Tenth-ranked Union rolls Faulkner 44-6
September 19
BARBOURVILLE- Ky. - No. 10 Union College kick-started its offense with a fake field goal for a touchdown late in the first quarter, then ran roughshod over Faulkner the rest of the way en route to a 44-6 victory here at Burch-Nau FIeld Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (2-1), leading just 3-0 with 2:17 to go in the opening quarter, lined up for a 32-yard field goal. But holder and starting quarterback Mike Brinkley took the snap and lobbed a pass to P.J. Burrowes in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown that sparked the rout. Union rolled up 550 yards of total offense to Faulkner's 181 yards, with the Eagles lone points coming on an interception return for a touchdown by safety J.T. Barker in the second quarter.
Faulkner (1-2) didn't threaten offensively until the fourth quarter, when backup quarterback Joe Scott passed for 112 yards and the Eagles earned six of their 12 total first downs. Twice Scott directed the Eagle offense inside the Bulldog 10, but Faulkner failed to score on each occasion.
"I thought Joe did some good things late in the game, but in the first half we just could not get anything going offensively and our defense just wore down, " Faulkner head coach Gregg Baker said. "Our defense played so hard. We just need to find a way to keep the football."
After Barker's pick and return for a touchdown cut the Union margin to 10-6, the Bulldogs took advantage of an interception of Faulkner quarterback Trey Martin to build on their lead. Linebacker William Rountree picked off the pass and returned it to the Faulkner 21, from where Brinkley found wideout Sean Mackey three plays later for a Bulldog touchdown. Chad Boyington's point after pushed the advantage to 17-6 with 9:58 left in the half.
On its next possition, Union marched 65 yards on 10 plays to add to its lead. Brinkley completed four passes on the drive, which culminated wth Peanut Means' 8-yard scamper for the touchdown with 3:22 to play in the half. Boyington's extra point allowed the Bulldogs to take a 24-6 lead into halftime. l
After a scoreless third quarter, the Union defense joined in the scoring fun, returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns. The Bulldogs' Lee Miles raced 37 yards after picking off Martin with 14:12 left in the game, while Armond Smith stole a Scott pass and sprinted 27 yards to the end zone with 3:32 on the clock. The two defensive scores sandwiched a Union 96-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a Brinkley-to-Rolando Dyer 80-yard pass that moved the ball inside the Faulkner 20. Brinkley finished it off with a 10-yard pass to Burrowes, who caught the deflected pass for touchdown.
Brinkley passed for 318 yards and three touchdowns on the afternoon, while tailback Antonio Drane gained 147 yards on the ground on 20 carries. The Eagles managed just 8 yards rushing, and failed to break 200 yards of total offense for the third straight game. Faulkner wideout Oliver Pollard was the Eagles' top receiver, catching four passes for 54 yards.
Faulkner's Quinton Prothro led all tacklers with 12, while Anthony Haywood added 10 and Sean Thom nine for the Eagles.
The Eagles host 12th-ranked Shorter College Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Cramton Bowl in their home opener.