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| BRYAN - Chris Butcher's running was like a reign of terror, but a 40-second rain of errors proved Longview's downfall in a 26-20 loss to Bryan Friday night at Viking Stadium.
Bryan (2-2) took advantage of three Longview turnovers to score 21 points in 40 seconds en route to shocking 24-0 lead. The Vikings had taken a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter when a fumbled punt set up David Trotter's 21-yard field goal. But an avalanche of miscues started late in the period as Bryan's Cameron Spikes recovered Cedric Snoddy's fumble at the Longview 8-yard line. Two plays later, Bernard Walker blasted into the end zone and the Vikings took a 10-0 lead with 59 seconds showing. On the ensuing kickoff, Daydrion Taylor watched the ball roll to a stop on the 3-yard line, but didn't cover it. Bryan's John Lewis did, and Walked blasted into the end zone on the next play. The errors continued on Longview's second play of their next possession. Cory Hutchins, struggling for extra yardage, had the ball stripped from his grasp by Tony Bradford, who then sped 37 yards for the touchdown and a 24-0 lead with 19 seconds left in the quarter. "It was a bizarre situation. I've never seen anything like that happen that fast in a football game," Longview coach Robert Bero said. "Everything bad that could happen happened. Our team responded and learned that we can't put ourselves in that position and expect to win." Maybe not, but the Lobos came close. Longview's defense, when not handicapped by the four fumbles and one interception the Lobos committed, turned back Bryan's overmatched offense. The Vikings managed just 114 total yards on 48 offensive plays, a meager 2.4 yards per play. In the second half, Bryan managed just two first downs and was forced to punt after three plays three times. Another possession ended after two plays on a fumble and another concluded with a missed field goal attempt. By shutting down the Vikings, Longview's defense gave its offense a shot to get back in the game. Butcher almost made the shot a bull's eyes. "I felt like our football team had a chance to come back," Bero said. "We've been in this situation before and the kids have responded." Butcher, who scored on a 7-yard touchdown run to trim the margin to 24-7 at halftime, tallied back-to-back long distance touchdowns as the Lobos stormed back. Three plays after Derrick Culpepper recovered a fumble at midfield, Butcher exploded over the right side for a 41-yard touchdown. On the first play of Longview's next possession, Butcher sprinted left, but weaved his way back across the field and outran the Bryan secondary for a 70-yard touchdown with 4:05 showing in the third. Butcher finished with 208 yards on 27 carries, but apparently ran out of gas - or at least room. The Bryan defense shadowed his every move after the 70-yard touchdown and he gained just 16 yards on his next eight carries. |