File photo by Kevin Nagle
Editor’s note: Tonight’s Bryant-Fayetteville game will be broadcast at 93.7 FM and 690 AM Fox Sports Arkansas with pre-game at 6:30 p.m., and live streamed by Fidelity Local 6 here
By Rob Patrick
Admittedly inspired, the Benton Panthers took the Bryant Hornets to the brink in the Salt Bowl last Saturday. The Hornets pulled out a 49-42 victory in which neither team was particularly pleased with its defense.
With all due respect to the Panthers, the Hornets are faced with an even better offense this week when they travel to Fayetteville to take on the defending Class 7A State champions, an annual state powerhouse.
Though they’re not the team that scored 50 points or more in five of their 13 games last season including 53 in the State final against North Little Rock, the Bulldogs impressed with a come-from-behind victory on the road against what is considered among the best teams in Missouri, Blue Springs, 22-17, last Friday.
Junior quarterback Darius Bowers threw for 296 yards and two scores, going 24 of 32, and led the team in rushing with 61 yards on 16 tries. Last year, in mop-up work against a fledgling Hornet team, he was 5 of 6 for 44 yards.
Bryant head coach Buck James is convinced his team will play better defense this week and down the road.
“Our defense didn’t play to the level that we expect to play at,” he stated, adding that the emphasis during the week was both about improving effort and execution.
“The discipline of our defensive linemen,” he mentioned. “We’ve got to keep the offensive linemen off of our linebackers. Too many times Saturday night, we let them free release to our linebackers and that’s on our defensive linemen.
“We have guys who can make the plays and guys who should’ve been there to make the plays but, for one reason or another, whether it was the defensive line or the linebackers not getting where they’re supposed to be, we didn’t,” James said. “The consequence was them having big plays. We’ve got to eliminate that. We’ve got to play unselfish football, team football and do the things that it takes for a defensive unit to get off the field within three downs.”
Fayetteville’s latest new head coach is Billy Dawson, a native of Bentonville, who led the Russellville Cyclones to a 6A State title last year.
“He’s going to run the football and he’s going to make your linebackers decide if they want to cover or they want to play the run,” James said. “If the linebackers step up into the line of scrimmage then he’s going to throw to the wide receiver. He’s also going to do it to the safeties too. If they come and fill in the alleys then he’s going to throw over your head. They have a run-pass option and their linemen don’t even know what’s going to happen when the ball is snapped. Billy’s going to make the field 50 yards wide and 50 yards deep but they want to run the ball.”
Bryant’s offense nearly amassed 500 yards in Saturday’s game. Running back LaTavion Scott rushed for 124 yards and quarterback Ren Hefley completed 15 of 21 passes for 288 yards. James noted that the receivers had just one drop along the way and the Hornets were able complete short, medium and deep passes.
“We didn’t give up any sacks,” he noted. “Our protection was great. Picking up the blitz scheme that Benton had in that game was good for a young offensive line. Ren wasn’t hurried often and he did a great job of finding receivers. The line did a great job in the run game too, which enabled us to throw the football.”
Fayetteville bases out of a 4-3 cover-2 defense, the coach said.
“We’ll see 4-1 in what we’re trying to do,” he added. “They have very talented linebackers, a very well-schooled defensive line and very talented secondary. They’re going to be where they’re supposed to be, do what they’re supposed to do, a big challenge for our offense.”
The West has been a tough row to hoe for the Hornets in the past but last year they beat Springdale and Springdale Har-Ber in the playoffs, along with conference rival Fort Smith Southside, a West team traditionally that no Bryant team had beaten before. Likewise, Bryant is 0-5 against Fayetteville over the years.
“For the last eight years, probably the best football team in 7A without a doubt,” James said of the Purple Dogs. “A great program, back-to-back State champions. Billy Dawson is a winner in every aspect of the word.”
The Bulldogs lost 17 starters from last season but, the Bryant coach asserted, “Fayetteville’s the kind of program where they just reload, they don’t rebuild.
“This is why we practice,” he said of the challenge. “This is why we do what we’re supposed to do. This is what our program is going to be build off of, playing big games each and every week and trying to be the best that we can be.
“I hope our people can get up there,” James concluded. “The Arkansas-TCU game is Saturday so there’s going to be a buzz in the air. It’d be a great trip to come up there and catch both ballgames. I think, if the fans come, they won’t be disappointed in the effort the Bryant Hornets play with this week.”
