FAYETTEVILLE — Oh, what could have been.
Fayetteville drove into Bentonville territory on final possession of the game Friday, but a fourth-and-5 pass play from Austin Allen to Jordan Dennis into the corner of the endzone didn’t go as planned with just less than a minute to play.
With the Bulldogs trailing Bentonville 24-17 at the time, Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton had one thing on his mind.
“We were going to go for two points if we scored right there,” Patton said. “If we would have been able to punch it in there at the end, we might have had a little bit of deja vu. But it didn’t work out.”
Patton, of course, was referring to last year’s Class 7A state championship game when Fayetteville went for two points in overtime to defeat Bentonville, 29-28.
Despite the loss, however, Patton believes the strong effort against the Tigers proved to everyone Fayetteville is no pushover.
“Bentonville is a great team football, and they’re well coached,” Patton said, “But I think we’re a good football team, and our kids have the heart of a champion.
“That fought, they scratched and they clawed and they were right there. But hats off to Bentonville; they’re conference champions. And now, we can throw this season away and focus on the playoffs because that’s when they give the rings out.”
Plays of the Night: Fayetteville had two costly turnovers in the third quarter after building up the momentum with 17 unanswered points. An interception thrown in Bentonville territory by Austin Allen and a Brice Gahagans fumble prevented the Purple’Dogs from possibly adding another much needed score and instead allowed Bentonville to swing the game back in their favor.
Injury Update: No significant injuries were reported for Fayetteville.
Player of the Game: Jordan Dennis had eight catches for 90 yards and scored Fayetteville’s only offensive touchdown of the game, hauling in a 10-yard catch from Austin Allen on a third-and-8 play late in the first half. Dennis also played cornerback on defense and scored the Bulldogs’ other touchdown of the night when he intercepted Bentonville quarterback Reese Dollins and returned the pass 31 yards for six points on the second play of the third quarter.
Notable: Ryan Starr connected on a 52-yard field goal in the third quarter to give Fayetteville a 17-7 lead at the time. The kick is believed to be a school-record distance, breaking the previous mark of 51 yards set by Drew Patton in 2009 against Rogers Heritage. ... Allen threw just his third interception of the season Friday and his first since the opening week of the season. ... Bentonville sacked Allen eight times. ... The Tigers have now defeated Fayetteville in six consecutive regular season games.
The Lingo: “That was a great play call on that (halfback pass). Our safety bit on the run, and they got us there and that’s what great teams do.”
— DARYL PATTON
Fayetteville coach
Up Next: Fayetteville is the No. 2 seed from the 7A/6A-West in the Class 7A playoffs and receives a first-round bye. The Purple’Dogs will face the winner of the 7A-Central No. 3 seed Conway vs. 7A-West No. 6 seed Rogers High game Nov. 16 at Harmon Stadium.
That Figures
0 — Rushing touchdowns made by Bentonville tailback Tearris Wallace on Friday
1 — Number of times Fayetteville has received a first-round bye under current Class 7A playoff format
52 — Yards on school-record field goal kick by Ryan Starr in Friday’s loss at Bentonville
6-1 — Fayetteville’s final conference record, matching it’s best league mark since 2003