FAYETTEVILLE -- Players rushed the field Friday night at Harmon Stadium and celebrated much like a postseason game had just been won.
While Fayetteville's 43-33 victory over North Little Rock did have a playoff-like atmosphere, Bulldogs coach Daryl Patton was quick to point out that in the grand scheme of things it's still just one nonconference win.
That Figures
8 — Turnovers in Friday’s Fayetteville-North Little Rock game, five by the Charging Wildcats and three committed by the Bulldogs.
59 — Total rushing attempts by Fayetteville in Friday’s win.
83 — Total offensive plays for the Bulldogs.
185— Rushing yards for junior running back Luke Rapert, eighth-highest total at Fayetteville in the Daryl Patton era.
"That was a big win for us, no doubt," Patton said. "But at the end of the day, this is just week 2."
Fayetteville was dominant Friday. The Bulldogs picked up 24 first downs to North Little Rock's nine. Fayetteville had 373 yards of total offense and held the opponent to 261.
Despite building a 21-7 lead late in the first half, Fayetteville couldn't grab a firm hold on the victory until the closing minutes because of costly mistakes. A kickoff return by Dre Greenlaw was stripped and returned for a North Little Rock touchdown just before halftime. Two more quarterback sacks led to fumble recoveries for the Charging Wildcats, and both resulted in North Little Rock scores.
"We had way too many penalties tonight," Patton said. "And every time we were turning it over, they were taking it to the house. So we've got to clean that up."
Plays of the Night: Fayetteville leaned heavily on running back Luke Rapert in the fourth quarter. But in the redzone, the Bulldogs used a little bit of trickery for a pair of key scores when it mattered most. Trailing 27-21, receiver Bruce Armstrong scored on a misdirection reverse handoff from 14-yards out for a 28-27 lead with 9:39 left to play. Then after North Little Rock had quickly regained a 33-28 lead, Fayetteville went to its bag of tricks again to regain the lead for good. Tight end C.J. O'Grady threw a reverse handoff, 10-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Taylor Powell, giving the Purple'Dogs a 36-33 lead with 4:16 remaining.
Player of the Game: Rapert was a workhorse in the backfield for Fayetteville. He rushed 32 times for 185 yards and one touchdown, a 25-yard score that iced the victory with 1:42 to play. In the fourth quarter alone, Rapert had 14 carries for 87 yards as the Bulldogs never panicked and eventually wore North Little Rock with its ground and pound attack.
Injury Report: Dre Greenlaw was forced to leave the game on North Little Rock's next to last possession. The injury didn't appear serious, however, as Greenlaw hobbled to the sidelines with an apparent cramping issue.
Notable: Fayetteville is 6-0 against North Little Rock since the 2000 season, including 5-0 in the regular season. Three of those wins have come under coach Daryl Patton. ... Rapert's 185 rushing yards are the eight-most rushing yards at Fayetteville under Patton, and the most since Brice Gahagans ran for 210 against Jonesboro in 2010. ... Sophomore quarterback Taylor Powell started 6-for-6 passing, but finished just 9 of 22 for 131 yards.
Up Next: The Bulldogs visit Muskogee, Okla., at 7 p.m. Friday. This marks the second year in a row Fayetteville makes the trip to Muskogee. The Bulldogs escaped a potential upset last season with a 27-22 win over the Roughers. Muskogee is 0-2 this season, losing 35-7 in its opener at McAlester, Okla., and 34-0 on Friday at home against Owasso, Okla.
Sports on 09/14/2014