Franklin – When looking at film, Bulldogs head coach Joseph Watson has learned that it’s never as good as you thought it was during the game, but it’s also never as bad as you thought it was during the game.
That lesson applies to Murphy’s season-opening 35-15 loss to Franklin. He saw some things he liked Friday night, though ultimately the Bulldogs didn’t play well enough to come away with a win against an annual non-Smoky Mountain Conference opponent.
“We thought our kids played hard,” Watson said. “It was probably too many turnovers to overcome and too many mistakes. Your first game, you’re going to make some mistakes, though it was too many to overcome to beat a quality team like Franklin.”
Murphy, however, did get a good answer to one question that defined its preseason Friday. After practicing and throwing all week for the first time since he got injured in May’s state championship game, Kellen Rumfelt was under center at quarterback. He completed five of 13 attempts for 39 yards and ran for a touchdown, but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
“He was a little bit rusty,” Watson said. “Kellen was disappointed with how he played, and that’s understandable, but he’s going to be fine. He’s going to come back, and he’s going to be better.”
Turnovers were costly for the Bulldogs, who were tied with Franklin 7-7 after the first quarter but trailed 28-7 before scoring again. Both quarterbacks traded touchdowns in the first quarter, with the Panthers’ Chris McGuire running it in from 3 yards out and Rumfelt scoring on a 1-yard keeper. Kellen Stiles gave Franklin the lead with a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, then Rumfelt threw an interception on the next play. That led to a 51-yard touchdown pass from McGuire to Keegan Pollack, giving the Panthers a 21-7 lead.
“That was a big momentum change right there in the second quarter,” Watson said. “It kind of put us behind the chains there from then on out. It was tough to dig out of that hole.”
That allowed Franklin to go into a ball-control offense, focusing on bleeding the clock to limit the Bulldogs’ chances to catch up. The Panthers ran 59 plays compared to 39 for Murphy, and won the time of possession battle 28:55 to 18:50. Adding to the Bulldogs’ struggles, Franklin also went eight of 13 on third down and converted both of its third-down attempts.
Murphy didn’t quit, though, eventually came up short. Trailing 28-7, Payton McCracken recovered a fumble and returned it to deep in Franklin territory, leading to a Ty Laney touchdown and two-point conversion that cut the Panthers’ lead to 28-15. McGuire’s third touchdown of the night, this one an 18-yard strike to Davis Anders, sealed the win in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs entered the matchup having won three straight against Franklin, including a 48-14 win last season. Before that, the Panthers, who moved up from 2A to 3A this year, won 10 straight. During that streak, Murphy was able to win three straight championships and play in two more.
“You never want to lose, but everything that we’re still working is there for us,” Watson said. “It’s just about how you respond to what happened to you, and I think our kids are going to come back strong and come back hungry, and continue to work and continue fighting.”