MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Dayne Brown's second season at the helm of Faulkner Football will begin August 29 as the schedule features four home games under an independent schedule with the Eagles leaving the Mid-South Conference. 

"We are grateful for the relationship with the Mid-South Conference over the last nearly two decades," VP of Athletics Reed Sutton said. "We have forged great relationships with so many departments and individuals over the years."

The schedule features seven very familiar names and two new schools that the Eagles will battle with in the fall as well as a couple of trophy games against some rivals. 

The Eagles kickoff in Lakeland, Fla. against Southeastern at 6 p.m. central, 7 eastern. The Fire made the NAIA Football Championship Series and defeated Reinhardt in the first round before falling to Keiser. The matchup will be the fourth straight season playing against the Fire and the 11th matchup all-time. SEU won last season's game on a late touchdown 26-19. Faulkner is 1-2 on the road against SEU and 4-6 overall. 

The home slate begins Labor Day Weekend when Union Commonwealth comes to town on September 5 for a noon kickoff at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium. The former conference foes have played 12 times previously, including the highest scoring competitive college football game in the history of the sport in 2011 with the Eagles winning 95-89. That game started a nine game win streak in the series. Faulkner won last season's matchup with a dominant 41-15 win in Barbourville, Ky. The weekend will also serve as the University's Friends and Family Weekend. 

The Battle of I-85 Belt is put on the line on Sept. 12 in Valley, Alabama where Faulkner will meet Point at 6 p.m. central. Faulkner is unbeaten in the eight meetings with the Skyhawks, including last season's 28-8 season kickoff win. 

The Stone-Campbell Cup revives on Sept. 19 after a five-year hiatus when Faulkner travels to Grayson, Ky. to take on Kentucky Christian at noon. Faulkner is 8-2 against the Knights and has held the Cup since 2013 with six successful defenses. It will be the Eagles' first trip to the Eastern Kentucky foothills since the "2020" season in March of 2021. 

The Eagles close out the early stretch of four road games over the first five weekends with a trip to Waleska, Georgia to take on Reinhardt where the Alabama-based Eagles seek just the second win against the former MSC-Appalachian Division foe ever. Faulkner is 1-10 against Reinhardt all-time.

After a bye week, Faulkner hits the road for its penultimate road trip on October 10 to Bethel (Tenn.) The Wildcats and the Eagles will meet for the fifth straight season with Faulkner seeking its first win in the series since 2016. 

After five weeks without a home game, the Eagles welcome a new face to "The Bill" as Andrew College comes over from Blakely, Ga. for homecoming. Andrew is a relatively new football program, beginning in 2024, and will be climbing from the JuCo ranks to the four-year world ahead of this season. The Fighting Tigers went 8-1 last season playing a lot of the same teams on the Faulkner Futures schedule last season. 

Senior Day will be the penultimate home game on Oct. 24 with the Eagles welcoming Fort Lauderdale to town for the first time as well. The Florida-based Eagles went 5-5 last season in the NCCAA, going 0-5 against NAIA opposition and 5-0 against non-NAIA teams.

Faulkner returns the trip to Andrew to complete a home-and-home in the same season with a Halloween matchup at 3 p.m. It will be just the third time that Faulkner has played the same opponent twice in the same year after playing both Point and Reinhardt twice in the Spring of 2021 for the "2020" season adjusted by COVID.

The Eagles wrap up the season on Nov. 7 against Cumberland (Tenn.) for Military Appreciation Day at 1 p.m. Faulkner. The Eagles are 7-7 all-time against the Phoenix but have not won since the six game win streak was snapped in 2023.