Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. – It wasn't pretty in the eyes of Faulkner head coach Charlie Boren, but the fourth-ranked Eagles made enough plays on both sides of the ball to escape with a 28-21 victory over 17th-ranked Lindsey Wilson here Saturday afternoon in a Mid-South Conference cross-divisional slugfest in front of a boisterous crowd of 2,200 at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium.
Faulkner freshman running back Joe Jones scored three touchdowns and quarterback Terrell Robinson passed for another, but it was the resiliency of the Eagles' defense that helped send Boren's team to its fifth straight victory without a loss in the NAIA's Game of the Week.
"It might not have looked too good, but we got great contributions on both sides of the ball today," Boren said. "When the offense was struggling a bit, the defense stepped up, and vice versa. It was a total team effort, and it took every bit of that effort to win today. Lindsey Wilson has a fine team. They're going to win a lot of football games."
After Robinson's scoring pass to a leaping Robert Lockhart with 5:00 left in the game gave the Eagles a 28-21 lead, the Mitchell Hoskins-led Faulkner defense stood tall. Following the kickoff, the Blue Raiders were held on four straight plays, turning the ball over on downs. Lindsey Wilson got one more shot with 1:02 left, but again four plays couldn't produce the 10 yards needed for a first down.
The final eight offensive plays for the Blue Raiders produced just four yards, with the Eagles' Marte Sears, Randall Reese, Aramis Calloway and Aaron Thompson joining Hoskins in making huge defensive plays to hold Lindsey Wilson at bay. Hoskins' biggest play of the day came late in the third quarter, when the senior linebacker forced and recovered a Lindsey Wilson fumble in Faulkner territory with the Eagles trailing 14-13. The Eagles then marched 60 yards in seven plays – the drive capped by Jones' third touchdown run of the day from 4 yards out. Robinson's two-point scamper gave the Eagles a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Lindsey Wilson refused to wilt, however, putting together an impressive drive of its own to tie it. Quarterback Branden Cresap completed all five of his passes for 38 yards as the Blue Raiders took it 77 yards in 12 plays, with Cresap sneaking across the goal line from the 2 for the touchdown. Caleb Keeton's point-after made it 21-21 with 8:38 left.
Robinson, the MSC's top offensive player the past three weeks, then sparked the game-winning drive. An 11-yard pass to Gabe Chambers produced a first down, and then a 31-yard scramble by the fleet-footed quarterback set the Eagles up at the Lindsey Wilson 23. Two plays later he lofted a pass to the end zone that Lockhart went high in the air to grab, and Faulkner had the lead again. Cameron Golob's extra point provided the seven-point cushion, and the Eagles' defense took control from there.
Robinson wasn't at his best for much of the game, throwing three interceptions, but he along with Jones provided enough damage on the ground to keep Faulkner's season perfect. Robinson did pass for 256 yards, completing 29 of 39 passes, but it was the 212 yards on the ground and Jones' three scores that proved to be the difference. Robinson had 118 yards rushing and Jones' added 104 more on the day.
"I think we proved that we can get it done a lot of different ways on offense," said Jones, who now has six touchdowns this season. "We have a lot of playmakers. Terrell runs the show, and all of us around him do our best to contribute too. Today we were able to do that."
Lockhart had seven catches for 82 yards to pace the Eagle's receivers, while Rashad Pargo and Chambers added five apiece. Jones caught five passes out of the backfield for 34 yards, adding to his big day.
The Faulkner defense held Lindsey Wilson to just 281 yards of total offense, with Hoskins' 11 total tackles setting the pace. Sears added eight tackles, while Austin Kerr and Dushonta Broughton added five apiece. Holden Keith chipped in four tackles and a sack. The Eagles forced two Blue Raider fumbles, with Caleb Taylor's recovery leading to Faulkner's first touchdown in the opening quarter.
Jones capped the 53-yard drive following the turnover by finding the end zone from a yard out, and Golob's kick made it 7-0. In the second quarter, Ladarian Smiley returned a short Blue Raider punt 38 yards to the visitors' 30-yard line, setting up another Faulkner score. Jones had 13 yards rushing on the six-play march, including the final yard that resulted in a 13-0 lead with 10-20 to play in the half. Golob's point-after attempt was blocked.
After Lindsey Wilson's Cortez Barber was ruled out of bounds at his own 1-yard line on the kickoff, the Blue Raiders needed just nine plays to go 99 yards to get on the scoreboard. Cresap's 34-yard touchdown pass to Barber and Keeton's subsequent kick made it 13-7 at the 6:42 mark. The Eagles had a chance to add to their lead late in the half after Robinson sprinted 40 yards to the Blue Raider 2 with less than a minute on the clock. Three running plays provided nothing, however, and after a dead ball 15-yard penalty on Faulkner following third down, Golob's 33-yard field goal try was wide right.
Midway through the third quarter, Lindsey Wilson's Josh Haney exploded through the Faulkner defense, racing 57 yards for a touchdown. When Keeton added the extra point, the Blue Raiders had their first lead of the game at 14-13. Lindsey Wilson held Faulkner scoreless in the third quarter, the first period the Eagles hadn't scored in all season. Faulkner responded in the final 15 minutes, setting the stage for a Top 10 showdown next Saturday in Georgetown, Ky., between the Eagles and the Tigers, ranked 6th in the latest NAIA poll.
"I know it will be another hard-fought game and I'm pretty sure they haven't forgotten what happened here a year ago," said Boren, referring to Faulkner's 55-31 victory last October. "It'll be a game fans, players and coaches dream about between two great football teams. It'll take our best effort to win."
Boren admitted that his team will also need to cut down on mistakes, with the Eagles having committed 15 penalties for 150 yards against Lindsey Wilson.
"Some of the penalties were effort penalties, and we can live with those, but it's the mental ones we have to correct," he said. "We'll keep working at it. One thing I know, it's a little more pleasant to correct problems while you're winning."
Faulkner's game at Georgetown next Saturday kicks off at 12:30 central time.
