Tigers student section

The Norman High Tigers student section during the game against Edmond Santa Fe on Oct. 13.

 Sutton Spinner/OU Daily

Norman High (4-6, 4-3 6A-I District 2) fell to Owasso (8-2, 6-1) 49-18 in a home game at Harve Collins Stadium Friday evening.

Junior quarterback Phoenix Murphy scored three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing. His passing touchdowns were a 54-yard throw to senior safety/wide receiver Dax Noles and a 59-yard toss to sophomore wide receiver Ryder Murphy. Phoenix Murphy threw one interception in the second half.

On defense, senior linebacker Lance Eubanks recorded a sack and senior defensive back Kurt Carter recorded a pass breakup. Against the Rams, the Tigers gave up more than 40 points for the fifth time this season.

Here are highlights and takeaways from Norman High's defeat: 

Takeaways

Norman High fades away in second half

At halftime, Norman High held 18-13 lead over Owasso thanks to three total touchdowns from Phoenix Murphy.

But in the second half, the Rams ran away with the game. Owasso outscored the Tigers 39-0 in the second half, using five rushing touchdowns to pull away.

Norman High coach Rocky Martin blamed the second half decline on penalties and an inability to stop Owasso early in its drives.

"We were making stops early on, and then we just couldn't get off the field," Martin said. "They were just super explosive. We had some penalties and kept giving them first downs as well."

Phoenix Murphy blamed the lack of intensity in the second half for the defeat.

"In our first few drives, we started strong and came out hot," Phoenix Murphy said. "We were scoring quick, but it just didn't go our way in the second half. We didn't get what we wanted."

Rams run all over Tigers

Norman High couldn't stop the run against Owasso, as all seven of the Rams' touchdowns were rushing scores.

The duo of Jayden Hall and Jayson Moll had three touchdowns each, with both also recording rushing scores of over 40 yards. Moll's was from 43 yards out with 11:10 in the third quarter, while Hall's came with 11:51 in the fourth quarter on a 49-yard scamper.

Carter believed bad tackling was the reason for Owasso's rushing explosion.

"That's all we had to do was just wrap up and tackle," Carter said. "We have to execute on those plays. We just have to tackle and get back there."

Norman High's 369 points allowed finish as the third-most in its district behind Yukon's 528 and Edmond North's 404.

Murphy under duress throughout

Phoenix Murphy was pressured in all four quarters, as he was sacked seven times by Owasso's defense. 

Norman High's quarterback hit the turf on all but four of the Tigers' drives, and seven of their nine drives that lasted more than two plays. While Murphy was able to extend plays, including for a 79-yard rushing touchdown with 10:18 in the first quarter and a 42-yard gain in the third quarter, he was dropped for a loss often.

Phoenix Murphy blamed himself for some of the sacks, while crediting Owasso's gameplan of bringing delayed blitzes. 

"They're good up front. They have size, strength and they're well-coached," Phoenix Murphy said. "They have a lot of good, delayed blitzes, and those are always hard to pick up no matter how good your alignment is."

Martin echoed his sentiments while praising his quarterback's toughness. 

"They were bringing five to six guys at times," Martin said. "I don't think it was a breakdown in protection. When you bring six guys and you're taking a chance, you better get them, and we had to make them pay. We didn't.

"I think each week, (Phoenix Murphy) has gotten tougher and tougher and more confident. He's a tough kid, and it's fun to watch him believe in himself."

Next, the Tigers face Broken Arrow (3-7, 3-4 6A-I District 1) in the first round of the playoffs either next Thursday or next Saturday at a time to be determined. The Tigers will host the game at Harve Collins Field.

Scoring plays

Owasso 49, Norman High 18 (5:38 4th)

Tyler Caviness pulls on a read option and scores a one-yard rushing touchdown.

Owasso 42, Norman High 18 (9:17 4th)

Jayson Moll scores a four-yard rushing touchdown.

Owasso 35, Norman High 18 (11:52 4th)

Jayden Hall scores from 49 yards out for his third touchdown of the game.

Owasso 28, Norman High 18 (3:34 3rd)

Hall scored his second rushing touchdown from one yard out.

Owasso 21, Norman High 18 (11:10 3rd)

Moll rushes for a 43-yard touchdown. A fake extra point turned into a two-point conversion for the Rams.

Norman High 18, Owasso 13 (1:51 2nd)

Junior quarterback Phoenix Murphy finds his brother, sophomore receiver Ryder Murphy, for a 59-yard passing touchdown to give the Tigers the lead.

Owasso 13, Norman High 12 (3:50 2nd)

Moll catches a screen pass and takes it 75 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good.

Norman High 12, Owasso 7 (9:29 2nd)

Hall finds the end zone on a 4-yard rushing touchdown.

Norman High 12, Owasso 0 (6:08 1st)

Phoenix Murphy finds senior safety/wide receiver Dax Noles for a 54-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good.

Norman High 6, Owasso 0 (10:18 1st)

Phoenix Murphy scrambles before rushing 79 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the game. The extra point was no good.

Further Reading

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