Lafayette coach Paul Woolard wanted to set the tone early on Friday night.

But John Farmer and the Maryville Spoofhouds set it for him.

Farmer returned a first-quarter punt 70 yards for the game’s first score, and Maryville never looked back in a 42-7 victory against the Fighting Irish at Alumni Field.

“That probably hurt us, because we really wanted to come out and set the tone,” Woolard said. “Then we just kind of lost our focus for a minute.”

Farmer had appeared to be letting the punt go before deciding to pick it up and scamper for the game’s first score.

“I was thinking about letting it go, but after I saw that (Lafayette’s Tim Nelson) wasn’t going for it, I figured I could get it,” Farmer said. “Zeke (Winans) had blocked him, so I figured I could get it, go outside of him and run.”

The Spoofhounds (2-0) scored the game’s first 35 points, nearly putting it out of reach with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left before intermission when Farmer struck again, this time on a 75-yard run.

“Everybody blocked really well, and I just had to beat one guy,” Farmer said of his second touchdown.

By then Farmer’s punt return, which came after Lafayette’s first drive fizzled near midfield, was a distant memory. In the interim, the Spoofhounds got touchdown runs of 31 and 65 yards from running back Adam Mattson and a 1-yard run by fullback Wyatt Maudlin.

Maudlin’s score capped a particularly impressive drive, which included first downs on five straight rushing plays leading up to the touchdown.

Mattson led all rushers with 156 yards on eight carries, while Farmer rushed seven times for 117 yards.

The Irish (0-2) countered with senior quarterback Bryston Williams, who broke loose on two long runs and finished with 151 yards on 13 carries. He had Lafayette’s only touchdown on a 72-yard run with just 27 seconds left in the first half to close the gap to 35-7.

But with quarterback Joe Jasinski’s 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adam Thomson in the third quarter and a running clock in the second half, the Irish got no closer.

The Spoofhounds’ defense had its way most of the night, inspiring coach Chris Holt to try a fake punt — not once, but twice — from well inside his own territory. The first one was nullified by a penalty; the other completed pass play fell short because of a missed block. Both attempts were in the second quarter.

“I just thought at that point our defense was playing tremendous,” Holt said of the bold move. “We had the first one, dang it, but we weren’t on the line of scrimmage. Obviously, if there’s more on the line, I kick that ball.”