MUS Sports News

Owls Manhandle 5-A Powe

Could anyone imagine it would be so easy?

Facing the Bartlett Panthers, a 3-1 team that had the 6th-ranked defense in the Shelby-Metro area, MUS executed their game plan brilliantly and minimized mistakes to take a surprisingly easy 28-7 victory on the road last Friday night.

Running much of the offense out of the shotgun, quarterback John Phillips got great protection and picked the Panther secondary apart as he completed 8-12 passes for 126 yards. And the success in the passing game, which spread the Bartlett defense out, opened up the running attack for the Owls (4-2, 0-1). The Panthers (3-2) seemed a step slow much of the night and never could get any offense going on the warm September evening.

MUS jumped out quickly on Bartlett. On the opening drive, Phillips hit several passes to receiver Jamie Drinan, who had 4 catches for 77 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the 3rd quarter. Those completions, one for 10 yards and another for 29, got the Owls close. RB Ross Rutledge finished the 9-play, 67-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge, and the David Thompson PAT gave MUS the early 7-0 lead.

Bartlett was ineffective offensively for most of the first quarter. Their only real threat was RB Charles Hodge, a big, 220-pound back who picked up 109 yards on 19 carries for the game. But they could not sustain any drives early.

The Panthers finally garnered some offensive momentum following a second-quarter MUS turnover, the Owls' only giveaway of the game.

Taking the ball at their own 27-yard line, the Panthers pounded the Owls with Hodge to get into MUS territory. Finally, from the MUS 24, Bartlett used a misdirection running play as RB Jeff Brown went untouched into the end zone for the score. Kyle Hudson kicked the extra point true, and Bartlett had tied the score at 7.

But the Owls took the lead for good on their next drive. Running a variety of run and pass plays to keep the Panthers off-balance, Phillips led MUS down the field. Then, on the 8th play of the drive, Phillips hit TE Blake Lindsay for a 7-yard scoring pass. Thompson's PAT gave MUS the 14-7 lead, a lead they would never relinquish.

In the second half, the Owls' defense dominated, and the MUS running game controlled the clock.

Rutledge got his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter as he went in from 2 yards out following a Bartlett turnover early in the second half.

Then, in the final quarter, Phillips finished off his solid evening as he scored from 3 yards out on a bootleg to complete the scoring. That play culminated a dominant 15-play drive that amassed 71 yards and 5:41 off the clock.

The stat sheet looked just as one-sided as the scoreboard for the Owls. MUS gained 354 total yards, including 205 on the ground against a defense that had not allowed a touchdown in their previous two games. Meanwhile, the Panthers could only amass 175 total yards with 73 of those coming on their only scoring drive.

The Owls also had an amazing 10 rushers run the ball as they tried to keep the pressure on the overworked Bartlett defense. MUS ran 26 more plays than Bartlett and eventually wore the bigger Panthers down to claim the win, a non-region victory that is extremely important as overall record is just as important as conference record when determining playoff teams in the Super 7.

The Owls return to Super-7 action this week as MBA travels down I-40 for the 7:30 PM kickoff. The Big Red, the three-time defending state champion, will come in angry after losing to CBHS 14-11 in Nashville last Friday night. The loss to the Purple Wave marked MBA's second defeat of the season.

Owls Grind Out Win Against Rival

Behind 124 yards rushing by running back Ross Rutledge and 135 passing yards from quarterback John Phillips, MUS grabbed a large lead and held on to defeat Briarcrest 27-12 last Friday night at Hull-Dobbs Field.

Despite the tragic circumstances of the week, the Owls came out and clamped down early on the Saints. Even though MUS (3-2, 0-1) did not score in the first quarter, the Owl defense gave Briarcrest (2-2) very little and held them down until the offense could get cranked up.

The MUS offense finally got a score early in the second quarter. From the Saint 10-yard line, John Phillips rolled out and fought his way into the end zone to give the Owls the lead and complete the 60-yard drive. The David Thompson PAT put MUS up 7-0.

The Owls extended that lead to 14 on the next possession as Rutledge went in from 6 yards out to culminate a 7-play, 56-yard drive.

However, the Saints took some momentum into the half. After getting the ball near midfield, Briarcrest put together an 11-play drive that reached the MUS 16-yard line. Yet the drive stalled there, so kicker Drew Cowan came out and connected on a 33-yard field goal to close the gap to 14-3 at the break.

But MUS, and specifically Ross Rutledge, knocked the Saints out in the third quarter.

Rutledge scored two touchdowns in the first 7 minutes of the third quarter to bust the game open. A 23-yard run gave MUS a 20-3 lead, while his 1-yard plunge some four minutes later extended that lead to 27-3 after the Thompson extra-point.

Briarcrest tried to come back after getting down by 24. Quarterback James Olsen hit back Robert Towns for a 69-yard touchdown pass across the middle just 2 plays after the last MUS score. The Saints did go for the 2-point conversion, but the pass failed.

Briarcrest cut the lead to 15 on their next possession after recovering an onside kick. After driving to the MUS 19, the Saints stalled. So Drew Cowan trotted out and kicked a 36-yarder to close the score to 27-12.

But Briarcrest could get no closer. A ball-control, rushing attack employed by the Owls drained the clock and kept the game in hand. MUS used 6 rushers to milk the clock and preserve the win as they compiled 251 rushing yards and 386 total yards while only giving up 237. Five Owl receivers also caught passes to spread the wealth in the passing game.

MUS renews an old rivalry this Friday night as they travel into north Shelby County to battle the 3-1 Bartlett Panthers. The 7:30 PM kickoff will mark the 19th meeting between the schools as MUS holds a 12-6 advantage.

Turnovers and a Kicker Keep Owls on the Ground

Hindered by 7 turnovers, the MUS Owls tried to come back but never could recover as they fell to rival Brentwood Academy 30-14 last Friday night here at MUS.

The Owls (2-2, 0-1) got off to a bad start from the beginning against the Eagles (4-0, 1-0). After getting an initial stop, the Owls began deep in their own territory following a clipping penalty on a BA punt. MUS got out of the hole as QB John Phillips hit receiver David Thompson, who had 4 catches for 92 yards, for a 32-yard catch out to midfield.

But at this point, the offensive sputtering began. On a first-down play, Phillips dropped back to pass but was hit and fumbled; BA recovered. Seven plays later, QB Jefferson Adcock hit fullback Darren Mustin out of the backfield for a 32-yard score. The John Vaughn PAT made the score 7-0.

The Eagles did not waste much time adding to their lead. As the Owls began their next possession, Phillips tried to get the ball to receiver Taylor Trezevant, who had 3 catches for 29 yards, out in the flat. However, linebacker Josh Lawson read the play, stepped in front of the pass, and rumbled 30 yards for their second score in less than a minute. The Vaughn extra point made it 14-0.

The Owls had the opportunity to fold headed into the 2nd quarter against the #1 team in the state. However, they seized the challenge. On their next possession, MUS raced down the field, aided by a 36-yard gallop by Derek Clenin, who led the Owls with 57 yards rushing. The drive culminated as Phillips hit Estes Folk at the goal line, and the senior receiver fell into the end zone for the score. The David Thompson PAT cut the lead in half.

MUS was not done. Following the kickoff, on BA's first-down play, Taylor Trezevant picked off an Adcock pass and rumbled down to the Eagle 11. Four plays later, Ross Rutledge went over from 2 yards out. The Thompson extra point tied the score at 14.

But the Owls could never get over the hump. Most of the remainder of the 2nd quarter the two teams traded turnovers and punts as both teams had seven combined turnovers. The Eagles finally gained an upper hand with the help of their kicker, one of the best in the state. Late in the half, Vaughn booted a 38-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 17-14 half-time lead.

The MUS offensive lethargy persisted into the second half. The Owls could only muster 81 total yards in the second stanza and never could get a running game going. Three additional interceptions did not help the cause either.

After another John Vaughn 38-yard field goal gave the Eagles a 20-14 lead, MUS made one final push for the lead. On a 4th-and-1 play from the BA 25-yard line late in the 3rd quarter, Phillips tried to sneak over for the first down; however, he was stopped, and MUS never threatened again.

Early in the 4th quarter, Vaughn added his third field goal of the game -- this time a 42-yarder -- to give Brentwood a 23-14 lead. Then, the Eagles finished the game off as fullback Josh Lawson took a quick-hitter up the middle for 23 yards and a touchdown. The Vaughn PAT completed the scoring as BA won 30-14.

The Owls' inability to get their running game going really hampered their productivity and forced Phillips to try to force big plays. Also, BA kicker John Vaughn was a major difference in the game as he connected on 3-3 field goals.

MUS gets an opportunity to redeem themselves as they take on Braircrest this Friday night. The 7:30 PM kickoff at Hull-Dobbs Field will mark the 23rd meeting between these neighborhood rivals.

Owls Take First Meet

The MUS cross-country team got off to a great start this year as they recently won their first league meet held at Shelby Farms.

To win any meet is a huge accomplishment. Yet, considering the competition of this race, the victory is all the more impressive. The Owls defeated schools such as Cordova, Germantown, Millington, Collierville, ECS, SBEC, Lausanne, and Houston, the defending AAA state champ who had not lost a race in over two years and had won three out the last four state titles.

MUS won with 40 points, besting Houston by 2 points and Cordova by 27. Amin Shazly led the Owls as he finished 1st in the meet. Collins Roll also ran a good race as he placed 5th. Other Owl finishes included Marshall Goldsmith's 9th, Will Saxton's 11th, Brad Whiteside's 14th, and William Adams' 24th. These high places are what put the Owls over the top to defeat these powerful, larger programs.

Even though the meet was the first one of the season, MUS did not just recently begin preparing for the year. In fact, the team ran almost every day during the summer to stay in shape. The summer program culminated with a trip to the Appalachian State University Team Camp, held in Boone, North Carolina, in late July. At this seven-day camp, the team logged over 85 miles of running and finished 3rd in the camp's race, which included teams from Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Coach Joe Tyler felt that the camp was good to build team unity.

The Owls take their show on the road the next few weekends as they will run meets in Alabama, Nashville, and Charlotte to prepare for the state meet, held in Nashville on November 3. Yet Tyler wants to guard against any kind of overconfidence.  "We're doing okay, but we still have much work to do to achieve our goals."

If they can keep improving, their goals will definitely be attainable.

Slow Start Doesn't Faze Owls

Despite wet and sloppy conditions down on Cherry Road, the MUS Owls shrugged off a sluggish start and eventually got untracked offensively as they defeated the Harding Lions 35-6 last Friday night.

It looked early, however, that MUS was in for a close game. Harding (1-1) took the opening kickoff and ran down the field on the Owls (2-1). RB Todd Cox had four runs that carried the Lions inside the Owl 30. But a Taylor Trezevant interception, the first of six turnovers for Harding, stopped the bleeding momentarily for MUS.

Yet the Owls initially could not get in sync offensively. QB John Phillips looked as if the wet conditions were bothering him as he struggled to find his normal proficient form. He threw two first-half interceptions that limited Owl drives.

But the first big break of the game went to the Lions. As punter Rob Park went back to punt late in the first quarter, a bad snap led to a mishap on the punt, and Harding recovered on the MUS 13. Three plays later, Harding quarterback Jan Williams sneaked over from a yard out to give the Lions the lead. The extra point was no good as Harding took the 6-0 advantage.

The Harding score seemed to wake the Owls up. On the ensuing kickoff, MUS began a methodical march. A key 4th-and-2 conversion in Lion territory eventually set up a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Phillips to culminate the 15-play, six-minute drive. The David Thompson PAT gave MUS a 7-6 lead, a lead they would never relinquish.

The Owls went on to tack on another touchdown before the half. After Derek Clenin intercepted a Williams pass deep in Owl territory, Phillips tossed a little swing pass on the next play to Jamie Drinan, who rumbled 19 yards for a score. The PAT gave the Owls a 14-6 lead at the break.

In the second half, the MUS defense began to look dominant. Harding amassed only 57 second-half yards and did not complete a pass until late in the game.

Meanwhile, the Owl offense still had difficulty with the wet conditions. Four second-half fumbles stymied much of the productivity, but the defense kept giving the offense opportunities.

MUS finally put a little distance between themselves and Harding late in the 3rd quarter. RB Preston Blankenship took a quick hitter and rumbled 46 yards for a score. The Thompson extra-point gave the Owls a 21-6 lead.

Receiver Estes Folk got in on the action in the 4th quarter. After a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Owls were in business at the Lion 20. Three plays later, Folk took an end-around for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Then, several minutes later, the defense got the final score as Frank Langston picked up a Harding fumble and returned it 61 yards for the score. The extra-point made it 35-6 as the scoring concluded.

The Owls totally dominated the stat sheet even though turnovers kept Harding in the game. MUS outgained the Lions 313-130 as Harding only gained 4 yards passing. Additionally, John Phillips went 17-24 passing for 126 yards and one score, and he rushed for 49 yards. MUS had 5 rushers gain over 20 yards as the team compiled 187 rushing yards in wearing down the game Lions.

The Owls jump into Super-7 play this Friday night as the rival Brentwood Academy Eagles come to town. BA, who leads the overall series with MUS 12-4, is 3-0 this season and as always will bring a strong squad for the 7:30 PM kickoff.