. After failing to convert on a third-and-6 Robinson pass attempt from the Reinhardt 22-yard line, Faulkner's Cameron Golob came on to try a 39-yard field goal. The kick was blocked at the line and was scooped up by Cameron Gibson, who sprinted 70 yards to the end zone for a Reinhardt touchdown. Hopper's extra point pushed the lead to 42-28 with 12:26 left in the game.

Robinson, who struggled in the first half with a pair of end zone interceptions, then came to life. His 26-yard touchdown strike to Rob Lockhart and Golob's subsequent extra point with 11:09 left brought the Eagles to within 42-35. Reinhardt then drove inside the Faulkner 30, but on fourth-and-4 Mitchell Hoskins stopped Reinhardt quarterback Johnathon Chamblee a yard shy of the first-down stake, giving Robinson and the Eagles the ball back with 8:02 to play.

It took only five plays for Faulkner to tie it, with Robinson hooking up with Rashad Pargo from 50 yards out for the touchdown. Golob's kick made it 42-all with 5:03 left in the game. The Eagles' defense then came up big when cornerback Delvin Ervin knocked a pass attempt from Chamblee into the air, allowing the Eagles' Hoskins to snag in on the run. The senior linebacker then rambled 35 yards untouched for a touchdown that gave Faulkner a 49-42 lead with 3:50 to play.

"That play by Delvin and Hoskins was simply a great play," Boren said. "I felt like it kind of made up for the blocked field goal return. I thought Mitch's touchdown might be enough, but Reinhardt is so good offensively and they just kept making the plays they needed on that next drive."

Reinhardt (1-3) marched 75 yards in 14 plays for the equalizer - converting a pair of fourth downs along the way. Chamblee's 12-yard touchdown pass to L.J. Stegall with just 16 seconds on the clock sent the game to overtime tied at 49.

Faulkner won the toss, and its selection to play defense first paid off. After an incomplete pass on first down, a pair of running plays netted only six yards, leaving Reinhardt with a fourth-down decision from the Faulkner 19. Reinhardt head coach Danny Cronic opted for the field goal try, and after a delay of game penalty Hopper knocked it through the uprights.

On Faulkner's first offensive play in overtime, Robinson completed a short pass to Lockhart, leaving the Eagles with second-and-8 from the 23. Robinson then lofted a perfect pass to Lockhart in the back of the end zone, only to have it slip through the junior wideout's hands.

"Those things happen to every one of us if you play football long enough, but that's what's special about this team - we knew we were still gonna make a play," Robinson said. "It was gut-check time, and we had to respond."

The winning play is called "fox," according to Boren, and it had the receiver drawing single coverage on a lazy post pattern. Robinson, under pressure, threw it toward Peterson, who out-jumped his defender and a helping safety for game-ending touchdown. The Faulkner players erupted, mobbing Peterson in an end zone celebration.

"I was just overjoyed," said the 6-foot-1 Peterson, a transfer from Alabama State. "I thought we might just try to run it and get a little closer for a field goal. I was happy that Terrell had the confidence and faith in me to throw it my way. I've always told him in practice that if he gets in trouble back there to just throw it to me and I'd go up and get it. Without question, that was the most exciting play I've ever been involved in."

Robinson, who had five touchdown passes on the day, agreed.

"That kind of thing happened in high school a couple of times for me, but that's nothing compared to this," said the senior, who was 26-of-37 for 390 yards. "This was a divisional game against a very good team on the road, so for it to end like that was just amazing. Big players make big plays in big situations, and that's what Jazeric did today."

Robinson added 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground, complimenting the 126 yards on 21 carries effort from backup tailback Joe Jones, who was filling in for the injured Raquis Hale. Jones also had a touchdown for the Eagles. Pargo had just three catches on the day, but two went for long touchdowns of 79 and 50 yards. Hoskins had 11 solo tackles and 13 total, while Austin Kerr added nine solo stops to lead the Faulkner defensive effort. Faulkner ended the game with 574 yards of total offense, while Reinhardt finished with 499.

The game started red-hot for both teams, with each scoring on the first time they got the ball. Reinhardt took the opening kickoff and needed just four plays to find the end zone. The big play came from Stegall, who swept around left end for 51 yards that set up a first-and-goal from the 5. Two plays later Niagel Curtis burst up the middle for the touchdown, and Ryan Hopper's extra point made it 7-0 with 13:10 left in the opening quarter.

Faulkner answered right back, marching 83 yards on eight plays. Jones was the workhorse on the ground, accounting for 38 of the yards, the last six resulting in the score. Golob's point-after tied the game at 7 with 9:23 still on the first-quarter clock. Reinhardt regained the lead midway through the second quarter, with Chamblee finding Elliot Clark down the left sideline for 42 yards and the tie-breaking score. Hopper's kick made it 14-7 with 7:25 to play in the half.

Robinson guided the Eagles 53 yards to deadlock the game again, connecting with running back Mete Buckner on a 6-yard swing pass with 3:47 left. Golob's extra point tied the game at 14, and it stayed that way to halftime. Faulkner failed to cash in on great chances to score in each of the first two periods, with Anthonie Iudiciani and Richard Wilburn both intercepting Robinson in the end zone.

Faulkner took its first lead of the game at 21-14 early in the third quarter on Robinson's 3-yard run, only to see Reinhardt drive 68 and 43 yards on its next two possessions to regain the advantage. Deonte Dennis scored the first touchdown on a one-yard run, followed by Curtis' three-yard scamper to make it 28-21 with 1:43 to play in the third quarter.

Robinson found Pargo on a 79-yard scoring bomb on the second play following the kickoff to again tie the game, but Sam Jones would not be outdone, taking a handoff from Chamblee and racing 60 yards to the end zone to giving Reinhardt a 35-28 lead after three quarters and setting the stage for the frantic finish.

"Our guys are feeling really good about themselves and right now they should," Boren said. "Winning those type games can really do a lot for a team. This team battled back, and showed the ability to never give up and to believe in themselves."

Faulkner hosts 19th-ranked Lindsey Wilson next Saturday afternoon at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium. The game is set for a 1:30 kickoff.