SCORE
	T	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	F
	F	14	7	0	20	0	41
	I	0	10	6	0	0	16

	Scoring: F-Keylo Lee 80 run (Tim Donegan kick), F-Anthony Steele 7 run (Donegan kick), Lee 18 pass from Graham Nichols (Donegan kick), I-Jeff Veres 38 FG, I-Ben Parker 10 pass from Nick Smith (Veres kick), I-Scott Pettigrew 7 run (kick failed). F-Nichols 1 run (Donegan kick), F-Casey Dykes 40 interception return (Donegan kick), F-Alex Ford 16 run (kick failed).
				F		I
	First downs			7		8
	Rushes-yds			35-185		22-67
	Comp-att-int			8-11-0		20-25-2
	Passing yds			93		120
	Fumbles-lost			2-2		2-0
	Punts-avg			2-28.5		5-38.0
	Penalties-yds			5-45		7-46

	Rushing: F - Casy Dykes 3-30, Alex Ford 4-30, 1 TD, Keylo Lee 9-101, 1 TD, Graham Nichols 5-4, 1 TD, Ramsey Sellers 1-5, Anthony Steele 13-25, 1 TD. I - Isaac Baugh 4-2, Ryan Consiglio 3-3, Alex Heckman 2-17, Brett Meeker 1-12, Scott Pettigrew 9-21, 1 TD, Nick Smith 1-1, Jeff Veres 2-4.
	Passing (CMP-ATT-INT-YDS): F - Graham Nichols 8-11-093. I - Alex Heckman 1-2-0-5, Nick Smith 19-23-2-115.
	Receiving: F - Casey Dykes 1-3, Jarriel Eaton 4-56, Keylo Lee 2-22, 1 TD, Anthony Steele 1-12. I - Isaac Baugh 4-10, Ben Parker 3-21, 1 TD, Scott Pettigrew 3-17, Alex Reese 3-39, Terone Shephard 1-5, Jeff Veres 5-22.
	Kicking (FG-FGA XP-XPA PTS): F- Tim Donegan 0-1 5-6 5. I - Jeff Veres 1-1 1-2 4.
	Punting: F - J P Finnegan 2-28.5 I - Alex Reese 5-38.0

Turnovers provide boost to Franklin

The Franklin offense delivered the initial flurry, but couldn’t deliver the early knockout blow Friday night. So the defense stepped in as Franklin, playing at home, defeated Independence 41-16.

With 5:42 left in the game, Franklin’s Casey Dykes intercepted a Nick Smith pass and raced 40 yards untouched into the end zone to put away the Eagles (1-3, 1-1 in Region 6-5A).

“They kept running screens all night, and we weren’t playing them correctly,” said Dykes, who committed to Western Kentucky on a baseball scholarship Thursday. “I read it and just saw it coming.”

Despite going down 21-0 to start the game, Independence stormed back to bring the game to within 21-16 in the fourth quarter. However, with 10:29 to play the Eagles turned the ball over on downs when Smith fumbled the snap on a fourth-and-inches play from their own 11.

The Rebels converted the miscue four plays later on a Graham Nichols 1-yard quarterback sneak.

“It was a mutual agreement between my players and my staff,” said Independence Coach Jason Eubanks, on going for it that deep in their own territory. “I’ve been trying to find an attitude, a fire in my team. I thought we could convert it and have that fire. If I had it to do over, I’d probably punt.”

The Rebels’ Keylo Lee started the game off with an electrifying 80-yard touchdown run, juking several Eagle defenders before racing into the end zone. His backfield teammate Anthony Steele got into the action on the next offensive series with a seven-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles didn’t gain a first down until the final 1:39 in the first half and ran 18 offensive plays for 24 total yards. However, the Eagles found some momentum to close out the first half, going on a 10-play, 47-yard drive that ended with Nick Smith finding Ben Parker alone in the end zone to close out the half 21-10.

The Eagles got to within five on a Scott Pettigrew seven-yard scoring run.

By Jonathan Long (Staff Writer for the Tennessean)