MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A two-hour lightning delay with 9:27 to go in the second quarter nearly jeopardized Faulkner's chances of playing a complete game. However, despite constant rainfall, the game finished after a span of just under five hours. Under the inconvenient conditions, the receiving votes Eagles improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2015 with a hard-fought 34-10 victory over Florida Memorial at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium. The game was their first-ever matchup with the Lions, a second-year program still looking for its first win and playing outside the state of Florida for the first time.

The teams committed a combined 24 penalties, and the score could have been higher if not for flags wiping out two Florida Memorial touchdowns, as well as plenty of drops and fumbles to go around in the driving rain. The Eagles' win overshadowed a one-of-seven mark on third downs, four fumbles, though none were lost, and the visitors having possession for 10 minutes longer.
Kade Young spread the wealth for his offense, completing 15 of his 23 passes to six different receivers, for 212 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Charles Blackmon Jr. gained 83 yards rushing on 18 carries, leading the team for the third time in as many games, while Young was next with 66 yards on 11 rushes and Hunter Gibson had 49 on seven, with two scores. Jalen Browder also led the receiving corps for the third straight week with five catches for 101 yards. Isaiah Scott had 38 yards on three catches, and Satyler Wilson gained 33 on four receptions, with his first career score.

Antoine Williams played under center for the visitors and was held largely in check with a 16-of-41 night with a score and three picks. George Young was the team's workhorse with 69 yards on 20 carries. Christian Edgerson had four catches for 39 yards, more than double the output of the second-leading receiver.

As great as the offense's performance was, the Faulkner defense showed out all day. The most notable performance came courtesy of Malik Meadows. He racked up four tackles, two of them for loss, a sack and two pass breakups. Most importantly, however, Meadows set a program record. He made the 12th interception of his decorated Faulkner career to close out the contest, breaking the previous career record of 11 set in 2013 by Donny Ruggles. Aaron Reynolds and Ovurton Gates each got an interception and a pass breakup as well, with the latter getting the fifth pick of his career.
Alex Dawson had eight tackles and broke up a pass and Antonio Gurley registered seven tackles, with two of them for loss. Gates and Shae Taylor each tallied five tackles while Chinconie Lewis and Terry Brown had four apiece. Chris Thompson added two more pass breakups and a tackle for loss to his team's total. Joshua Mimms led the Lion defense with eight tackles. Devonte Lee had seven with two tackles for loss. Lemroy Lawrence got six of his own and Mickell Rucker had five with a blocked field goal. Darius Conley had an interception and a pass breakup for Florida Memorial's secondary.

On the opening drive of the game, Williams found Edgerson for a would-be 35-yard touchdown on fourth down, but a penalty negated the score, forcing a punt from the visitors. Faulkner's offense caught fire almost instantly, with a three-play, 87-yard scoring drive. On Young's first pass attempt of the game, he found Browder on a screen. The receiver took it and, making two defenders miss, sprinted down the sideline to get the Eagles on the board first. After Faulkner held the Lions to a field goal at the end of a 14-play drive, Young led another scoring drive, with two first down scrambles sandwiched around a dump-off to Scott, who gained 17 yards with several broken tackles. Two plays after Young's 21-yard run, he hit Wilson on a crossing pattern, and the freshman beat defenders into the endzone to give his team a 14-3 lead.

Young threw a pick on the second play of the second quarter, but a penalty and a Ke'Lontae Varner sack forced Florida Memorial to a punt, which only traveled to the visitors' 40. Gibson capped off the ensuing seven-play drive by powering in from six yards out to give his team a three-score lead, just two plays before lightning struck. The 21-3 lead would prove to be too much for the Lions to overcome.

After the teams traded punts to resume play after the delay, the Lions took possession with 7:08 left before halftime and began a drive that took up almost that whole time. Four plays into the series, Meadows would have had the record-breaking interception, but a pass interference call gave the ball back to the Lions. Facing 4th-and-10 from Faulkner's 33, Williams connected with Marcus Barthell in the end zone, but the officials called offensive pass interference, as Barthell pushed off to get free. However, on 4th-and-25, Faulkner was called for roughing the kicker on the punt attempt, resulting in the Lion first down. Seven plays later, though, 14 yards away from the score, Williams dropped the snap and threw an incompletion to end the scoring threat.

After a 1:30 timeout took the place of halftime because of the long delay beforehand, the third quarter saw no points scored. Faulkner's longest drives ended in a turnover on downs and a blocked field goal, the fourth attempt by Alvin Renteria that has had that result already this season. The Eagle defense continued to do its job throughout, though, bending but not breaking.

Florida Memorial punter Jonathan Bowels made an impressive feat on the third play of the final period, as he dropped the snap but picked it up and ran for a first down to extend the drive. The drive ended, however, when Jakai Stephens ran down and sacked Williams to set up 2nd-and-22. Williams threw it long, and Reynolds made the interception, the first of three in the quarter for the home team.

After exchanging punts once again, Gates made his pick on the second play of a Lion drive, batting the ball before coming down with it. On the next snapwith 4:45 left to play, Young perfectly placed the ball to Jaiveyon Tucker for the 23-yard touchdown, for another freshman wideout's first career score. The following drive saw Williams hit Edgerson from 39 yards out to make the score 27-10. Faulkner recovered the onside kick, and Gibson capped off the ensuing four-play, 50-yard drive with a seven-yard scoring run. One play later, Williams scrambled before releasing the throw. Meadows leaped over the receiver in front of the Faulkner sideline to appropriately end the game with his milestone interception, leading to victory formation for the Eagles.

Faulkner (3-0) gets next Saturday off, before opening Appalachian Division play by heading to the Virginia-West Virginia state line to take on Bluefield on Oct. 2.