3 takeaways from Dickson County's 49-24 loss to Independence

Michael Murphy
The Tennessean
Dickson County suffered a 49-24 loss to Independence on Thursday.

DICKSON — The Dickson County football team fell to 0-8 on the season and 0-4 in league play with Thursday's lopsided defeat to Region 6-6A visitor Independence. 

Here are three takeaways from the Cougars’ 49-24 loss to the Eagles:

Independence running back Troy Henderson ran for a career-high five touchdowns on Thursday.

Eagles aren’t done yet

Having already lost more games than in the previous two seasons combined, 2017 might be considered a less-than-stellar season by Independence standards.

It was apparent on Thursday, however, that the Eagles aren't ready to pack it in just yet, and that there’s still plenty left in the tank for a potential postseason run.

“We’re still in it, and you never know what can happen,” Independence coach Scott Blade said. “You saw tonight things clicked in the first half and things went pretty well. We made a few mental errors on defense, which gave them chances to score, but offensively things clicked pretty well.”

Between Troy Henderson’s 107-yard, five-touchdown rushing effort, prized 2019 recruit T.J. Sheffield hauling in five receptions for 100 yards and a score, and the 49-10 halftime advantage, Thursday’s bunch looked much more like the Eagle offenses of 2015 and 2016.

“We had some easy completion stuff early to get (Nathan Cisco) some confidence and get playmakers like Isaiah (Collier) and T.J. involved,” said Blade, whose quarterbacks had tossed 11 interceptions in the previous three games. “That was the challenge this week — you don’t have to do it all yourself. Spread it out, let the playmakers do some of the work and share some of the responsibility.”

Cisco finished with 137 yards on 7-of-11 passing for Independence (4-4, 3-1), which included a 21-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass to Sheffield.  

Dickson County's Braden Wall (4) hauled in a 37-yard reception on a first-quarter fake punt.

Punts turn into points

While Dickson County’s offense racked up 324 yards in the lopsided defeat, it was a pair of pivotal special teams plays that set up both of the squad’s first-half scores.

First, the winless Cougars caught Independence off guard with a first-quarter fake punt, allowing Darian Burns to hook up with a wide-open Braden Wall for a 37-yard completion. Just four plays after converting what was a fourth-and-22, Burns barreled into the end zone from a yard out to bring his team within seven. 

Later in the second, Dickson County was bailed out of another fourth-and-long situation thanks to an overzealous Independence defender who was flagged for roughing the punter, setting up a 27-yard field goal from kicker Jett Carter.

Dickson County quarterback Darian Burns

Shouldering the load

As has been the case for much of the season, Burns was the driving force behind Dickson County’s 24-point outburst on Thursday — its highest point total since a 63-28 loss to Columbia on Aug. 25.

In addition to completing passes of 37 and 42 yards, the running back-turned-quarterback also ran for more than 100 yards for the first time since his freshman season, finishing with a career-high 133 yards and a pair of scores on 15 carries.

Teammate Ladarius Cooper carried 14 times for 32 yards, while backup quarterback Gage Pontremoli, who completed a pair of second-half passes for 43 yards, added a seven-yard rushing score with just 34 seconds remaining.

On the year, Burns has completed 27 of 54 passes for 362 yards, rushed 105 times for 434 yards and accounted for a team-leading eight touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2016, Burns tallied 453 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns.

UP NEXT: Oct. 20 @ Lawrence County (2-6)

Reach Michael Murphy at mfmurphy@tennessean.com or 615-259-8026 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.