Eagles Let First Half Lead Slip Against Southeastern

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Football had one of those "Tale of Two Halves" type of games this afternoon at Ken White Field versus the Fire of Southeastern University.  The Eagles let a fourteen-point lead slip away in the second half of the game, which Reinhardt controlled all of the first half. The Fire would walk out of Waleska with the 23-20 win over the #10 Eagles.

From the first play from scrimmage, the Eagles set the tone of how they were going to play on Saturday afternoon which opened up with a 62-yard bomb from quarterback Taylor Jackson to wideout Jakari Clark. Clark was able to work up the left sideline and get behind the Southeastern corner with a stop-and-go pattern.  The ball dropped into Clark's hands and he waltzed right into the end zone which brought the Eagles' fans to their feet early.  This was. Clark's only reception of the game, but it was a big one that put the Eagles on the board first.

The Eagles scored two more touchdowns in the first half on short runs by running backs Jah Colbert and Quan Moss. Those touchdowns occurred in the second quarter for the two talented running backs allowing Reinhardt to jump out to a 20 to 6 halftime lead.

Southeastern was able to squeeze just 6 points in the first half on two field goals, but the Eagles had a firm grip on this game going into the halftime break. Keyovione Whitlock and the Eagle Defense were having a solid day keeping Southeastern out of the end zone. The Eagles' lead was short-lived as the Fire would come back strong in the third quarter as they took advantage of numerous mistakes by the Eagles.

The offensive line had a few false start penalties which slowed or halted drives, however, it was the two turnovers in the third quarter that allowed the Fire back into the game and ultimately win. The two turnovers occurred on an interception that was returned for a pick-six inside the Eagles' 25-yard line and a high snap that went well over the head of starting quarterback Taylor Jackson. On the high snap play, the Fire Defense quickly moved past the retreating QB Jackson and fell on the ball inside the Eagles' fifteen-yard line.

The two miscues allowed the Fire to cut the Eagle's first-half lead to just two four points.

In the fourth quarter, the game was suspended temporarily for lightning strikes in the area.  The stadium and field had to be cleared twice and the teams went back to the locker rooms. After the first lightning break was over, Southeastern was able to score a touchdown, which gave them the three-point lead.  The Eagles had one last chance to get another score after coming back from the second weather delay, but unfortunately for Eagles Fans - the double-reverse pass from QB Ethan Rice landed into a squad of Fire defenders. Southeastern made the final interception and closed out the game running the ball.

Starting quarterback, Taylor Jackson, had decent numbers - but most of his damage came in the first half of the game.  Jackson threw for 198 yards on 12 of 21 passes. He did have one touchdown pass (Jakari Clark) and one interception.

Jah Colbert would lead the team in rushing again with 92 total yards on 18 attempts for a 5.2 ypg average.

Cameron Brooks had an excellent game at cornerback for the Eagles as he had 7 tackles and one interception, which he returned for 15 yards.  He also had three key breakups against the Fire receivers. Whitlock led the Eagles in tackles with 8 total in the game and Kendrick Hawkins was next with 7 total tackles.

Next up for the Eagles will be a tough road matchup at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky.