Who MTCS football will lean on in 2024 after TSSAA state championship season

There are big shoes to fill for the Middle Tennessee Christian football team coming off last season's Division II-A state championship .

Senior quarterback Briggs Boyd and sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Shy Murphy will lead a host of Cougars who will have to step up to the tall task.

"There's definitely a lot of responsibility to carry," said Boyd, who played wide receiver last season but will move behind center to replace two-year starter Yates Geren. "We did lose a lot of people last year, but it doesn't mean we don't have good players this year. We're going to have to trust our coaches and do what they say. If we do that, we will go far.

"It's just going to be time for me to step up as a leader and do the best I can do."

MTCS rolled to a 12-1 record last season, recording the program's first state title with a 28-13 win over Friendship Christian in the DII-A BlueCross Bowl.

But the Cougars were a senior-dominated team led by players such as Geren, offensive lineman Jesse Perry — now playing at Tennessee — and linebackers Brooks Jones and Seth Harris.

Then there's the loss of Eli Wilson, a Mr. Football semifinalist who did it all for the Cougars, rushing 151 times for 2,131 yards and 34 touchdowns and added two receiving TDs while also playing an integral role on defense.

"You don't just immediately replace an Eli Wilson," MTCS second-year coach Christian Peterson said. "It's going to kind of be split between Briggs Boyd, Treyvion Mathis and Shy Murphy. All of them are going to have to take a little bit of it. They'll do it by committee, but they're ready to do it."

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Murphy is one of the best athletes on the team and got good experience last season as a freshman, rushing for 271 yards on just 17 carries and scoring four touchdowns while logging 37 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble on defense.

"I have a pretty high confidence level," Murphy said. "I just want to play. Last year (behind Wilson) it was about learning the plays and executing them."

Peterson calls Murphy "lightning in a bottle." He will have multiple roles for the Cougars.

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"He's really fast," Peterson said. "It's going to be getting him in positions where he gets to utilize his speed. He's really developed his catching ability from last year to this year. We're going to be able to spread him out, at the slot, as a solo wide receiver, and be able to hand him the ball in the backfield. We'll kind of move him around and utilize him the best we can."

Geren didn't throw the ball much last year, but was second on the team with 905 rushing yards. Boyd was his top receiver, catching 12 balls for 193 yards and two TDs while also rushing for 147 yards.

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"Briggs has done a great job for us, to be in his first year in the quarterback role," Peterson said. "He's really taken ownership of it. His development from spring until now is night and day. We're really excited about what he's going to bring to the position. He's different from Yates, but he's beginning to understand the offense and what we want to do."

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Who MTCS football will lean on in 2024 after TSSAA state championship season