Eagles wounded in tough loss to No. 7 Lambuth
October 19
by Wesley Lyle - Montgomery Advertiser
Saturday is a day the Faulkner football program would like to forget.
The Eagles could not match up with Lambuth University in a 59-0 loss. Lambuth (7-0, 3-0 Mid South Conference), the seventh-ranked team in the NAIA, rolled up more than 500 yards of offense, held Faulkner to 64 yards and recorded its third win by at least 40 points this season.
The loss was Faulkner's worst of the season and the second-worst margin of defeat in the three-year history of the program. To make the day worse, Faulkner (1-6, 0-4) couldn't escape the day without injuries.
Quarterback Trey Martin went down with an undisclosed injury in the second quarter and did not return. But the injury that caused the most concern was offensive tackle Josh Hawkins' broken leg in the first quarter.
Faulkner head coach Gregg Baker said Hawkins is the consummate team player. He related an exchange he had with his fallen player as Hawkins lay on the field at Alabama Christian.
"He's laying there in pain, and all of the sudden he starts apologizing to me," Baker said. "He's apologizing for getting hurt, like it was his fault or something. That says something about him. He's a guy that doesn't want to let his team down."
Hawkins originally came to Faulkner during the Eagles' inaugural season in 2007, but did not use any of his eligibility. After being away last season, the 6-foot-8, 325-pound Greenville native returned to the Eagles this season.
"He came in this year and has had a great attitude and worked hard," Baker said. "He's only a freshman, but he is a leader for us. He's got a lot of talent and losing him hurts us."
Fellow lineman Martin McCormick said the loss is a blow to the starting unit.
"This is the first year we've played together, but we've gotten to know each other," McCormick said. "He's a good guy and he loves football. He's one of the leaders on the offensive line. When you play so many snaps together, you build a bond."
McCormick started the game at left guard but had to move to left tackle when Hawkins went down. McCormick said Faulkner will have to push ahead and rally around their teammate.
"When something like that happens, you can either let it drag you down or fight harder and rally behind it," McCormick said.