By JERRY BYRD JR., Journal Sports
Make no mistake about it, it was Reynolds Moore, not Les Miles, coaching the winning team in Tiger Stadium (north) Thursday night.
And it was Benton defensive back Landon Duggan, not LSU great Jacob Hester, who helped drive his Tigers to a stunning, dominating four-score halftime lead in the season opener for both teams.
The Tigers didn’t let up after a 55-minute weather delay, controlling the third quarter before Northwood tacked on a couple of late scores in a 34-12 Benton victory.
Duggan, along with the other Benton defenders, stymied an explosive Northwood attack. But it was his role in the Tigers’ “Diesel” package – a wildcat set for short-yardage situations on offense – that carried the home team to a 27-0 halftime advantage.
“I told the guys during walk-through this morning that this is what we want to do,” Moore said. ” I want to be able to go for it anywhere on the field, and I want to be able to trust you.”
Moore was a man of his word, calling for the Diesel package four times in the first half. The unit earned their head coach’s trust. Driving the truck from the quarterback position was Dugan, whose running style was reminiscent of Hester’s gritty runs between the tackles in clutch situations for LSU in its 2007 national championship season.
“We just implemented that this week,” Duggan said. “We weren’t sure if we were going to use it much. We were telling our guys. We told Coach, ‘Let’s go Diesel. We got it.’ They made great blocks and opened up great holes, and it made it easy for me.”
After creating a Northwood three-and-out and getting a shanked Falcon punt, Benton used a short field, mounting a 31-yard, eight-play drive which ended with Greg Manning’s conventional-by-comparison 1-yard touchdown run to get on the scoreboard.
Benton’s only miscue came on its second possession when Northwood’s Mar’Jayvious Moss picked off Benton’s Gray Walters.
Northwood drove to the Benton 35 before Falcon quarterback Mason Welch couldn’t hold on to the football on the first play of the second quarter.
The teams traded three-and-outs before Benton mounted a 63-yard touchdown drive, which was capped by a Duggan 1-yard run.
Duggan ripped off a 16-yard run on fourth-and-2 on the play before his touchdown.
Things went from bad to worse for the Falcons with back-to-back interceptions, with the first being returned 24 yards by Benton’s Josh Sanchez with 3:33 left in the half.
After Benton’s Jacob Crawford intercepted a pass, Moore put the ball in the hands of running back Ethan Johnson on the Tigers’ final possession of the half. Johnson did not disappoint, scoring from seven yards out for a 27-0 bulge.
The teams took the field after halftime but were sent back into the locker room for 30 minutes because of lightning strikes in the vicinity.
In the second half, Benton blocked a Northwood punt and defensive lineman Brandon Sanders recovered the ball at the Falcon 1-yard line. On the next play, Manning scored his second touchdown to give the Tigers a 34-0 lead with 3:30 left in the third quarter.
With under five minutes to go, Northwood took advantage of a Benton turnover. Welch found junior Elijah Crawford for a 38-yard touchdown pass.
The Falcons added another score with under a minute left in the game. Neither point after attempt was successful for the Falcons.
While the Diesel unit was a difference-maker, it was not as impressive as defensive coordinator Scott Reeder’s Tigers, who smothered an explosive Northwood attack.
“The difference between last week (loss to Airline in Bossier Lions Club Jamboree) to this week was day and night,” Reeder said. The unit made it difficult for Welch to get in a rhythm.
After the game, Moore made a point to go speak to Welch.
“That kid is tough as nails,” Moore said. “Last year, his entire body was cramping. He was trying to stay on the field. He couldn’t walk. I love that kid. I told him to hang in there and go win the next nine and get us some power points.”
Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com
Benton 34, Northwood 12
Score by quarters
Northwood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | – 12
Benton | 7 | 20 | 7 | 0 | – 34
Scoring summary
Ben – Greg Manning 1 run (Peyton May kick)
Ben – Landon Duggan 1 run (May kick)
Ben – Josh Sanchez (May kick)
Ben – Ethan Johnson 5 run (kick failed)
Ben – Manning 2 run (May kick)
Nw – Eluah Crawford 38 pass from Mason Welch (kick failed)
Nw – Desmond Harris 4 run (kick failed)
Individual leaders
Rushing – Northwood (27-150), Fabien Sanders 10-71, Welch 9-42, Quintavion White 5-16, D. Harris 2-22. Benton (41-111), Manning 18-35, Ethan Johnson 11-26, Gray Walters 5-13, Landon Duggan 3-8, Brady Blaylock 1-5.
Passing – Northwood (9-23-2-135), Welch 9-23-2-135. Benton (16-25-1-104), Walters 16-25-1-104.
Receiving – Northwood, Harris 3-22, Crawford 2-42, Marc Denison 2-20; Sanders 1-6. Benton, Jeffrey King 3-21, Pearce Russell 4-20, Andy Lim 3-20, Manning 2-21, Blaylock 2-15, Johnson 2-7.
Photo by JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports