For the first time in five seasons, the Fort Campbell Falcons will enter the second week of the season with a winning record. The Falcons used an 18-point second quarter to take control of the game, and then held on late to defeat Marshall County Friday night at Fryar Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter, which saw the Falcons offense struggle to find a rhythm, Fort Campbell got two touchdowns from senior quarterback Abdel Howard, and a highlight reel 85-yard touchdown from senior running back Denoris Buchanan with 4-seconds left in the half to go to the locker room with an 18-0 lead.
Marshall County got a spark in the 3rd quarter as Tyler Stevenson returned an Abdel Howard interception for a 30-yard TD. The Marshals added a two yard run with 9:52 to go in the game, but the Falcons defense, which played well all night long, made the plays it needed to seal the 18-12 win.
Denoris Buchanan led the Falcons with 172-yards rushing and one touchdown. He also had one interception on defense. Abdel Howard only had 22 rushing yards, but scored twice for Fort Campbell, which opens the season at 1-0 for the first time since 2012, when they defeated Clarksville in double overtime.
For the night, the Falcons outgained the Marshals 252 to 197. After the game, new Falcon head coach Josh Robins spoke about the winning start to the season.
Fort Campbell will hit the road next Friday night, as they travel to take on Russellville at Rhea Stadium. The Panthers lost their opener at Glasgow Friday night 21-13.