Monday, December 3, 2012
LITTLE ROCK — Fayetteville quarterback Austin Allen talked calmly on Saturday night, enjoying a nice breeze on the field at War Memorial Stadium.
It was even hard to tell that he had broken much of a sweat in guiding his Bulldogs to a 31-20 win against Bentonville for the Bulldogs' second straight Class 7A state championship.
“Winning back-to-back state championships, my hat’s off to my coaches, my linemen, and the defense played a great game all around,” Allen said. “Going down as back-to-back quarterback to win state championships is a blessing, really, with all the teammates all around me. It's the best way to go out.”
He talked with a quiet confidence usually reserved for players years older and even coaches.
“Coach (Daryl) Patton said we've never repeated as state champions, so he put a little bit of pressure on us to come out and play our game,” Allen said. “We knew if we just executed on offense and defense, and with good special teams, that we'd be able to move the ball and stop them on defense. That's kind of what we did.”
Allen did not throw a touchdown pass but completed 19 of 28 passes for 198 yards and ran 10 times for 53 yards and a touchdown. He also punted twice for a 37.5 yard average and did the holding for extra points and field goals.
The heavier-than-normal workload with the quarterback runs was designed.
“We knew we weren't going to save him for next week,” Patton said. “We said he's going to run the football if he needs to, throw the football; there is no tomorrow. We're going to let it all hang loose.”
Allen is the first quarterback to win consecutive state titles in the state's largest classification since Clark Irwin guided Little Rock Central to state titles in 2003 and 2004. Before that it was Clinton Blunt, who won consecutive championships for Pine Bluff in 1993 and 1994, so it's a rare feat.
TEAM STATISTICS
Fayetteville Bentontille
First downs 23 18
by rushing 10 6
by passing 11 9
by penalty 2 3
Rushing attempts 33 24
Yards gained rushing 166 97
Yards lost rushing 18 16
NET YARDS RUSHING 148 81
NET YARDS PASSING 198 198
Passes attempted 28 29
Passes completed 19 18
Had intercepted 0 2
Total plays 61 53
Total yards 346 279
Average gain per play 5.7 5.3
Fumbles: number-lost 1-0 0-0
Penalties: number-lost 11-109 7-69
Punts: number-average 2-37.5 3-32.0
Punt returns: number-yards 0-0 2-14.0
Kickoff returns: number-yards 1-15.0 2-24.0
Interceptions: number-yards 2-76 0-0
Time of possession 27:46 20:14
Third-down conversions 5-11 4-9
Fourth-down conversions 0-0 0-2
Sacks by: number-yards 0-0 2-9
Fayetteville 0 7 14 10 — 31
Bentonville 7 0 7 6 — 20
First Quarter
Bentonville 7, Fayetteville 0
Tearris Wallace 2 run (Dillion Wade kick), 3:03
THE DRIVE: 88 yards in 11 plays
THE TIME: 4:43
KEY PLAYS: Reece Dollins 14-yard run on 2nd-and-2 to the Bentonville 34. Jack Kraus 13-yard pass from Dollins to the Fayetteville 2.
Second Quarter
Fayetteville 7, Bentonville 7
Brice Gahagans 1 run (Ryan Starr kick), 4:59
THE DRIVE: 36 yards in 8 plays
THE TIME: 3:02
KEY PLAYS: Austin Allen 14-yard run on 1st-and-10. Allen 7 run and fumble at the Bentonville 5, ball recovered by Allen.
Third Quarter
Fayetteville 14, Bentonville 7
Allen 12 run (Starr kick), 6:59
THE DRIVE: 72 yards in 8 plays
THE TIME: 3:12
KEY PLAYS: Allen 15-yard pass to Gahagans on 2nd-and-5. Allen 14-yard pass to Brooks Ellis on 1st-and-10 to the Bentonville 12.
Fayetteville 21, Bentonville 7
Jordan Dennis 42 interception return (Starr kick), 6:42
THE DRIVE: None
THE TIME: None
KEY PLAYS: Dennis intercepted a Dollins pass at the Tigers’ 42.
Fayetteville 21, Bentonville 14
Nate Gneiting 7 pass from Dollins (Wade kick), 2:35
THE DRIVE: 75 yards in 9 plays
THE TIME: 4:07
KEY PLAYS: Kraus 15-yard pass from Dollins on 2nd-and-9 to the Bentonville 41. Wallace 20-yard pass from Dollins on 1st-and-10 to the Fayetteville 29. Pass interference penalty at the Fayetteville 18.
Fourth Quarter
Fayetteville 24, Bentonville 14
FG Starr 23, 10:09
THE DRIVE: 75 yards in 11 plays
THE TIME: 4:26
KEY PLAYS: Roughing penalty on Fayetteville punt for first down at the Fayetteville 32. Gahagans 31-yard run on 1st-and-10 to the Bentonville 37.
Fayetteville 24, Bentonville 20
Jimmie Jackson 37 pass from Dollins (kick failed), 8:34
THE DRIVE: 80 yards in 7 plays
THE TIME: 1:35
KEY PLAYS: Wallace 11 yards on 1st-and-10 to the Bentonville 31. Jackson 17-yard pass from Dollins on 2nd-and-8 to midfield. Trey Perkins 12-yard pass from Dollins to the Fayetteville 43.
Fayetteville 31, Bentonville 20
Cole Harris 34 interception return (Starr kick), 1:56.
THE DRIVE: None
THE TIME: None
KEY PLAYS: Holding penalty and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Bentonville. Harris interception on 4th-and-20.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
FAYETTEVILLE
RUSHING
Name No. Net TDs Lg Avg.
Brice Gahagans 19 87 1 31 4.6
Austin Allen 10 53 14 1 5.3
Brayden Cook 2 8 0 7 4.0
TEAM 2 0 0 0 0.0
RECEIVING
Name No. Yds TDs Lg
Cole Harris 7 80 0 20
Brice Gahagans 4 37 0 15
Tom Coker 3 23 0 15
Jordan Dennis 2 26 0 17
Brooks Ellis 2 23 0 14
Chad Holmes 1 9 0 9
PASSING
Name C-A-I Yds TDs Lg Sks
Austin Allen 19-28-0 198 0 20 2
PUNTING
Name No. Yds Avg. Lg In20
Austin Allen 2 75 37.5 38 1
DEFENSE
Name Solo Ast Tot Loss Sacks
Heath McCracken 4 5 9 0 0
Brooks Ellis 3 6 9 1.0-3 0
Alex Brignoni 3 6 9 0 0
Brandyn Young 2 5 7 0.5-1 0
Cole Harris 2 2 4 0 0
Jordan Dennis 2 1 3 0 0
Reece Fitchue 1 2 3 0 0
Damani Carter 0 3 3 0.5-2 0
Taryll Henry 2 0 2 2.0-10 0
Gio Nigrete 1 1 2 0 0
Terrell Tyson 1 1 2 0 0
Four with 1 tackle each
BENTONVILLE
RUSHING
Name No. Net TDs Lg Avg.
Tearris Wallace 21 65 1 11 3.1
Reece Dollins 2 12 0 14 6.0
Clayton Wallace 1 4 0 4 4.0
RECEIVING
Name No. Yds TDs Lg
Jimmie Jackson 5 95 1 37
Tearris Wallace 5 29 0 20
Trey Perkins 3 28 0 12
Jack Kraus 2 28 0 15
Chris Scroggins 2 11 0 8
Nate Gneiting 1 7 1 7
PASSING
Name C-A-I Yds TDs Lg Sks
Reece Dollins 18-29-2 198 2 37 0
PUNTING
Name No. Yds Avg. Lg In20
Tearris Wallace 3 96 32.0 34 0
DEFENSE
Name Solo Ast Tot Loss Sacks
Clayton Wallace 4 4 8 2.5-13 2.0-9
Nicholas Fernandez 5 2 7 1.0-1 0
Chris Mizelle 3 4 7 0 0
Garrett Kaufman 0 7 7 0.5-4 0
Gavin Shadrick 4 1 5 0 0
Nate Gneiting 2 3 5 0 0
Jared Conover 2 3 5 0 0
Justin Fair 1 4 5 0 0
Austin Haggard 3 1 4 0 0
John Donald 2 2 4 0 0
Javier Carbonell 1 3 4 0 0
Four with 1 tackle each
QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
First Quarter
Fayetteville 0
Bentonville 7
Rushing Yards 18 31
Passing Yards 78 57
Total Yards 96 88
Time of Possession 7:17 4:43
Turnovers 0 0
HIGHLIGHTS
Garrett Kaufman: Bentonville LB tackled Fayetteville RB Brice Gahagans for no gain on 3rd-and-11 to end Fayetteville drive, forcing a punt.
Jimmie Jackson: Bentonville WR caught passes of 8, 28 yards on the Tigers’ first scoring drive.
Jack Kraus: Bentonville WR’s 12-yard catch of a throwback screen to the Fayetteville 2 set up the Tigers’ first touchdown.
Second Quarter
Fayetteville 0 7
Bentonville 7 0
Rushing Yards 51 19
Passing Yards 21 7
Total Yards 72 26
Time of Possession 6:35 5:25
Turnovers 0 0
HIGHLIGHTS
Austin Allen: Fayetteville QB ran for 14 yards to jump-start the Bulldogs’ second quarter scoring drive. He also added a 7-yard run at the end of the drive that ended in a fumble, which he recovered.
Brooks Ellis: Fayetteville LB had two key tackles to stall a Bentonville drive early in the quarter.
Clayton Wallace: Bentonville LB had a number of big stops for the Tigers and finished with a team-high 8 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Third Quarter
Fayetteville 0 7 14
Bentonville 7 0 7
Rushing Yards 44 11
Passing Yards 61 52
Total Yards 105 63
Time of Possession 5:13 6:47
Turnovers 0 1
HIGHLIGHTS
Austin Allen: Fayetteville QB led the go-ahead touchdown drive with key passes of 15 yards to Gahagans, 10 yards to Cole Harris and 14 yards to Brooks Ellis to set up his own 12-yard touchdown scramble.
Jordan Dennis: One play after Allen’s touchdown, Dennis jumped a sideline rout and intercepted a Bentonville pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.
Reece Dollins: Bentonville QB rebounded from the pick-6 to lead the Tigers on a touchdown march with several key passes, capped by a 7-yard strike to Nate Gneiting.
Fourth Quarter
Fayetteville 0 7 14 10
Bentonville 7 0 7 6
Rushing Yards 35 20
Passing Yards 38 21
Total Yards 73 41
Time of Possession 8:07 3:53
Turnovers 0 1
HIGHLIGHTS
Jimmie Jackson: Bentonville WR came up with 2 big pass receptions, including a 17-yard catch to midfield, and a 37-yard touchdown catch to pull the Tigers to within 24-20.
Ryan Starr: Fayetteville kicker drilled a 23-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 24-14 lead.
Cole Harris: Fayetteville DB put the finishing touches on the Bulldogs’ second straight state title with a 34-yard interception return.
KEY PERFORMERS
Austin Allen, Fayetteville: The senior made plays with his arm and legs in his final game for the Bulldogs. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 198 yards, but he showed he could also be a dual threat by rushing for 53 yards on 10 carries and giving Fayetteville its first lead on a tough 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Tearris Wallace, Bentonville: The star tailback kept Bentonville’s offense moving despite his difficulty with breaking long runs against Fayetteville. He gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with a 2-yard touchdown run toward the end of the first quarter, and he finished with 21 carries for 65 yards to go along with five catches for 29 yards.
Brice Gahagans, Fayetteville: Bentonville’s defense had trouble tackling Gahagans, who gained 87 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. His 1-yard touchdown run tied the score at 7-7 in the second quarter, and he was even more effective in the second half while rushing 12 times for 60 yards.
Clayton Wallace, Bentonville: The junior linebacker made things tough on Fayetteville quarterback Austin Allen, especially early on. He recorded a pair of early sacks and finished with a team-high eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.
Jordan Dennis, Fayetteville: Dennis had only two catches for 26 yards, but he had a much bigger impact on defense. His 42-yard interception return for a touchdown was one of the key turning points in the game and gave Fayetteville a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Jimmie Jackson, Bentonville: Jackson led all receivers with five catches for 95 yards, with his biggest moment coming as the Tigers attempted to make a late comeback. He made an impressive 37-yard touchdown catch that got Bentonville within 24-20 with 8 minutes, 34 seconds remaining.
Cole Harris, Fayetteville: The senior made an impact on both sides of the football. He led Fayetteville with seven catches for 80 yards, but his biggest play came with 1:56 remaining when he returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown to seal the win.
Reece Dollins, Bentonville: The senior quarterback helped lead the Tigers back after they fell behind by double figures. He threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes, finishing 18-for-29 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of costly interceptions.
Brooks Ellis, Fayetteville: The Fayetteville linebacker showed why he’ll be playing for Arkansas in the fall. The senior tied for the team high with nine tackles, including one for a loss, and he play a role in limiting Bentonville running back Tearris Wallace.
DEFENSE
Fayetteville's defense was responsible for half of the Bulldogs' touchdowns on Saturday night.
Jordan Dennis jumped a pass out into the flat to Bentonville running back Tearris Wallace and raced untouched 42 yards for a touchdown after the interception with 6 minutes, 42 seconds left in the third quarter that put Fayetteville up 21-7.
Cole Harris sealed the Bulldogs' win with a 34-yard interception on a desperation fourth-down pass across the middle with 1:56 left that set the final score.
“There's nobody that spends more time studying game film and studying tendencies than out defensive coaches,” Patton said. “They had a great game plan. We felt like going in that we were going to shut them down.”
Fayetteville held Wallace to just 65 yards rushing with a touchdown on 21 carries. Last week in a 30-28 win in the semifinals, Fayetteville held Altee Tenpenny to just 51 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. In a 38-17 win in the second round, the Bulldogs held Conway's Jeff Anderson to 50 yards on 19 carries and out of the end zone.
“Wallace is as good a back as you're going to see,” Patton said. “Tenpenny is as good a back as you're going to see. We've played really good run defense all year, really. Tonight they brought it and did a good job of gang-tackling, getting off blocks and forcing them to do something they didn't want to do and that's throw the football.”
ANATOMY OF A WIN
Fayetteville obviously parleyed the two interception returns for touchdowns into the win on Saturday night, which are huge plays for a defense.
“Statistically, a team that scores one defensive touchdown wins 78 percent of the time or something like that. It's high,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “When you get two, that just doesn't happen.”
Penalties also played a big part in the game. Bentonville suffered consecutive holding and unsportsmanslike conduct penalties on the same play that led to fourth-and-20, and Harris' interception return for a touchdown.
Bentonville also committed a roughing penalty when Fayetteville was punting on fourth-and-13 from its own 17 against the wind late in the third quarter. Instead of possibly taking over near midfield, Fayetteville continued the drive and Ryan Starr booted a 23-yard field goal to bump the Bulldogs' lead to 24-14.
NUMBERS
Fayetteville had 15 big plays of 10 or more yards, accounting for 221 of the team's 345 yards. Bentonville had 12 big plays of 10 or more yards, accounting for 199 of its 279 yards.
Fayetteville gained an average of 6.4 yards per first-down play. Bentonville managed just 4.8 per first-down play.
Fayetteville gained an average of 5.8 yards on third down. Bentonville managed only 3.8 per third-down play.
Fayetteville converted 5-of-11 third-down attempts, needing an average of 7 yards to pick up a first down. Bentonville converted 4-of-9 on third down, but faced an average of 9.1 yards to move the chains.
Fayetteville converted its only fourth-down attempt in the game while Bentonville failed on two tries.
w Fayetteville's average drive start was its own 33. Bentonville's average drive start was its own 25.
That Figures
3 — state championships for Fayetteville
3 — straight years Fayetteville and Bentonville have played in the state championship game
32 — wins by Fayetteville's senior class, most in school history