FAYETTEVILLE -- Defense wins championships is a sports saying that never gets old, and more times than not rings true in football.
Fayetteville has had several offensive stars produce plenty of highlights in three Class 7A state championships in the past seven years. The Bulldogs leaned on running back Cody Hammer in 2007, then turned to the arm of quarterback Austin Allen in the back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.
Bentonville vs. Fayetteville
War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Records: Bentonville Tigers, 8-4; Fayetteville Bulldogs, 11-2.
• On The Air: KAKS FM 99.5 FM and bentonvillehssports… (audio only) (Bentonville); KQSM 92.1 FM (Fayetteville).
• Between The Lines: This is Bentonville’s fifth consecutive trip to the state championship game and the sixth appearance in the last seven years. … Bentonville is 5-2 in its seven previous trips to War Memorial Stadium, and the two losses came against Fayetteville in 2011 and 2012. … Cody Scroggins became Bentonville’s career leader in receptions with his 41-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter of last week’s game against North Little Rock. He enters tonight’s game with 128. … Dylan Smith had 27 carries for 151 yards in last week’s game against North Little Rock, helping him surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season. … Junior QB Kasey Ford is a combined 21 of 34 passing for 453 yards and five touchdowns in his two games in Little Rock. … Fayetteville is back in the Class 7A finals for the fourth time in the last five seasons and the fifth time since 2007. … The Bulldogs defeated Fort Smith Southside, 56-14, in the state semifinals, their largest margin of victory in school history in the postseason. … Sophomore quarterback Taylor Powell completed 21 of 23 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the first half against the Rebels. … This is the fourth time overall Bentonville and Fayetteville have met in the state championship, with Bentonville’s one win coming in 2010. The Tigers won the regular season game every year before the two teams met in the finals.
• Players To Watch: Bentonville — RB Dylan Smith (Sr., 6-0, 200), QB Kasey Ford (Jr., 6-5, 242), WR Cody Scroggins (Sr., 6-0, 175), LB Harrison Rooney (Sr., 6-1, 200), DE Xavier Domineack (Sr., 6-1, 220). Fayetteville — QB Taylor Powell (So., 6-1, 190); RB Luke Rapert (Jr., 5-9, 170), TE C.J. O’Grady (Sr., 6-5, 240), DE Damani Carter (Sr., 6-0, 230), DB/PR/KR Dre Greenlaw (Sr., 6-1, 220)
• Hooten’s Rankings: Fayetteville is No. 2 in Class 7A. Bentonville is No. 1.
• Hooten’s Line: Bentonville by 9.
• Our Take: Bentonville 24, Fayetteville 14.
— Vernon Tarver • @NWAVernon
But each championship game, while showing flashes of offensive firepower, had one more common quality -- tough defense.
"I think in 2007 our defense got really hot in the playoffs and played well. In 2011 the defense played well all year, and in 2012 we played really good defense in the playoffs," Patton said. "And this defense this year, I've been really proud of our defense. They've been really solid and they've gotten better all year.
"If you even look at the Bentonville game earlier this year, they only had to go about 20 yards for most of their touchdowns. That's tough on any defense."
With many of the 7A-West's top offensive leaders coming through Fayetteville in recent seasons, the Bulldogs can often be tagged as more the offensive-minded team. But even with the likes of Brandon Allen, Austin Allen, Jordan Dennis and C.J. O'Grady making their way through the program to lead the offensive charge, this year's defense has more than held its own.
The Purple'Dogs (11-2) rank third in the 7A-West Conference in total defense -- behind Fort Smith Southside and Bentonville -- allowing 290.2 yards per game. Fayetteville ranks fourth in the league against the run, second against the pass and second in the 7A-West in defensive takeaways.
"In this conference, to do the things we've done and play the way we have, you definitely can't do it without defense," Patton said. "Guys like Miles Taliaferro, Damani Carter, Dre Greenlaw and Ian Jackson. And then Kennedy Wade and Colby Sigears in the secondary. Some workhorses in the middle like Harrison Schaefer and Taylor Beam, and Ridley Weeks who is another two-year starter.
"So we've got some players on defense. And coach (Wendell) Harris, our defensive coordinator, has been around, and the rest of our staff is doing a great job."
Taliaferro, a senior defensive back/linebacker, was a member of Fayetteville's 2012 team that defeated Bentonville 31-20 in the Class 7A finals that year. Along with Carter and Greenlaw, who were also around for the 2012 championship, he hopes that experience can help as Fayetteville prepares for another rematch with the Tigers (8-4) in this year's Class 7A finals at 12 p.m. today at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"I remember that year we played at Bentonville (in the regular season) as well," Taliaferro said. "That's always a tough place to play and we lost that game up there. But I remember after that game we got motivated. This team this year is a little bit younger, but we've done the same thing. We've gotten motivated after our loss (to Bentonville) and we've stepped up and improved."
Fayetteville will no doubt have to improve in all phases from its 45-2 loss in Week 10 if it stands a chance against Bentonville today. Patton points to turnovers as the biggest room for improvement from the loss. But like previous state championship games, all Bulldogs involved know defense will have a big say -- on both sides -- in determining the champion.
"I think on paper our defense doesn't stand up as the best," Taliaferro said. "But in times of need, and when we need it, we stand up and deliver and we're one of the best ones to overcome when we need to."
Sports on 12/06/2014