Murphy – With two weeks since a disappointing 56-13 loss to Commerce, Ga., the Bulldogs football team was ready to play somebody else when Smoky Mountain came to David Gentry Field on Friday night.
Things didn’t go according to plan at first. The Mustangs’ Da’Mare Williams, an East Carolina commit, returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. It was the start of what Bulldogs head coach Joseph Watson called an “up and down” first half, but it didn’t faze Murphy too much.
The Bulldogs went 60 yards in two plays to tie the game, and as time wore on they proved to be too much for Smoky Mountain in a 49-27 win.
“A kickoff return kind of shocks you,” Watson said. “And then you think at times you got momentum and are about to take charge of the game, and then something else happens to you.
“I’m proud of our kids for continuing to fight back after bad things happened to them. We were really focused on playing with better effort and playing with better tempo, and we’re getting a little better at it.”
With Murphy (2-1 overall) having seven first-year starters on both sides of the ball, Watson said his team is still learning how to apply the next play mentality. There are still things to clean up, but the Bulldogs didn’t let the mistakes get to them.
They responded to Williams scoring on the opening kickoff with a solid return of their own, then went 60 yards in two plays. Brady Grant found Kenyon Nichols for a 40-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7. It was Nichols’ first career varsity touchdown.
“You have to move on and play the next play,” Watson said. “Because no matter what, they’re going to snap it the next play, so you have to be ready. I think we’re getting better at that, I don’t think we’re totally there, there’s a lot of things we have to work on in that category.”
An 11-yard touchdown by Stalcup extended the lead to 14-7 with 4:15 left in the first quarter, but Smoky Mountain (1-3) responded with a 68-yard scoring drive. A 26-yard touchdown run by Isaiah McNeely cut the Murphy lead to 14-13.
Things looked to stabilize in the second quarter, with Stalcup and Cameron Clem running for touchdowns. However, a blocked punt set the Mustangs up with prime field position, and Kavan Wilson hit Jayce Stillwell for a 21-yard touchdown to make it a one-possession game again.
Murphy answered right back, with Stalcup making a diving 16-yard touchdown catch right before the end of the second quarter to give Murphy a 35-21 halftime lead.
The second half was less chaotic. The Bulldogs still turned it over on their first possession, but the defense held strong, and a Brady Grant touchdown run and another connection from Grant to Stalcup extended the lead to 49-21. The Mustangs would add a garbage time touchdown late in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs’ backups.
Murphy continues its non-conference schedule next week, when Fannin County, Ga., (2-1) makes the trip across state lines from Blue Ridge. After a dispiriting 50-12 loss to Union County, Ga., to open the season, the Rebels bounced back with wins over Gilmer (38-14) and Pickens (52-28) before having a bye last week.
Fannin County has relied heavily on the quarterback-running back duo of Lawson Sullivan and Carson Callihan, as they combined for 625 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Rebels two wins. It’s a bit more top heavy than the balanced attack Fannin used to bulldoze Murphy in a 56-30 win last year, especially in a first half where everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Bulldogs in all three phases of the game.
“They do a good job with their scheme offensively and make you be sound on defense,” Watson said. “Because if you’re not, they’ll figure it out and they’ll punish you there.”