Football Fayetteville Backfield Full Of Options

 STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Taylor Powell, Fayetteville quarterback, hands the ball off to running back Luke Rapert against Greenwood during the first half Monday at Harmon Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit photos.nwaonline.com to see more photographs from the scrimmage.
STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Taylor Powell, Fayetteville quarterback, hands the ball off to running back Luke Rapert against Greenwood during the first half Monday at Harmon Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit photos.nwaonline.com to see more photographs from the scrimmage.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Jack Lindsey and Taylor Powell were fully aware of the quarterback competition they were involved with throughout preseason camp. Lindsey, a 6-foot-1, junior, and Powell, a 6-1 sophomore, battled back and forth through spring drills, 7-on-7 tournaments and right to the end of fall practice workouts with the starting QB job at Fayetteville up for grabs.

After much evaluation, considering all the factors and even resorting to some coin tosses, Purple Bulldogs coach Daryl Patton still considers the battle for a starter a dead heat draw.

The Skinny

Fayetteville Offensive Line

Biggest Strength: Depth. … The tailback position has never had this many options in coach Daryl Patton’s time as coach. At quarterback, Jack Lindsey and Taylor Powell are both capable of leading the Bulldogs to victory.

Biggest Question Mark: Experience. … Both at quarterback and running back, the players who will get the bulk of the snaps this season aren’t well-tested on the varsity level.

"As of right now, both of the quarterbacks are co-starters," Patton said. "So what we did in our Monday scrimmage (against) Greenwood, we flipped a coin to see who would start and Jack won the coin toss and he started the scrimmage. So I told Taylor he would start the Lawton (Okla.) Eisenhower game, based on the rotation.

"So that's how we'll go. They're basically both our starters right now but obviously is one is the hot guy we'll stick with that quarterback. And if one starts pulling away from the other then we'll go another way and re-assess. But as long as they both keep working hard and keep competing and improving, we're going to play both of them."

Lindsey completed 7 of 9 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns in Monday's 35-13 scrimmage win over Greenwood. Powell was 8 of 11 for 124 yards, with one TD and one interception. "I have no hesitation with going with either one of them in a game to win," Patton said. "One thing that does kind of hurt is I thought we'd have a starter and a backup, and the backup would start in JV games on Monday night games. But now I'm not going play either one of them on Monday nights, so we're short a quarterback in JV games. But that's alright, because I'm pleased with how hard our quarterbacks have worked."

While Fayetteville has a two-headed option at quarterback, the running back position is filled with even more options this season for the Bulldogs. Junior Luke Rapert (5-9, 155) has emerged as the top guy in the system, running for 60 yards and a touchdown on eight carries against Greenwood.

"The guy that's been far and away the most consistent and the only one who can do everything we ask is Rapert," Fayetteville offensive coordinator Zak Clark said. "He just keeps getting better and he's one who refuses to go down. And he's just very valuable by his competitive and his versatility."

Sophomore Terrance Rock (5-9, 170) is Fayetteville's best home run threat out of the backfield, although Clark said the newcomer still has work to do on pass protection.

Juniors Javontae Smith (5-9, 200) and Rashad Brown (5-9, 200) are the power runners in Fayetteville's scheme. Smith, who Patton has named 'Little Emmitt', should present a good complement to the quicker Rapert and Rock, while Brown will also work some at fullback.

"We've always had one or maybe two pretty good running backs," Patton said. "But we've never had this many."

Another pleasant surprise in the backfield as of late has been Jon Willits. A converted lineman, Willits, a 5-foot-10, 230-pound senior, provides an aggressive mentality at fullback.

"In 7-on-7 he really surprised everyone with his hands and athleticism," Clark said. "So we moved him to fullback to just kind of try it out and he adds a physical presence at fullback that we haven't had. "He's not always right and he's still working at the position, but he adds an angry, physical attitude."

Sports on 08/28/2014

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