Franklin– Though Murphy missed a field goal in the red zone on its opening drive, the execution leading up to it was a sign of things to come. The Bulldogs offense was crisp, moving the ball at will. The offensive line got a good push up front, and several of those same linemen turned around on defense to make sure Franklin couldn’t do the same. It added up to a commanding 41-14 season-opening win in the Panther Pit.
“The defense did an outstanding job of getting us the ball right back and that’s when we said ‘let’s go,’” Murphy head coach Joseph Watson said. “We didn’t punt from then on until late in the quarter. Offensively and defensively we felt like we continued to take control of the game and continued to do what we needed to do.”
Both the Bulldogs (1-0 overall) and Panthers (0-1) had a lot of questions to answer after graduating big senior classes, and Murphy looked a step ahead. Franklin lacked speed and playmakers on both sides of the ball, while the Bulldogs got contributions from players new and old.
Senior Hunter Stalcup had another outstanding night with 219 yards of offense and four touchdowns, though it was freshman Cameron Clem who opened the scoring with a 43-yard touchdown run with 5:53 to go in the first quarter. Clem and Stalcup both ran for a game-high 116 rushing yards, helping the Bulldogs run for 343 yards compared to Franklin’s 58.
Every drive Murphy had in the second quarter ended with a Stalcup touchdown, while Franklin came up empty. Janthony Gooden, Brayden Killian and Ricky Queen were stout up front, with linebackers Will Joyner, Kadence Leatherwood and Brody Orton also flying to the ball. The Panthers had just 24 yards of offense in the first half.
“They did a good job of keeping fighting and playing physical,” Watson said. Franklin’s a physical football team, they did a good job of matching their physicality.”
Stalcup’s first touchdown was a three-yard run that put the Bulldogs up 13-0 with 11:36 to go in the quarter. On the
Panthers’ next drive, Brock Bradley’s pass tipped off Wyatt Cantrell’s hands into Trenton Russell’s, who returned the ball to the Franklin 23-yard line. Stalcup finished that drive with a one-yard touchdown run for a 19-0 lead with 8:31 to go in the quarter. Then following a bad snap on a punt gave the Bulldogs prime field position, Stalcup ran for a 24-yard touchdown on the next play.
After another Franklin punt, Brady Grant led Murphy 75 yards to the end zone in just five plays and 69 seconds. He finished the drive by finding a wide open Stalcup down the left side, and he cruised into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion run by Stalcup put the Bulldogs on top 34-0 with 40 seconds left in the second quarter. Grant completed 8-of-10 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in his varsity debut.
Russell intercepted another Bradley pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown 45 seconds into the second half for Murphy’s final score of the night. Franklin finally scored when Cantrell hauled in an Anderson Terrell pass for a 76-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, which ended up being nearly half of the Panthers 159 total yards. Braydon Hervey added a six-yard touchdown run with 1:39 to go.
The Bulldogs will welcome Commerce (Ga.) next week in what should be another physical game. The Tigers are a power-running triple option team, and Murphy eked out a 15-14 win at Commerce last year. The Tigers opened their season with a 21-19 win over Southside Christian Academy (S.C.)
It’s going to be very similar to the Franklin game,” Watson said. “You’re just going to have to be more physical than them and get after it.”