PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Graduate student Alex Sanders ran for 121 yards and a score and senior quarterback Lee Kirkland threw for two more as the University of Pikeville ended a two-game losing skid with a 24-20 win over Faulkner University on Saturday afternoon.
 
Sanders, who was injured on the opening kickoff two weeks ago and essentially missed both losses, had his yards on 19 carries and set two new school records: He now has more career carries than anyone in school history with 448, and established a new benchmark with his 11^th 100-plus-yard rushing game.
 
Faulkner (0-2) got on the scoreboard first, taking the opening kickoff and going to the end zone. The final 24 yards was covered by a pass from freshman Nehemiah Brossard to junior Malik Murray. Senior Caden Davis booted the extra-point for a 7-0 lead with 8:24 left in the opening period.
 
UPike (2-2) responded with a field goal on the first play of the second quarter, as senior Jakob Headley converted from 22 yards out to cut the deficit to 7-3.
 
Kirkland put the Bears on top with 11:47 left in the half when he found junior Ben Henson on a 39-yard scoring strike. Headley's PAT made it 10-7. Less than four minutes later, he connected with senior Bralin Barton for the final four yards of a scoring drive that made the edge 17-7 with 7:52 left before halftime.
 
Just when it looked as if the Bears could get comfortable, the Eagles came flying back to tie the game before halftime.
 
Davis kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:18 left, and after a turnover-on-downs, Brussard hit sophomore Daimon Hitchcock from 26 yards out to tie the score at 17 with eight seconds left.
 
The Bears posted the only score of the third period when Sanders covered 44 yards for pay dirt. Headley's boot made it 24-17 with 13:24 left in the quarter.
 
Faulkner scored what would prove to be the final points of the game when Davis connected on a 20-yard field goal with 14:13 left in the game.
 
Sanders' 121 yards was the lion's share of the 145 the Bears finished with. Kirkland was 23-for-39 for 224 yards and two scores. Henson had four catches for 114 yards to post his first career 100-yard receiving game.
 
Barton led the Bears with eight catches while graduate student Derrick Griffith added seven.
 
Broussard was 10-of-23 for 168 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles. Hitchcock had 51 yards on two carries to lead the receiving corps.
 
Sophomore Kaleb Jones led the Eagles with 51 rushing yards on 13 carries, while sophomore Jim Mays followed with 50 yards on 17 attempts.
 
Defensively, freshman Levi Evans led the Bears with eight tackles, seven of them being solos. Graduate student Myson Livingston and sophomore Brett Coleman followed with seven. Livingston, whose tackles were all of the solo variety, also had a sack and forced a fumble.
 
The Bears will enjoy their bye week and will return to action on Sept. 30 when they host Union College in their first-ever game in the AAC. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. at the W.C. Hambley Athletics Complex.