LAKELAND, Fla. – The game got away from Faulkner in the second half Saturday as the Eagles dropped the season opener 34-0 to Southeastern.
Nate Mikell opened the scoring for the Fire with 2:19 remaining in the first quarter. Joseph Bonga added to the lead with a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown with 10:36 to play in the second, sending the game to half with a 14-0 margin.
Joel McGrath hit a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter before Jamil Jones stepped in front of a Faulkner pass for a 32-yard pick-six. Mikell found Alex Reyes on a 34-yard strike early in the fourth quarter to move the advantage to 31-0. McGrath added another field goal with 8:45 to go in the game, connecting from 31 yards out for a 34-0 lead.
Southeastern outpaced Faulkner 21-5 in first downs, relying largely on a ground game that saw the Fire run the ball 51 times for 233 yards. The Fire added 91 yards through the air to finish the night with 324 yards of total offense. For their part, the Eagles ran the ball 20 times for eight yards and connected on 11 of 28 passes for 79 yards, ending the evening with 87 yards of total offense.
La'Derrick Bell topped the Faulkner offense with seven receptions for 61 yards.
Elisha McNeil recorded eight total tackles to pace the defensive unit while Roc Clemens finished with a sack and a half.
Cole Porch punted 10 times for 377 yards with a long of 53 while putting a pair of kicks inside the 20.
Faulkner (0-1) hosts No. 18 Reinhardt next Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for its home opener.
