Neal, Defense dominate in win at Faulkner

Georgetown Head Coach Chris Oliver was adamant a week ago there would be no looking past Faulkner and towards a showdown with Lindsey Wilson in 2 weeks. His team proved him right today as the defense forced 4 turnovers and Darius Neal ran for 125 yards and 2 scores in a dominant 27-3 win at Faulkner. The Tigers improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Mid-South Conference.

Georgetown forced a 3-&-out on Faulkner's opening drive and thanks to a 30-yard punt return from Dillon Warren, the Tigers set up shop at the Eagles 24. The drive would ultimately stall inside the 10, which brought on Drew Rader for a 26-yard field goal to put the Tigers on top, 3-0. Faulkner responded with a drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal to tie the game with 5:28 left in the 1st. Gehrig Slunaker started the next drive with a 12-yard pass to JC Shegog. Darius Neal carried the yardage the rest of the drive with runs of 17, 7, 3 and 3. Georgetown would settle for a 24-yard field goal from Rader to take a 6-3 lead late in the 1st.

Faulkner would try 3 straight runs on its ensuing drive but was stopped and forced to punt on the 1st play of the 2nd quarter. The punt traveled just 26 yards, giving Georgetown the ball at the Eagles' 47. Offensive Coordinator, Michael Thrower, decided it was time to go deep. Gehrig Slunaker dropped a dime into the hands of JC Shegog down the right sideline. The result was a 47-yard Shegog house call and a 13-3 lead just 29 seconds into the 2nd quarter.

After each team was stopped on 4th down conversion attempts, Faulkner began to show life on offense. The Eagles moved inside the Georgetown 10-yard line. On 3rd & 3 from the 10, Faulkner QB Raequan Beal connected with Brody Smith on a drag route near the sideline. Smith tried fighting for extra yardage although he had the first down. He was stripped by Davon Starks, who recovered the fumble. After a Faulkner challenge, the call was upheld and Georgetown took over, keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard.

With Georgetown backed up, a bizarre sequence occurred that proved to be deflating for Faulkner. On 3rd down from the 6, Slunaker tried to extend the pass play in the backfield, but was stripped. It appeared that Faulkner recovered the ball at the Georgetown 2, but the ball popped loose again, went into the endzone and was recovered by Georgetown. Ultimately, the officials determined that Faulkner had clear possession in the field of play, and then fumbled into the endzone. With the Tiger recovery, it was ruled a touchback and Georgetown retained possession but at its own 20. The Tigers immediately looked to take advantage as Slunaker hooked up with Darius Neal on a 26-yard screen pass near midfield. Ultimately, the Tigers were unable to get close enough for points and took a 13-3 lead to halftime.

Georgetown opened the 3rd with possession. On a 3rd & 2, Neal rumbled up the gut for 13 yards to the Faulkner 48. After a Faulkner penalty, Georgetown had the ball at the Eagles' 25. Darius Neal took a handoff through the left side and bounced off multiple Faulkner defenders and rumbled home for a 25-yard touchdown, pushing the Tiger lead to 20-3 with 10 minutes left in the 3rd. Faulkner did little with the ball and saw its drive end with a punt after a Jacob Harmon sack. Georgetown took the ball back and moved to the Faulkner 30, but on 3rd down, Gehrig Slunaker had a pass intercepted and returned to the Georgetown 47. The defense was asked to hold firm once more and did. Faulkner went 3-&-out and punted to the GC 15. While the Tigers mustered just 19 yards on the drive, they took almost 5 minutes off the clock before Drew Rader's 1st punt of the game with 13:55 left in the 4th.

On Faulkner's 2nd play from scrimmage, Beal threw a pass over the middle that was initally caught but when the receiver landed on his back, the ball popped up in the air and Jacob Brass grabbed it before the ball hit the ground. Georgetown took over on the Eagles' 42. With a combination of Darius Neal and Isaiah Cobb carrying the load, the Tigers worked to the Faulkner 16, but were turned away on a 4th & 1. The Tiger defense liked that interception idea so much, it decided to do it again. Blake Hobbs stepped in front of a Beal pass and put the Tigers in business at the Faulkner 15. 3 plays later, Darius Neal took it in from 5 yards out and gave Georgetown the 27-3 final score.

For Neal, it marked the 5th time this season he ran for multiple touchdowns in a game. He now has 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, which is tied for 7th most in a season in program history. Eddie Eviston, Mitch Winburn, and Tyrone Groves all share the record with 16.

The defense held Faulkner to less than 5 yards offense in the 2nd half and just 4:08 of possession. Georgetown held the ball in the 2nd half for nearly 26 minutes. Chad Holleran led the defense with 7 tackles. Payton Standifer, Kyren Simpson, and Jacob Harmon added 4 tackles each.

Georgetown comes home next Saturday for a huge showdown with Lindsey Wilson that will have major Mid-South Conference implications. Kickoff at Toyota Stadium is set for 2:30pm.