WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - Faulkner (4-3, 1-2 MSC) led University of the Cumberlands (3-4, 0-3 MSC) 28-7 heading into the fourth quarter at James H. Taylor, II Stadium, looking for its first conference win since beating Cumberland on Homecoming of 2022 and its first Mid-South win on the road since winning in a blowout at Campbellsville that year. The offense was clicking as early and often as it was in the Eagles' most recent successful trips to the Bluegrass State, in that Campbellsville game and at Union Commonwealth last month. Then it was nearly gone.
The Patriots scored 21 unanswered to force overtime as Faulkner missed a would-be game-winning field goal as time expired in regulation and took its first lead of the game three plays into OT. However, as he has on numerous occasions through the last 90 minutes of game time, Duece Marshall responded by taking the designed QB draw up the gut 25 yards for the touchdown to pull the Eagles within one. After a gutsy surprise onside kick call last week, Head Coach Dayne Brown did one better and kept his offense on the field for a two-point try and the win. Marshall took the snap as he and the line ran right, but the senior Swiss army knife stopped and threw to the left across his body, finding a wide-open Gage Mims for the vindicating and much-overdue victory and a winning record heading into the teeth of the Mid-South slate.
Marshall stayed on his tear that began in the second half comeback versus Georgetown last week, leading all rushers with 179 yards and four TDs on 24 carries. He completed just six of 18 passes, but they went for 106 yards and the other score. Robin Harris added 59 yards on 13 carries as he and Marshall worked to keep the clock running, while also leading his team with 64 yards on two receptions. Elijah Short and Kenneth Johnson tied for the team lead with seven tackles, and Johnson had 1.5 sacks. Caleb Williams had six stops, two solo, with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Dezmun Crenshaw and Elisha McNeil each had five stops, 2.5 of Crenshaw's coming on sacks, and McNeil added a QB hurry. Promise Williams and AJ Alozie had the other solo tackles for loss for the Eagles. Braxton Berrey punted four times for an eye-popping 228 yards for an average of 57 and a long of 70.
After Faulkner's opening drive ended in a blocked field goal, Marshall kicked off the scoring on the next drive, covering 78 yards in seven plays, with an exclamation point by taking the draw behind his blocks and down the sideline for the 52-yard scamper.
The Patriots equalized four plays later as Drew Gregg found DK Edwards for a 47-yard bomb. However, the Eagles answered right back with a 12-play scoring drive, moving the chains with two UC penalties and rushes by Marshall and Harris. Marshall cashed it in with a run fake and a perfectly laced ball to an uncovered Mims in the right corner of the endzone from 18 yards out. The teams traded punts until the final drive of the half, when Johnson and Crenshaw sacked Gregg with 25 seconds left and Cumberlands let time expire without using a timeout despite Faulkner receiving the second-half kickoff.
Kentrell Borden returned said kick up to his own 43, but after a sack of Marshall, one of three for the home team, all by Hunter Zirkle, Faulkner faced 3rd-and-13. Marshall dumped off a screen to Harris, who found his blocks and didn't stop until he was pushed out of bounds at the Patriot four. With four receivers to his right, Marshall took the snap and faked the pass before shaking off a shoestring tackle and breaking another attempt as he coasted into the endzone to finish off the four-play drive and put his team up 21-7.
After the defense forced another punt, the offense started at its own 12 but slowly and steadily moved the chains, doing so with a five-yard pass to Borden, two 12-yard scrambles by Marshall and an 11-yard rush by Styles Hughes after trucking a defender. Then, facing 4th-and-11 at the Cumberlands 40, Berrey faked the punt and found a perfectly uncovered Kamauri Whetstone for 18 yards. Marshall hit paydirt once again two plays later from 22 yards out, wrapping up a 16-play drive that took 7:50 off the clock. The fake handoff completely fooled the Patriots as Marshall dragged the lone defender who made contact into the endzone.
That might have been curtains if not for Gregg, who led his offense on drives of 89 yards on eight plays, 89 yards on six plays and 93 yards on 14 snaps to provide the home fans with momentum and free football. He first hit Jalavis Wilson for a 27-yard score before finding Michael Petty on throws of 54 and 29 yards, the last with 48 seconds left in regulation, all while the Patriot defense forced consecutive three-and-outs. Marshall nearly helped Faulkner end it after the tying score, as the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and the senior from Jackson, Miss., escaped a sack and scrambled for 21 yards. Huff's would-be 53-yard field goal attempt four plays later was blocked, though an offsides call moved him five yards closer. That kick fell short on its own. However, that simply made the ending more satisfying for Marshall and the Eagle offense.
Faulkner has earned its first win in Williamsburg in four tries and just its second win over the Patriots in eight meetings. Both wins came in walkoff fashion in overtime, as Faulkner won 23-20 at home in '22 with Jaiveyon Tucker's 13-yard TD from Ben Anderson. The Eagles avenged the one that got away last season when the Patriots scored two touchdowns in 58 seconds for a 26-21 win at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium.
Having survived this test and having gotten the 16-game Mid-South monkey off their back, the Eagles have an even tougher contest next Saturday at currently-No. 7 Lindsey Wilson, who dispatched these Patriots 62-13 last week. However, the Blue Raiders fell on the road to No. 9 Campbellsville 34-31 today, who Faulkner will face in two weeks in its home finale on November 1 for Homecoming.
