Football: Fayetteville Survives Scare

FAYETTEVILLE -- Daryl Patton breathed a big sigh of the relief a day after getting out of Lawton, Okla., with a season-opening win.

There were plenty of unknowns for Fayetteville's coach going into the game against the Eisenhower Eagles. Eisenhower, led by first-year coach Danny Edelman, showed very little in a preseason scrimmage scouted by Fayetteville coaches, then hit the Purple'Dogs with a full-throttle spread offense that nearly paid off with an upset victory.

That Figures

4 — Touchdowns accounted for by sophomores; two rushing by Terrance Rock, two passing by Taylor Powell

12 — Penalties called on the Bulldogs in Friday’s win.

386 — Passing yards allowed by Fayetteville defense Friday

11-1 — Fayetteville record in season openers under Daryl Patton.

"I'll take all the blame," Patton said. "Lawton (Eisenhower) just outplayed us.

"It wasn't a lack of effort, and I was proud of the way we competed. And I though the difference was the way our defense did step up and make plays in the fourth quarter."

Plays of the Night: Fayetteville's offense struggled through the first quarter. Trailing 11-3, Malik Lockett returned a kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown to get momentum back on the Bulldogs' side with 8 minutes, 12 seconds left in the second quarter. ... Linebacker Ian Jackson and the Fayetteville defense made timely stops, especially in the fourth quarter. On Eisenhower's next-to-last possession of the game, Jackson helped pin the Eagles deep in their own territory with a big pass rush, allowing Fayetteville to score its final touchdown of the game to build a 14-point cushion.

Players of the Game: Sophomore running back Terrance Rock had quite a debut. Rock ran for a 29-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and basically took over offensively as Fayetteville was able to burn out the clock in the closing minutes.

"Terrance and Luke (Rapert) both played great," Patton said. "Terrance, with his speed, we've known since day one he's going to be special."

Notable: The Bulldogs improved to 11-1 in season openers under Patton. ... C.J. O'Grady caught two touchdown passes, one from each Fayetteville quarterback (Jack Lindsey and Taylor Powell).

Up Next: Fayetteville hosts North Little in a battle between two of the top teams in Class 7A. The game is a rematch of the 2012 state semifinals, won by the Bulldogs on a last-second field goal. The Charging Wildcats (1-0) defeated Little Rock Catholic, 17-7, on Thursday.

Sports on 09/07/2014

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