By Sonny Jones
A bit of snow and ice makes for a perfect weekend to stay inside and watch the NFL playoffs. It’s even better with a local connection to pull for.
East Bladen High graduate Larrell Murchison is expected to play in his second NFL playoff game Saturday when the Tennessee Titans host the Cincinnati Bengals. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The Titans are 3½ point favorites, for whatever that’s worth. CBS will televise the game.
If there’s ever been a player who is easy to pull for it’s Murchison. The Elizabethtown native has never forgotten his hometown community. He buys Christmas gifts for Bladen County children and sponsored a free football clinic last summer at Elizabethtown Middle School. In August he made a special trip home to speak to players following the Dixie Youth Baseball state championship game at Leinwand Park a week after travel issues kept him from attending opening ceremonies. During Tennessee’s bye week in early December, Murchison attended an East Bladen basketball game, cheering for his alma mater.
Larrell Murchison is a fine man and a great representative for Bladen County. Go Titans!
Murchison is listed second on Tennessee’s depth chart behind right defensive end Denico Autry and also plays on special teams.
Tennessee is the top seed in the American Football Conference after going 12-5 and winning the South Division. The Titans had a bye in last weekend’s first round of the playoffs.
Titans running back Derrick Henry is expected to play in Saturday’s game. He rushed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first eight games this season before being sidelined for the remainder of the regular season because of a fractured foot.
Last season, Tennessee was beaten by Baltimore 20-13 in the first round of the playoffs. Murchison assisted on a tackle during his 12 plays, according to ProFootballReference.com.
This season, Murchison has missed six games because of injury. He was placed on injured reserve in October with an elbow injury and missed three games. He sat out three games late in the season because of a knee injury, although he was not placed on injured reserve.
The former Louisburg College and N.C. State player started five of the 11 games he played this season. He was credited with four solo tackles, four assisted tackles and one tackle for loss, according to ProFootballReference.com. He played 200 plays on defense and 63 plays on special teams.
In his 2020 rookie season, Murchison was credited with a solo tackle, four assisted tackles and one tackle for loss in 10 games. He played 182 plays (137 on defense and 45 on special teams) last season. He was placed on the inactive list for five games.
SATURDAY’S WATCHING FROM THE COUCH
NFL Playoffs
4:30 p.m. – Cincinnati at Tennessee (CBS)
8 p.m. – San Francisco at Green Bay (FOX)
College Basketball
Noon – Syracuse at Duke (ESPN)
2 p.m. – Florida State at Miami (ESPN)
4 p.m. – Virginia at N.C. State (ACCN)
6 p.m. – East Carolina at Houston (ESPN2)
8 p.m. – North Carolina at Wake Forest (ACCN)
NBA
8 p.m. – Oklahoma City at Cleveland (NBATV)
Golf
3 p.m. – LPGA: Tournament of Champions (NBC)
3 p.m. – PGA: American Express (GOLF)
7 p.m. – PGA Champions: Mitsubishi Electric Championship (GOLF)
Soccer
9 a.m. – Udinese at Genoa (CBSSN)
10 a.m. – Newcastle United at Leeds United (USA)
12:30 p.m. – Manchester City at Southampton (NBC)
NHL
1 p.m. – Philadelphia at Buffalo (NHLN)
7 p.m. – Carolina at New Jersey (Bally South)
7 p.m. – Montreal at Colorado (NHLN)
Tennis
8 a.m. – Australian Open (ESPN2)
9 p.m. – Australian Open (ESPN2)
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