Homecoming Victory!

Thanks to a stingy defense that forced six West Virginia Tech turnovers and a surpris­ingly good kicking game that produced four field goals, the Eagles beat WVTU 26-15 to win back-to-back games for the first time in school history.
"We knew early on that if we were going to win this game, it was going to be up to our de­fense," Faulkner head coach Jim Nichols said. "Those guys played a great game. We chal­lenged them and they respond­ed. Our offense was really strug­gling, especially in the second half, but our D just refused to give up anything."
It didn't hurt that the WVTU offense seemed rather de­termined to give up everything.
Following the first Faulkner field goal of the day -- a 36-yarder from sophomore Paul Cink -- the Golden Bears re­sponded with a balanced rush­ing and passing attack that al­lowed them to go 59 yards in nine plays to grab the lead. Quarterback Michael Scott passed to Patrick Evans for the eight-yard score to put WVTU up 7-3 with 9:15 to go in the first quarter.
On that drive, the Golden Bears picked up 31 yards on four pass plays and ran five times for 28 yards.
"They really hurt us mixing it up on the first drive," Nichols said. "We were scrambling around to make adjustments."
There was no reason to fret.
Not counting sacks, WVTU attempted just 10 more running plays the rest of the game and gained just 15 more yards on the ground. Add in Faulkner's three sacks and the Golden Bears to­taled just eight yards on 18 car­ries.
"The idea after that first drive was that we were going to put as many men as possible in the box and stuff the run," Faulkner linebacker Sean Thom said. "If they didn't run it, we went after the quarterback. It was a surprise that they stopped trying to run it so quick, though."
But they did.
The Golden Bears allowed Scott to attempt 60 passes in the game. He completed just 31 of them. And threw five to Faulkn­er.
Of Scott's five interceptions, three came on the first play of drives. A fourth came on the sec­ond play of a drive. And his fifth ended a possible go-ahead drive when he was picked off in the end zone near the end of the third quarter.
Faulkner, in the meantime, was having problems of its own with turnovers. Eagles quarter­back Philip Moore was picked off three times in the game -- all of them coming in the second half. In one four-series stretch in the second half, Moore threw three picks and was whistled for intentional grounding in his end zone for a safety.
"We couldn't do anything of­fensively there in the second half," Nichols said. "With the defense playing so well, I got to a point where I didn't mind. We were playing it safe and relying on our D."
The one thing Faulkner did have going for it was a hot kick­ing game. After the early field goal from Cink, sophomore Jared Corder, who Nichols said has the strongest leg on the team, came on to knock through three more.
Corder's first field goal -- a 42-yarder midway through the second quarter - came just 28 seconds after a Moore one-yard TD run put the Eagles up 10-7. Corder also hit from 36 and 27 yards and Faulkner led 19-7 with 8:51 to go in the third quarter.
"You have to get points when you have an opportunity," Nich­ols said. "We've struggled with that this season, but I was proud of those guys today. They really came through and, I think, helped us maintain some mo­mentum."
The Golden Bears grabbed some of that momentum back with just under six minutes to play in the third, when Scott hooked up with Murvin John­son on a seven-yard TD play. Moore's grounding penalty and safety came on Faulkner's ensu­ing drive, allowing WVTU to pull within four with 3:51 to play in the third.
But again, the Eagles' de­fense came through.
The Golden Bears drove to the Faulkner 14 and were facing a fourth and six. Scott attempted to loft a pass into the corner of the end zone, but defensive back Q Brasswell got in front of his man and made the interception.
Faulkner tacked on a late TD when Moore hooked up with Mike Timmons on a 36-yard screen play with 6:47 to go.
"This was big for us, espe­cially for our defense," Thom said. "We've been talking a lot about doing things right and we finally put it all together here to­day. It really felt good to play that way."*Kicking it: Coming into Satur­day's game with West Virginia Tech, Faulkner was ranked sec­ond to last in the Mid-South Conference in field goal kicking. The Eagles had hit just 3 of their 8 attempts, with the longest coming from 27 yards.
Saturday's tally: 4-for-4, in­cluding a 42-yarder and two 36-yarders.
Asked if he was surprised by the sudden accuracy of sopho­more kickers Paul Cink and Jared Corder, Nichols was said he knew it was just a matter of time.
"We know their abilities," Nichols said. "This was just the first time in six weeks that we haven't had any wind to deal with. I'm serious about that. That's been the problem. These guys were kicking in 15 and 20-mile-per-hour winds every time out."
Whatever prompted the im­provements, they were game-changing for Faulkner.
Instead of being stuck going for it on fourth and long inside an opponent's 30-yard line, the Eagles got points.
If the importance of that was ever questioned, all it took was a look to the opposite sideline, where WVTU, which came in 0-for-8 on FG tries, was forced to go for it on four fourth-and-long plays in Faulkner territory.
The Golden Bears didn't con­vert any of them.*Still hitting: Junior linebacker Sean Thom came into Saturday's game as the leading tackler in NAIA play, with 118 total tackles through eight games. That's an average of just over 14 tackles per game.
Thom did nothing to hurt that average against WVTU, as he racked up 17 total tackles, in­cluding seven solo stops.
"He's just got a knack for al­ways being around the ball," Nichols said. "I think it's because he's so smart. He's a 4.0 student and he's very quick. You just ex­pect him to be around the ball on every play."*Firsts: With a second-year foot­ball program, the firsts come rather easily. Saturday's win gave Faulkner its first two-game winning streak and was the Ea­gles' first official win at home. (They beat Kentucky Christian at Cramton Bowl last season, but the NAIA doesn't recognize it as an official game.)
Faulkner also won its first homecoming game and set re­cords for interceptions, total takeaways in a game and field goals. Jared Corder's 42-yard field goal was also a career and program long.

Article by Josh Moon/The Montgomery Advertiser/Nov.2nd, 2008

VICTORY IN THE BLUE GRASS!

I know sometimes people think what I put on my blog is simply what people want to hear. However, this is not the case. Last week I posted about the importance of being a good "come from behind" team. I wrote about how we are pretty strong late in games. Well, we proved that Saturday against Kentucky Christian. Heading into the 4th quarter the Eagles were down 21-10 and the Knights of KCU were looking to run down the clock. The defense made a good stop in the middle of the 4th to give the offense a shot. Unable to move the ball, Faulkner punted with about 5 minutes left. Once again, the "D" stepped up and gave us the ball back. With two minutes left, the Eagles drove about 80 yards. A great catch run by Frankie Padula got us close then with one minute left Phillip Moore connected with Luther Burton for the go ahead score. The defense came back out and put the KCU on lock down to seal the win.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this team is really close. I say it all the time, but it's little things like this that prove that we are knocking on the door. Sometimes, it's hard to keep the faith. It's hard to sit in the stands and watch. But to become the best, you have to start small. I told Coach Nichols, that one day we will sit in some Mid-South Conference locker room and laugh about these days. But in order to get to those days we have to trudge through these days.

What a great feeling. Nothing beats a win, but nothing beats a win that both the offense and defense stood tall in the end when they needed to. I could not have thought of a better way to thank our traveling fans then giving them a road win. So to the Road Eagles, thank you and this win is just as much yours as it is ours.

Now, let's build off this win and win Homecoming this weekend. See you there!

GO EAGLES!

Lambuth game.

You have to understand how I see things. I understand what goes into building a program. Good people and baby steps. You can't run before you walk. Well, I know we have the good people, and I can see us taking baby steps, so we must be going in the right direction. Saturday at Lambuth was a good step. The final score does not really tell you the whole story. The Eagles did a great all around job. All season, I've seen little glimpses of the ability to come back. That is a huge talent you HAVE to have in college football. Well, Saturday we all saw that Faulkner has the ability to come back. The Eagles brought it within 14 points in the 4th quarter against a good team. You may think I saw that with tongue in cheek, but I assure you, if you saw how bad some of the officiating was, you know just how hard it was to climb back into this thing.

These guys did a great job. You have got to have the ability to fight your way out of a corner when things are not going your way. We proved that we can do that. I can promise you, that things are coming together. There will come a time when those long drives that end because of a penalty will end with a score. There will come a time when we won't have to fight our way back. All of this comes with time. A lot of people tell me that I look at the positives to much...well, I'm cool with that. I know what this group of young men can do, and there will be a day when Faulkner hits on all cylinders. When that day comes...WATCH OUT!

GO EAGLES!

"And the crowd goes wild"

Let me just say for the record, we have the best fans in all of football. Sure, being a 2nd year program the "newness" of a football program is still in the air, but I'm talking about the hardcore fans that are at EVERY game. There is a group of fans that no matter where the game is, they will be there. I know your telling your self, "the are probably parents". You would be right about that, but those are the type of people you build something around. Nothing is built without a firm foundation, that includes the fans. There have been some games where our visiting fans have impressed other schools. Faulkner traveling fans have even set attendance records at other schools. But that's really not what's important. Let me tell you what is important...

When you run onto the field or off these people are yelling and cheering as loud as they can...that's what's important. These folks care for, not only their sons, but the success of the program. Sure, we've hit our share of bumps along the way, but this program is heading into the right direction. There will come a day when this program is one of the best in the country, and these dedicated fans will be a big reason for that.

So, if you have not been to an away game, I encourage you to make a trip. Once you get there, look around at the Faulkner fans and thank them for making it to every game. For you parents who are unable to make away games...don't worry about a thing...these people are cheering for your boys as well. I assure you that this is a big family and these fans show love to all the team. Please excuse me if I don't list the name for fear of leaving someone off, but you know who you are and on behalf of the coaching staff, players, and the entire University...THANK YOU!

See you in Kentucky!

GO EAGLES!

Sorry for the delay...

Sorry for the delay in posts on the blog. You string together a couple of back to back road trips on top of every day duties and time will fly by. It seems like as soon as you get back from a trip you blink and you are right back on a bus again. Really, that's no excuse, but it's all I got right now. So let me catch up with a few articles today.

Coach Chat with Frank Padulla

A new feature on the blog this season will be Coach Chat. This is a chance to interview a few of our players and coaches so that you the fan can get to know some of the guys behind the numbers. So this week, I've sat down with Frank Padulla #25 a Jr. wide receiver from Panama City, Florida.

Coach: Frank, what do you think of the season so far?

FP: Obviously I would like us to have more wins, but things are starting to click. I've been in this type of offense before and it takes time to understand it and apply it on the field.

Coach: What is there to understand and apply?

FP: Tempo and finding green. This is a fast pace offense. Everything from play calling to executing the play needs to be quick. Then as a receiver, you must always have the ability to adjust to the QB and get into the open areas of the field. That takes younger players to learn. I think the past two games we've seen this starting to come into play more.

Coach: What's your favorite play?

FP: Any play where I get the ball (Laughing and flashing a wink). no seriously, any play where we are moving the chains. We have a lot of play makers out there and when one of my teammates makes a play is my favorite play.

Coach: Tell me about some one of your favorite play makers.

FP: I like Colton Terry, he's very scrappy and very disciplined. He knows this offense and what it takes to be successful on and off the field. He plays the game like I do. He plays like he's mad, but he's really having fun in everything he does. If I have to pick another play maker it would be Jurrell. You can knock him around and he will always come back and make a play. He NEVER says a word, he just goes to work...I love that.

Coach: How do you see the rest of the season playing out?

FP: Like I said, we are starting to click. We are standing at the door, and we are about to kick it in. If we continue to go in the direction I've seen the past two weeks, we should start putting up big numbers. If we do that, then we WILL win ball games. The coaches have done a great job keeping us motivated and focused on our goal.

Coach: What are those goals?

FP: Coach Nichols said all along that we are going to win our side of the conference and we can do that. Let's face it, we are still building a program from the ground up and we are doing a great job so far.

Coach: How are we going to reach that goal?

FP: Give me the ball! (again laughing)

Coach: Aren't you a little bit cocky?

FP: I have to be. Every time I go across the middle there is some linebacker looking to take my head off. The football field is no place to be if you're scared. I have a "go to work" attitude. No excuses...no matter what...do your job no matter how bad it will hurt. That requires a bit of attitude.

Coach: What do you plan to do after college?

FP: I'm planning on attending law school. Some folks have told me that I have a gift of "running my mouth". So, the best place for me to put that into use is in law. Seriously, I think I can help people and I want to put all of my talents to ggod use.

Coach: Thanks for your time and effort...now get to class!

FP: Yes sir.

Check back for more chats with players.

GO EAGLES!

Got to love those fighting Eagles!

When #18th ranked Union rolled into town, nobody gave the Eagles much of a chance. Once again Faulkner proved that they can play in this conference. After a tough loss against Huntingdon a week earlier, the Eagles went from the pot into the fire with Union. Loaded with pure athletes, Union looked to keep their undefeated streak alive. With the exception of ANOTHER big play, we were in this thing all the way.

Defense played big all day. After that big run, the defense got mad and started digging in. I know I say things like "if" and "exception of", but these are things you have to consider in a young program. There is really no excuse for giving up a 99 yard run or any big play for that matter. However, when you are playing your 13th game in history and you still hold the #18 team in the country to 23 points, you have to look at every little thing.

Bottom line, our defense did a great job. The QB for Union said he had never been hit that hard all season. Granted, that doesn't take the stink out of a loss, but again, we are building something bigger then ourselves. Sure, it's easy for us to sit here and complain about the losses, but when you are building something that will be here long after you are gone, this should be looked at as a huge moral victory.

As a coach, you want the "W", and often get tired of hearing, "you guys are getting better" but our fans our right. We are getting better. That's two straight games where we have been close enough to kick the door in, but just didn't finish. Offensively we have to finish a drive. Last two games we have driven the ball on the first drive then get bogged down. This will come with time. Trust me, the coaching staff and players are doing the right things. We are just learning to finish. Again, building a college program is a monumental task, and things don't happen over night. Just ask Huntingdon and Coach Turk. Not to long ago that team were going through the same growing pains. But games like we have had the past two weeks help that process. Obviously we want to win now...who wouldn't? It will come.We are a young and gritty team. We may be a bit undersized, but everyone on that field and sideline are fighters. Our guys battle to the end, and soon...very soon we will kick down that wall. It just takes time.

So, to all of our fans I say this. Thank you and hang in there. College football is a team effort and we consider you guys just as big of a part of this thing as we are. We can't do this without your support and we are fighting for you guys every week. You guys are helping us build this program from the ground up as well. Years from now we'll all look at these early years with gratitude and fondness. Thanks for all that you do for us and will continue to do for us.

We look forward to seeing you guys this weekend in Rome, Georgia as we take on the Hawks of Shorter. So pack your bags and let's roll into Rome as one big Faulkner family.

GO EAGLES