Garland coach Jeff Jordan said that there is no cause for alarm, even though DeSoto ran for 329 yards on his heralded defense.

"It's just one game, and I guarantee you we're not the last team to give up a lot of running yards to DeSoto," Jordan said. "We missed a bunch of tackles, and a lot of that is due to their kids."

Garland, once ranked as high as ninth in the state 5A poll, is 0-2 after the 47-14 loss to DeSoto last week. Garland had not given up 47 points in a game since 2005, when DeSoto won, 56-50, in five overtimes.

Perhaps more surprising is that Garland's defensive line, anchored by touted seniors Chancey Aghayere and Casey Walker, is considered one of the most talented in the nation.

"We're going to try to tackle better," Jordan said. "Our stuff is sound. We've just got to do a better job of executing it."

Greg Tepper