Game #9: Nov. 8, 2008
Game #10: Nov. 15, 2008
#4 Millsaps 50, Colorado College 6 Harper Davis Field • Jackson, Miss.
#4 Millsaps 31, Birmingham-Southern 14 Panther Stadium • Birmingham, Ala.
Senior Eric McCarty became the fourth Millsaps receiver in school history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in his career and a balanced Major attack had 227 yards rushing and 222 yards passing as they clinched their first outright league title since the 2006 season in a 50-6 Homecoming win over Colorado College. A stingy Millsaps defense, combined with fabulous special teams play, set the tone from the opening quarter. The Majors surrendered a season-low 170 total yards, holding the Tigers to 3-of-14 on third down and also blocking two punts and a field goal. Millsaps got on the scoreboard first, using a season-long 99-yard drive that spanned 4:40 off 12 plays and resulted in a Shane Bowser 25-yard TD run. CC got its chance to tie the game on the Majors’ next possession, picking off an ill-advised pass from Juan Joseph that was deflected and caught by the Tigers’ Brendan Ross and returned down to Millsaps’ 25-yard line. The interception for Joseph snapped a streak of 103-straight passes without an INT. The Millsaps defense, however, held serve and forced CC into a 23-yard field goal attempt where junior Mason Burrell came flying around the left side to block the Tyler Brickell attempt to keep CC off the board. A safety off Miles Sager’s blocked punt and a 36-yard run from sophomore Chris Skinner brought the halftime score to 23-0 in favor of Millsaps. Millsaps needed just four plays on its opening drive of the third quarter to find the end zone, as Joseph hit freshman Gary Davis in the back left corner for his first collegiate touchdown and a 30-0 lead. After forcing CC into another punting situation on the ensuing drive, a muffed attempt from the Majors’ John Milazzo at the Millsaps 24-yard line set up the Tigers in scoring position. Four plays later, QB Jon McDonald found his way into the end zone from 10-yards out, CC’s only score of the day. Millsaps would respond two drives later, as sophomore Michael Galatas took Martin Golobic’s 36-yard punt to the 49-yard line of CC and returned it for a score – the first of his career and first for Millsaps since 2006. As a unit, the Majors defense gave up just 19 yards passing on 1-of-9 attempts and had 7.0 tackles-for-loss on the day.
Senior Marcus Harris’ 61-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter broke open a 3-point game and helped Millsaps College overcome a season-high seven turnovers to complete the first perfect regular season since the 1980 season in a 31-14 road win at Birmingham-Southern. In a sloppy ballgame with 20-plus mph winds and on-and-off rain throughout the entire afternoon, the teams combined for nine turnovers. A gutsy performance from the Majors’ defense helped the team to their 12th-straight victory overall, holding BSC to 88 total yards in the first half and just 282 for the game. Junior Lee Klein fell just three tackles shy of a Millsaps single-game record for tackles, recording a career-high 20 on the afternoon. Millsaps struck first at the 7:26 mark in the opening quarter on its second drive, using sophomore Taylor Russolino’s 29-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead after a 12-play, 67-yard drive. The lead for Millsaps, however, lasted just 20 seconds as David Langston returned Russolino’s second kickoff 84-yards down the BSC sideline for a score to give the hosts a 7-3 lead. The Majors were offsides on the first attempt after stopping the Panthers for minus 4-yards at the BSC 25. The Majors responded right back on their ensuing possession to retake the lead at 10-7, as Shane Bowser made a 53-yard, highlight touchdown catch. Two costly fumbles from Millsaps inside the BSC 20-yard line on two of its final three drives of the half forced the Majors to head into the locker room with just a 3-point cushion. BSC went back on top 14-10, after a Joseph interception, as Walter Arrington scampered 34 yards for a score. That lead was short-lived, though, as sophomore Michael Galatas ran the ensuing kickoff back 71-yards for a touchdown to put the Majors back in the lead, 17-14. The return for Galatas was his second special teams touchdown in as many games, returning a 49-yard punt against Colorado College. BSC had its chance to tie the game two drives later after recovering another Millsaps fumble and returning it to the Majors’ 16-yard line, but a 29-yard field goal attempt from Jared Spooner sailed wide left. Harris’ 15th career interception and third career house call on BSC’s first drive of the fourth quarter helped Millsaps put the icing on the cake.
2008 IN RE 200 EV VII EW
Col. College Millsaps 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th
0 7
5:25 8:42 5:56 2:47 13:03 8:02 1:09 12:22 9:04
0 16
6 14
0 13
-
6 50
Millsaps B’ham-Southern
MSPS - S. Bowser 25 yd run (Taylor Russolino kick) MSPS - S. Bowser 18 yd pass from Joseph (Russolino kick) MSPS - TEAM safety MSPS - Chris Skinner 36 yd run (Taylor Russolino kick) MSPS - Gary Davis 22 yd pass from Joseph (Russolino kick) CC - Jon McDonald 10 yd run (Tyler Brickell kick failed) MSPS - Michael Galatas 49 yd punt return (Russolino kick) MSPS - D. Epps 6 yd pass from Joseph (Russolino kick failed) MSPS - Brandon Ryon 1 yd run (Taylor Russolino kick)
1st 1st 1st 3rd 3rd 4th 4th
Colorado College/Millsaps Game Statistics FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Comp-Att-Int TOTAL PLAYS-YARDS Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Punt Returns-Yards-TD Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards-TD Fumble Returns-Yards-TD Punts (Number-Avg) Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
CC 11 46-151 19 1-9-0 55-170 2-1 2-10 0-0-0 7-89 1-6-0 0-0-0 6-28.8 36:07 3-14 1-3 1-2 1-3
MSPS 20 27-227 222 20-25-1 52-449 1-1 5-49 4-94-1 3-28 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-32.0 23:53 4-18 1-1 3-4 1-1
7:26 7:06 5:26 10:10 9:58 12:16 3:18
10 7
0 0
7 7
14 0
-
31 14
MSPS - Taylor Russolino 29 yd field goal BSC - David Langston 84 yd kickoff return (Spooner kick) MSPS - S. Bowser 53 yd pass from Joseph (Russolino kick) BSC - W. Arrington 34 yd run (Jared Spooner kick) MSPS - Michael Galatas 71 yd kickoff return (Russolino kick) MSPS - M. Harris 61 yd interception return (Russolino kick) MSPS - Chris Skinner 3 yd run (Taylor Russolino kick)
Millsaps/Birmingham-Southern Game Statistics
Game Notes: McCarty became the 4th receiver in school history to eclipse 2,000 yards Millsaps got its revenge from last year’s infamous “Mississippi Miracle” loss Galatas had a 49-yard punt return for a score, the first for Millsaps since Chris Jackson in 2006 Joseph had a streak of 103 straight passes without an interception broken in the first quarter
54
MSPS FIRST DOWNS 22 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 28-129 PASSING YDS (NET) 348 Passes Comp-Att-Int 25-36-2 TOTAL PLAYS-YARDS 64-477 Fumbles-Lost 7-5 Penalties-Yards 8-88 Punt Returns-Yards-TD 1-11-0 Kickoff Returns-Yards-TD 3-69-1 Interception Returns-Yards-TD 1-61-1 Fumble Returns-Yards-TD 0-0-0 Punts (Number-Avg) 1-36.0 Possession Time N/A Third-Down Conversions 8-10 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 2-4 Sacks By: Number-Yards 3-22
BSC 18 59-188 94 9-15-1 74-282 2-1 5-40 1-17-0 6-172-1 2-17-0 1-34-0 6-33.5 N/A 6-18 3-5 0-1 0-0
Game Notes: Millsaps notches first 10-win season in school history and second ever undefeated regular season Lee Klein racked up a career-high 20 tackles Harris’ 61-yard interception return marked the 3rd house call of his career McCarty moved into 1st all-time on the career receptions list after hauling in six catches for 51 yards
2009 MILLSAPS COLLEGE FOOTBALL