SAN
ANTONIO, Texas – Oliver
Galicki, Andres Wallace, Jordan Granville, John Shivers and Adam
Williams paved the way for
a season-high 576 total yards and 5th-ranked
Millsaps dropped the most points on host Trinity (Texas) in
the SCAC
era in a 56-27 rout of the Tigers Saturday
afternoon at E.M.
Stevens Stadium.
Senior All-American
hopeful Juan Joseph completed 30-of-43 passes for 370 yards and
three TDs and also rushed for 91 yards and two
more scores as Millsaps not only clinched an automatic playoff
berth but snapped a 13-year home conference winning-streak (37
games) for the Tigers dating back to 1995.
Millsaps (8-0,
6-0 SCAC) won its 10th-straight game dating back to last year’s “Mississippi
Miracle” loss and
got its year long revenge in terming the game this season the “Texas
Takeover” while
sending 14th-ranked TU to its first loss of the 2008 season after
opening the year at 7-0.
“We hit on all cylinders today,” offensive coordinator
John David Caffey said. “It’s probably our best performance
of the season but we can still perform better. We followed our
game plan that we practiced all week and definitely showed up for
the showdown.”
Millsaps set
the tempo on the opening play from scrimmage, using Jonathan
Brooks’ 26-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
However, Trinity’s Riley Curry was deemed down by contact
and the touchdown was wiped off the board – one of two on
the afternoon (Michael Galatas 85-yd kickoff return for touchdown). 
Trinity (7-1,
4-1 SCAC) would score first two series later, taking advantage
of a Joseph
fumble on a called option play that set the
Tigers up on the Majors’ 24-yard line. After the turnover,
Bryant Wilson marched TU 24 yards on seven plays, connecting with
Al Furlow from 12-yards out for the 7-0 lead.
Millsaps responded
right back 1:08 later, using a career-long 55-yard kick return
from
sophomore Michael Galatas to set the Majors
up at TU’s 32-yard line. After a 10-yard rush from Joseph,
the senior found fellow senior Eric McCarty from 20-yards out over
the middle to knot it at 7-7.
After forcing TU into a three-and-out on its next possession,
Millsaps took its first lead of the contest on its best drive of
the day, a 9-play, 80-yard drive over 3:15 that ended in a 14-yard
run from Joseph and a 14-7 lead.
Ten unanswered
from the Tigers off Peter Licalzi’s 25-yard
field goal and Wilson’s 26-yard TD pass regave them the lead
at 17-14 and energized the crowd of 3,213 before 10 unanswered
from the Majors gave the visitors a 28-17 lead at intermission.
Millsaps would take total control of the game in the second half,
scoring TDs on four of its five possessions while limiting the
Tigers to just 10 points to come away with the convincing, 29-point
win.
With the game
at 42-27 and the Tigers' driving to make it an 8-point game,
senior Jacob
Hanberry's interception in the end zone on the second play of
the fourth quarter was the key play that sealed the win for the
Majors. Millsaps would score two more TDs and pull away late.
Behind Joseph’s
stellar afternoon that will likely garner him D3football.com
and SCAC Player of the Week honors, McCarty
caught nine balls for 115 yards and a score, Galatas caught four
for 82 yards and a score, Raymece Savage grabbed six for 49 yards
and Shane Bowser grabbed four for 56 yards and a score. Wilson
completed 18-of-31 passes for 275 yards, three TDs and two INTs
for TU, connecting with Chris Coleman a team high five times for
67 yards.
Defensively
for Millsaps, Lee Klein had a team high eight tackles, Denarold
Anderson had seven tackles, 2.0 TFL and a sack and
Hanberry had seven tackles, two breakups and a key interception
in the fourth quarter. For the Tigers, Dennis Grebe had a
game high 10 tackles.
The Majors will return home next weekend for a Homecoming showdown
with Colorado College, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. Before kickoff,
20 Millsaps seniors will be recognized in addition to halftime
festivities.
Game
Notes:
DuBose
improved to 2-1 against Trinity and 18-1 all-time in SCAC play...
Millsaps clinched its third-straight conference championship...
McCarty is just one touchdown catch shy of tying the career
record of 20... Joseph recorded his 10th career 300-yard
game... D3football.com's Keith McMillan was at the game Saturday...
Majors snap Tigers' 37-game home conference win streak.
