Football Grabs Season Sweep Over Faulkner (Ala.), 35-24

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

Photo Courtesy of Al Levine

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After an up-and-down first half, the 10^th-ranked Eagles used a 14-3 third-quarter performance to separate themselves from the Eagles of Faulkner (Ala.), 35-24, inside the Cramton Bowl.

The victory allowed Reinhardt (6-0) to remain at the top of the Appalachian Division of the Mid-South Conference at 4-0. 

"Great win on the road," head coach James Miller said. "In the first half, we were not playing RU football. We had penalties on offense and our special teams kept putting our defense in tough situations. We found a way to keep the game tied at the half, and I challenged them at the half to calm down and play Reinhardt football; and we came out and dominated the second half. I'm super proud of this football team and the way we respond to adversity. Our defense held them to 157 total yards and nine first downs, and if we don't put them in bad field position, they would've played a great game.

"I thought offensively we moved the ball all day, we just had too many self-inflicted mistakes. In the second half, we put a lot of really good drives together and punched it in when it counted the most. I know our special teams will rebound – Coach Blue does a great job coaching – and we will get those groups right."

The first 30 minutes of action consisted of four touchdowns – two by each school – as the host Eagles got into the end zone on fourth down from one yard out for a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the afternoon. The visitors would then respond with a score of their own on a 9-yard touchdown reception from Logan Garner, but the extra-point was blocked, and the score remained, 7-6.

Faulkner got another short field a few minutes later and capitalized with another touchdown – a 2-yard run – to push its cushion to 14-6, and just as they did before, the visiting Eagles got right back in the paint and then tied the score on a two-point conversion to Navarie Solomon.

For the first time all afternoon, Reinhardt got the lead and never look back after Billy Hall found Dylan Kelly on a 5-yard slant for a score and a 21-14 advantage in the third quarter. The host Eagles again used a big special teams play to get deep into Reinhardt territory, but the hometown Eagles allowed just one yard on the drive to hold Faulkner to a field goal and a 21-17 deficit.

Hall would then lead the team on a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off by Brody Dorfman racing into the end zone from 11 yards out for a 28-17 spread. The advantage for Reinhardt would stretch to 35-17 later in the fourth period thanks to Ahmad Barron's 3-yarder.

The host Eagles would get back within 11 at 35-24 on a late touchdown run, but couldn't get within true striking distance the rest of the evening.

Hall had 179 yards passing and three touchdowns, but tossed a couple of interceptions as well. He aided in the Eagles totaling 445 yards of offense, including 266 on the ground.

Isaiah Blake (69 yards) and Willie McCloud (60) played big roles in the running game.

Reinhardt dominated time of possession at 43:32.

Defensively, Jalen Everett had seven tackles while Kenneth Lowery got a half-dozen and a sack. Tylan Oglesby also registered a pair of stops and an interception in the triumph.

The final road contest of the regular season is next week at Bluefield (Va.) at 1:30 p.m.

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