MONTEAGLE,
Tenn. -- Junior college transfer Jonathan Brooks
picked off two passes and returned a fumble 14 yards for
a score
to pace a Millsaps defense that allowed a season-low 125
total yards and fellow junior Juan Joseph completed a single-game
school record 39 of 53 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns,
as the Majors won their sixth consecutive game after a season-opening
loss with a 45-7 thumping at Sewanee.
The Majors' defense didn't allow quarterback Patrick Shelton
and the Sewanee offense inside the red zone the entire game,
forcing
nine
punts,
two fumbles
and two interceptions en route to six drives going for negative
yards and only one drive breaching 29 yards -- the 65-yard
scoring drive before halftime.
Millsaps (6-1, 5-0 SCAC) capitalized on an opening-drive
turnover from Sewanee just 1:45 into the game, taking advantage
of a Ronnie Wheat fumble recovery and driving 67 yards in
16 plays, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown strike
from Joseph to Donnie Epps for the early 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive after a Tiger three-and-out, junior
running back Nick Namias carried the ball twice for 16 yards
to move the Majors into scoring position and Joseph completed
4-of-4 passes, including a 10-yard touchdown strike to the
talented freshman Michael Galatas for a 14-0 lead at the
end of the first quarter.
The Majors stretched the lead to 21-0 minutes into the second
quarter, as Brooks scooped up a Trey Reliford fumble at the
Tigers 14 yard line and raced in for the score.
After the teams traded punts on a pair of possessions, Millsaps
took advantage of a short field given up by Sewanee at the
Majors 44 yard line, using a 15-yard run from Kenneth Metzger
and a 5-yard facemask penalty to carry the ball into Tiger
territory at the 36 yard line.
A Joseph to Burt Pereira 11-yard hookup on 4th-and-four from
the 30 yard line kept the drive alive and the junior quarterback
scampered in from 19-yards out on the next play from scrimmage
for his first rushing touchdown of the year and a Millsaps
28-0 cushion.
Sewanee-University of the South (1-5, 0-5 SCAC) finally got
on the scoreboard with 27 seconds left before halftime, using
an 8-play, 65-yard drive capped off by a 40-yard touchdown
connection from Shelton to Chris Murphy to make the score
28-7 in favor
of Millsaps heading into the locker room.
Millsaps controlled the second half from the opening kickoff,
driving 74 yards in 9-plays over 2:13, capped off by a 24-yard
touchdown strike from Joseph to senior Louis Conley -- the
Tupelo native's team-tying fifth touchdown reception of the
year (Eric McCarty, Epps).
After back-to-back Sewanee possessions resulted in a turnover
on a Brooks interception, a Taylor Russolino 24-yard field
goal on the
Majors' second-to-last possession
of the
third
quarter
and
a Joseph
to Pereira 5-yard
touchdown connection 10 seconds into the fourth quarter provided
the 45-7 final margin.
The Millsaps defense was phenominal in the second half on
the heels of Brooks and junior college transfer Kyle Hughes,
posting a 17-0 shutout over the Sewanee offense and holding
the Tigers
to negative 10 total yards and no first downs.
Senior defensive lineman Casey Younger led the defensive
front with seven tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss while Wheat
and freshman Will Hawkins added six tackles and senior linebacker
Canaan Farris added five along with 2.0 tackles-for-loss
and a sack.
Joseph hooked up with double-digit receivers (13) for the
fifth-straight game
en route to a 39-for-53 afternoon and his 20th touchdown
toss of the year, led by Pereira with six catches for 50
yards and a score,
Raymece
Savage
with
five
receptions for 61 yards and Conley with four catches for
40 yards and a score.
For the Tigers, Blake Mears rushed nine times for 60 yards
and converted a fake punt pass for 21 yards whereas Murphy
hauled in a pair of catches for 52 yards, including Sewanee's
lone touchdown of the game.
The Majors will nurse some injuries and rest up during their
bye week before a Homecoming matchup with the 23rd-ranked
Trinity
University
Tigers (5-1, 2-1 SCAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Game Notes:
The Majors have won 11-straight SCAC games
dating back to last season ...
the Majors' defense has held opponents under 200 yards in
5 of the last 6 games ... Millsaps did not allow a red zone
attempt ... the Majors are outscoring league opponents 194-41
... Joseph has completed 30+ passes and
thrown for 335+ yards in four consecutive starts and is
two TDs shy of breaking his own single-season and school
record breaking 21 TDs from last year ... the Majors broke
a single-game team record with 42 completions ... Millsaps
now has three receivers with five TD receptions or more
(only
one
in 2006, Chris Jackson; 9) the Majors have won six
straight-games in back-to-back seasons for
the first time in school history (86 years).
