Key Plays Difference In Running-Back Duels

When a defense gives up 250 or more yards rushing to a single back the difficulty of winning is substantially increased but not impossible.

Lincoln football fans know this to be true with the Wolves having yielded 277 rushing yards to Malvern’s Montae Hernandez during a state playoff contest in November 2013, yet still were victorious, 41-21. When a team gets smashed in the mouth like that, (Hernandez was a solid 6-0, 201 pounds), they better have something to punch back with and Lincoln did. This was the game in which Tyler Cummings carried the day with 415 yards and 6 touchdowns on 34 carries — the seventh best single-game effort in Arkansas high school history.

And just because an offense has had success running the ball on a series or even a half doesn’t mean they can simply line up and impose their will on every play. Defenses make adjustments. This is another principle Lincoln is acquainted with. A major key to Lincoln winning at Malvern was stopping the Leopards in the second quarter after they cut Lincoln’s lead to 14-7. Former Lincoln middle linebacker Colton Barnum recalled the Wolves were getting beat on the outside as a defensive team.

“We were trying to correct it but sometimes a guy wasn’t in the gap and we’d blow an assignment,” Barnum said. “Malvern had more speed than we did in the backfield so we had to make sure we filled every gap.”

The stop enabled Lincoln to take a 21-7 advantage into halftime but the challenge once more manifested in the second half. Malvern scored on their first two offensive possessions, sandwiched around a Cummings touchdown, to trim Lincoln’s lead to 28-21. Barnum noticed Hernandez’ tendency to stop on a dime then cut back causing defenders to over-pursue, missing tackles. He kept trying to clue in his fellow defenders but they kept over-running Hernandez, so Barnum started hanging back and successfully read the cut-backs.

“In the second half, I don’t think we had as big of a problem with it,” Barnum said. “It was just us, playing football and manning up.”

After Cummings scored again pushing Lincoln back to a two-touchdown advantage of 35-21, Malvern moved the ball to midfield when Barnum closed the door with a big play.

“They were driving on us and I hit him [Hernandez] and he just has a bad hold on the ball and it falls out and Timmy Alexander and Johnny Yang fall on it,” Barnum said.

Malvern never recovered from the turnover, didn’t score in the fourth quarter, and Lincoln won 41-21 to secure the school’s firstever playoff win on the road.

First-year Lincoln head coach Don Harrison found himself in a similar situation when he was offensive coordinator at Newport in a 2012 playoff against Farmington. Cardinal runningback Spencer Boudrey rushed 25 times for 317 yards plus caught 4 passes for 151 yards. Harrison was calling Newport’s plays and countered with freshman Carl Turner rushing for 319 yards and the Greyhounds scored to go up 14 with 8:40 to go in the game but the Cardinals fought back on the strength of a pair of Boudrey touchdowns. Freshman Justice Hobbs threw a halfback option pass to Michael Ingram converting Farmington’s fifth 2-point try putting the Cardinals ahead near the three minute mark. Harrison’s offense responded in crunch time marching to the end zone in a 2:30 span. Harrison called Turner’s number 39 times on the ground but caught the Cardinals off- guard by sending Turner on a pass route out of the backfield resulting in a 42-yard gain.

“He caught a big play late in the game that got us in position,” Harrison said.

With 31 seconds to go Harrison changed things up by calling a short pass with Newport scoring from 5 yards out to win, 46-40.

“It was a great game. Farmington played hard,” Harrison said. “It just turned into one of those games where whoever had the ball last was going to win.”

Harrison’s whole family is from the western side of Arkansas and he and his wife had been talking about moving back. Still, he had a job at Newport and was very selective in choosing Lincoln.

“There were a lot of jobs open on this side of the state,” Harrison said. “When I came down to Lincoln, they really sold me on this place. I’m seeing what they’re seeing. We can turn this place into a great football program. There are a group of people from parents to kids to the administration that want a great football program. That’s where I want to be.” MARK HUMPHREY IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER.