MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner (Ala.) University scored with 33 seconds left and held off the University of Pikeville 35-28 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Deuce Marshall threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 12 yarder to Cam Bulluck, for what proved to be the winning score for the Eagles.
 
UPike took possession of the ball and drove to the Eagle 24, as quarterback Lee Kirkland hit senior Diego Soto on a 34-yard pass. But the Bears couldn't find the end zone. On the final play, Kirkland was hit in the backfield and his final pass was intercepted to end the game.
 
The only score of the first period came by the Eagles, when quarterback Deuce Marshall connected with Drea Shumaker for 25 yards. Jacob Huff's PAT made it 7-0 with 5:49 left in the period.
 
The score went to 14-0 when Shumaker again found the end zone, this time from 34 yards out on a pass from Evan Eschbach with 11:06 left in the half.
 
UPike scored first with 8:25 left in the second quarter. It happened when Lee Kirkland found Jordan Williams on the sideline. At the point of the catch, Williams spun out of a tackle and covered 27 yards for the score.
 
Austan Shuffler's extra-point made it 14-7.
 
Marshall stretched the lead back to two scores when he hit La'Derrick Bell for a 25-yard touchdown with 5:04 still to play.
 
Kirkland responded with a minute left when he hit senior Diego Soto from the five to make it 21-14, but the Eagles sprinted downfield and scored with just 14 seconds left when Marshall hit Cam Bullock on a nice pass from the 14.
 
At the half, the Eagles led 28-14.
 
The Bears again pulled within seven, this time after a very nice 14-play, 78-yard drive that ate up 4:51. The Bears had kicked a field goal from 27-yards out, but offsides on the Eagles made it 4^th-and-1 from the five.
 
UPike took the points down and Kirkland scored on a five-yard scramble. Shuffler's PAT made it 28-21 with 3:02 left in the third.
 
The Bears then tied the game with 11:18 left when Kirkland hit Soto for the final eight yards of a three-play, 38-yard drive.
 
On the day he became the school's all-time leader in passes thrown, Kirkland finished 26-of-50 for 337 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. It's the 10^th time ever a Bear has thrown 50 or more times in a game; Kirkland has done it six times.
 
Soto hauled in nine passes, matching his career high, for 100 yards and two scores in the game. It was his fourth career 100-yard receiving game.
 
Jaylen Royal-Eiland caught four passes for 80 yards, while Jordan Williams hauled in four for 51 yards.
 
Tyrese Christian led the rushing attack for the Bears, covering 56 yards on 14 tries.
 
Caleb Anderson and Brent Coleman led Bears' defenders with seven tackles each. Anderson had a tackle for loss as well.
 
Marshall was 19-of-30 in the air for Faulkner for 329 yards to go with his four scores. He threw one interception, a pick by senior defensive back Ja'Vione Shepherd. Marshall was also the leading rusher for the Eagles, picking up 89 yards on 16 carries.
 
Bullock caught six passes for 131 while Bell hauled in five for 106.
 
UPike will have a bye next week heading into the start of league play. Up first will be Reinhardt (Ga.) University, which comes to the W.C. Hambley Athletics Complex for a 1:30 kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 5.