What a Win!

As the season came to a close, the Eagles had one last game. Homecoming is the biggest game for any university, but for the Faulkner football program, it was even bigger. It was senior day and it would be the last time that these guys would ever play for the Eagles.

This was a special group of guys. These guys had been with the program from the very start and had given a lot toward this program. Sean Thom, Frank Padula, Scotty Pennington, Lincoln Taylor, and Jerod Corder. It was very special moment for these young men.

University of Virginia Wise, a Mid South Conference powerhouse, rolled into Montgomery looking for an easy win to finish their season...well, they got more then they expected. The Eagle defense led the way as Faulkner took their final game of the 2009 season. The defense allowed 240 yards of offense including -30 yards rushing and 10 sacks. That's right, 10 sacks. Matt Fleck led the sack party with 3 sacks. Sean Thom finished his career with 14 tackles and two sacks.

Offense was not to be out done. Frank Padula went out with a bang in his last game. Frank had 9 receptions for 123 yards including several big grabs in the final drive that lead to the game winning touchdown. The offense and defense played as one unit. If you were at the game then you know that the final drive was worth the price of admission. With the final score of 24-21, the Eagles took big steps toward 2010.

Staying Focused.

I've said all along that building a program from the ground up was no easy task. There is no manual for this job and definitely no blueprints to go by. You have to stand there and take your lumps just like everyone else has done through history. The Eagles are no different. We have had our bright moments, and then we have had our darker moments. Through it all, we have learned to stay focused. Really, that's on of the most important things you can teach a young man. After playing well last week against #11 Shorter, we stumbled a bit against Belhaven. Once again our defense stood tall.


Making the plays when we need them. With the exception of one big play given up, our defense played very well.

Offense still struggled at time to get their rhythm. No doubt we are going through growing pains with freshmen in key positions. However, these guys are getting valuable experience. I think we are just a few plays away from a break out game. With the emergence of a running game, our passing game is not far behind.Now, I know what you are thinking. You think I'm trying to put a positive spin on things. Well, yes I am. There is a lot to be positive about in light of our record. In the games against Shorter and Belhaven we made vast improvements compared to last year. Shorter alone beat us 49-0 last season. These are the steps that the average fan may not notice. The key is to stay focused and to let these players know that we are going in the right direction. That's not an easy thing to do, but it must be done in order to get these kids to buy into this program. Stay strong.

GO EAGLES!

Big Steps

I know that football is a crazy game. A lot of folks believe three years is enough time to become a great team. Those people are not alone. Players and coaches feel the same way. However, we are still very young and need to remember that success is measured in "baby" steps. After two tough losses against Huntingdon and Union, the Eagles took some of those steps Saturday against #11 Shorter.

Last season, Shorter blanked us 49-0. Coming into Saturday, everyone expected more of the same. For the first time, Faulkner showed how well they can play as a "TEAM". From offense, defense, and special teams Faulkner pulled together to show the home crowd that we have taken steps in the right direction.

Defense, once again stepped up to lead the way. Shorter has a very strong offense, but the Eagle defense rose to the challenge.

The defensive line was very active on Saturday, including scooping up a fumble and came close to "housing" it.


J.T Barker does what he does best in the secondary. Picking balls and crushing wide-outs.


One of the biggest improvements, was the Eagle ground game. The running back trio of Edwards, Taylor, and Cheatham ripped off chunks yards on their way to one of the best Faulkner ground attacks in school history.

This is something that Faulkner has to have if we expect the spread offense to work. When you can run at will, the pass will open up. There was no doubt that it did just that.

Special teams stepped up all day. From Corder punting the ball to, new comer Triston McCathern's 99 yard kick return for a touchdown. This also led to Triston grabbing the Mid South special teams player of the week.

There is no doubt that football is a team sport and in new programs this is the hardest thing to teach. Steps were taken Saturday that showed these guys have bought into Coach Bakers goals and ideas. From a coaching stand point, I was proud to see our guys fight for a chance to win. I won't take anything away from Shorter, they are a great team and won this game. However, we were in this game. If we had scored on that fumble recovery from Willie Mixon, it would have made that a 8 point ball game in the 4th quarter. It sounds like I'm grasping at straws, but these are the little victories that players, coaches, and fans need to grab and build on. Now, the key is, building off of this game. Can we carry it over into the next game. That's another step we need to teach these guys. I can't wait for Saturday and I hope you all feel the same way.

GO EAGLES!

Huntingdon Week.

For a lot of folks, they just now started thinking about the Huntingdon game. For the Eagles, we started thinking about the Hawks as soon as we got back on the buses after beating Webber. Words or blogs can not express how big this game is for Faulkner. For the past two years, Huntingdon has let the state of Alabama know that Montgomery is Hawk territory and I assure you, they have earned it. Have the Eagles turned the corner? I believe it is very possible they have.

I have been with this program since the very start, and I saw things in the Webber game that I have never seen before. I saw "maturity"! I believe this is something that this team has been lacking for the past two seasons. There were several times during the Webber game when the "old" Faulkner would have folded up, but not this team. They fought every down. This is something that we have lacked.

You better hold on to your hat. This is going to be a brawl. Turk ALWAYS has those boys ready and they play like it's their last. Well, so do we. I'm looking for an old fashion throw down. So if you want to see a great college football game, head on over to Huntingdon this Saturday and watch two class teams go at it.

1-0

Wow, what a great weekend. For the first time in Faulkner football history, the Eagles have started the season 1-0. I've been with the program since the start, and I can tell you that this team has a completely different attitude. When we boarded the bus we had a very business like attitude and I believe it showed on Saturday.

Let me start by saying that in the past two years Faulkner has some good defense, but nothing like we saw on Saturday. The Eagle defense was insane. Time and time again the defense stood strong. With three pass breakups, one interception, two forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks I believe they did their jobs. Oh, did I forget the four sacks? Yes, the Eagle defense played the best I have ever seen.

The offense is still a work in progress, however it showed just how fast it is capable of playing. True freshman, Joe Scott was called on to lead the team and he did a great job. Again, being since 2007, I can see a complete transformation. I'm expecting great things from the offense this year.

I think the biggest thing I was proud of was how mature our players were under pressure. Our guys battled all day against all kinds of obstacles. I believe that the Eagles may have turned the corner. Now it's back to work and prepare for the Hawks. Hope to see you there. If you were not able to be at the game, check out this link from Ryan Bartels. He did a GREAT job on filming. Enjoy.

http://faulknereagles.wordpress.com/

GO EAGLES!

First Scrimmage of 2009!

It's hard to believe that the first week of fall camp is under our belts, and we take another step closer to our first game on Aug. 29th. On Saturday we took our show on the road to Lee High School in front of a pretty good crowd for our first full scrimmage of this year. As a coach, I feel that we are moving fairly well in the right direction. Defense is always going to be ahead of the game this early...which is good. Most of our turnovers were due to tipped/dropped balls from our receivers. This is very fixable problem. Pass protection was solid, in fact, it was better then I have seen in some time, which our running backs enjoy very much. It was great to see some young players step up and make a name for themselves. A.J. Yelder ran from the opposite side of the field to lay a block that sprung Jurell Williams on his touchdown. That is just pure hustle. Leslie James, freshman from Andalusia, Alabama was very impressive. In this type of offense it's attention to detail that brings success, and players like James did just that. The little things in the game are just as important as the big things.

Defensively, I was impressed with the "hitters" that were on the field. It seems to me that our guys are flying all over the field and making big hits. Not to mention that they missed very few tackles. This is a huge improvement from last season. It always seemed that we had a hard time wrapping up last season. Well, it looks to me that problem has been addressed. Thom and Riggins were two linebackers that delivered some pain. There were many others.

This blog is meant to let our Eagle fans know about this "ins and outs" of our program. I can assure you that many of the problems from 2008 have been addressed. So get ready for a great season.

GO EAGLES!

2009 Fall Camp

When Gregg Baker pulled through the gates at Faulkner University on Monday, he had butterflies in his stomach.
The first-year head coach was about to conduct his first practice, and he was suf­fering from a strange combination of nerves and excitement.
"My stomach did a couple of flips," Baker said Monday afternoon, in between the Eagles' 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. two-a-day practices. "I never imagined this (when I accepted an assistant's position at Faulkn­er last year).
"Five years ago, I was the offensive line coach at Prattville High School, and I thought I'd hit the big time then. This here is just unbelievable to me. When I came through that gate this morning, I thought, 'I'm about to hold my first practice.' I can't describe that feeling."
After the initial weird feelings, though, the day went about like Baker expected.
The coaching staff wasted no time, as it went about installing new special teams formations and implementing new offen­sive and defensive schemes.
New defensive coordinator Duane McWhorter, the former Jeff Davis High School head coach, began teaching his phi­losophies to the players, and a five-way battle for the starting quarterback posi­tion got under way.
"Honestly, it was just a regular day," Baker said. "It wasn't much different from the practices last year. The coaches had everything very well organized and the players were ready to work. I couldn't have asked for more."
Monday's primary objective for the coaches was to evaluate the players and get some sense of where things stand at various positions. That theme will be car­ried out throughout the week, as the staff gets a handle on the talents of the new players.
"We've got a lot of good athletes that are new in the program and we're looking to see how all the pieces fit together," Baker said. "That will be the goal over the next couple of weeks (of camp). We've got our work cut out for us there -- there will be some good battles at some spots."
No spot will be more contested than quarterback.
As practice began Monday morning, five players -- two returning players, a junior college transfer and two incoming freshmen -- were vying for the starter's job.
And Baker said there was no favorite.
"It's a good, good battle for that spot that's probably going to go down to the week before that first game," he said. "I consider that a good problem to have -- having five guys qualified for the job. These are five pretty good QBs."
Faulkner will practice twice again to­day, Wednesday and Friday, once on Thurs­day and will hold its first scrimmage of the fall on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Robert E. Lee High School.

Josh Moon-Montgomery Advertiser