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| ALLEN - After slipping last week, Longview returned to a strong level of play on Friday, but the Lobos were 20 seconds short of being able to beat the elite.
Longview's target was Allen, but the Eagles escaped as Alec Morris connected with Andrew Rodriguez on a nine-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining to give Allen a 24-20 win at Eagle Stadium. On the third-and-goal play, Morris fumbled the ball while scrambling, but the ball bounced back up to him and he found Rodriguez among a crowd of defenders. Allen (3-0), ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press' Class 5A state poll drove 73 yards in the final 2:39. Longview (1-2) drove to the Allen 47-yard line with two seconds remaining, but quarterback LaDarrin Robertson scrambled and was stopped by Allen's Nick Brewer at the Allen 24-yard line to end the game. The Lobos played considerably better than last week's sluggish, 28-14 loss to John Tyler. "We got a lot of questions answered, but I don't believe in moral victories," King said. "I feel better about our team than last week, but we still aren't good enough." Longview took a 20-17 lead into the 4th quarter on a 45-yard field goal by Kyle Jenkins with 2:04 remaining. Longview got the ball back with 5:41 remaining and advanced to the Allen 25-yard line, but the Lobos will called for illegal procedure, Robertson was sacked and Thaddeus LaGrone intercepted a Robertson pass to set up Allen's final drive. Allen's final drive was helped along by a personal foul call on the Lobos, as well as a 10-yard pass from Morris to Blake Boyd in which the ball appeared to bounce off the turf. No penalties were called on Allen the entire game. "I think the procedure call was big," King said. "We should have been able to run out the clock." Longview's running game did return with a vengeance. After rushing for 91 yards as a team against John Tyler, the Lobos rumbled for 266 yards against Allen. Leading the way was J'Haston Faggans, who went for 186 yards and a touchdown, after rushing for 160 yards in Longview's first two games this season. Allen countered with 441 total yards of offense, including 210 yards passing from Morris and 231 yards rushing, led by 112 from Jonathan Williams. After leaving in the second quarter in last week's game against John Tyler because of an ankle injury, Robertson started for the Lobos. However, the bulk of the offense in the first half came on the ground, led by Faggans. The junior tailback broke away for a 56-yard touchdown run on the fourth play from scrimmage to give Longview a 7-0 lead with 10:14 left in the first quarter. Faggans had 136 yards on 12 carries in the first half. Allen committed its first turnover of its 2010 season with 7:48 on a fumble by Williams, which Longview safety Joe Brown recovered at the Longview 23-yard line. Allen had six fumbles, losing three. On the ensuing drive however, Chris Hudson intercepted a Robertson pass and returned the pick 14 yards to the Longview 12-yard line, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Boyd with 5:23 left in the first quarter. Allen took a 10-7 lead with 9:17 left in the second quarter as Morris capped a 79-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run on a third-and-goal scramble. Morris was 12-for-16 passing for 127 yards in the first half. Longview countered quickly as a 43-yard kickoff return by Dakota Anthony put Longview at the Allen 46-yard line, setting up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Robertson to Blaine Tomlinson with 7:20 left in the first half. Three Faggans rushing attempts for 36 yards helped set up a 38-yard field goal by Kyle Jenkins with 1:40 left in the first half to give Longview a 17-10 halftime lead. Jenkins also had three kickoffs for touchbacks. Allen tied the game at 17-17 by opening the second half with an 80-yard drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown run by Williams, who rushed for 66 yards in the second half. Paul Walker added 84 yards rushing for Allen while Anthony had 50 yards on 10 carries for Longview. Allen standout receiver Jonathon Lee, who has verbally committed to Baylor, did not play because of a hamstring injury. The Lobos play rival Lufkin at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Lufkin's Abe Martin Stadium. |