MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Receiving votes Faulkner (3-2, 0-1 MSC) couldn't take advantage of opportunities and had almost no answers for Bethel quarterback Destin Chance, as the Wildcats (2-2, 1-0 MSC) won the Mid-South Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium.
After losing Kamden Wellington to injury last week at Union Commonwealth, wide receiver Duece Marshall was back at QB after starting eight of Faulkner's 10 games last season, and he completed 10 of 16 passes for 139 yards, 75 of those coming on his scoring toss. Darian Riggs caught the touchdown to lead the receiving corps with 80 yards on his two receptions. RJ Randolph Jr. led the Eagle defense with 11 tackles, six of them solo.
Chance had a strong stat line of 23-of-43 for 329 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, which amounted to the only notable times the Faulkner defense had an answer for him. He distributed those passes to seven receivers, with Jayden Pressey leading the way with five catches for 122 yards and a score. Durrell Miller led the Bethel defense with eight tackles, six of them solo and one for loss. Darrien Lewis was just behind him with seven stops, five of them solo and two for loss, including one of Bethel's four sacks.
Faulkner drove inside the 20-yard line on its first two drives, the first after a badly shanked punt for Bethel landed three yards behind the line of scrimmage and the second after a Wildcat field goal. However, the Eagles came away with no points each time thanks to a missed field goal and a lost fumble on the delayed pitch by Marshall to a well-covered Robin Harris. For its part, Bethel didn't break through until its final drive before halftime, when Chance led his team 60 yards in 11 plays and hit paydirt on a 10-yard toss to Alonzo Russell on the post route. The PAT failed for a 9-0 Bethel halftime lead.
The Wildcats were pushing for more on their opening drive of the second half before Chance threw into double coverage in the endzone on third-and-long and a new addition to the roster in Mississippi College transfer Andra'e McMillian picked it off. The teams proceeded to trade three-and-outs, and Bethel punter Logan Miller made up for his earlier miscue by pinning the Eagles at their own three.
On the second play of the drive, Marshall kept it around the edge on the read option and outran the defense for a would-be 92-yard touchdown that got called back due to holding by the receiver running the route to his right. The end result was a gain of just 13 yards and a first down. Three plays after that, though, Marshall hit Riggs over the middle, and the former Mississippi College Choctaw on offense for the Eagles turned the corner and eluded two tacklers to finish what Marshall started and get his team on the board. It was the first touchdown Faulkner has scored on the Wildcats since its last win in the series, dating back to 2016 in McKenzie, Tenn.
Chance watched the 75-yard score and raised Faulkner one on the next snap from scrimmage, as after the touchback, he went long and found a wide-open Pressey behind the defense to restore a nine-point lead for the visitors. The two-play swing marked each team's longest offensive plays this season. Two plays after that, the ball was stripped from Gage Mims after the catch and Deshawn Love recovered and ran in the fumble from 14 yards out to stretch the lead to 23-7. After his defense forced another punt, Chance led his offense on one more scoring drive, covering 69 yards on 10 plays and ending in an 18-yard touchdown pass to Micah Jones.
Bethel is the only conference opponent for Faulkner that is not currently receiving any national poll votes. The MSC murderer's row continues next Saturday, Oct. 11, when No. 11 Georgetown comes to Montgomery for a noon kickoff.
