COLORADO
SPRINGS, Colo. – In the first meeting between
the two teams since 1999 and the first as league opponents
in the
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Millsaps reached
the end zone on seven of its first eight possessions to cruise
to a 68-6 road win over Colorado College and clinch at least
a share of the SCAC Title with Trinity University.
Junior quarterback Juan Joseph threw for 346 yards and five touchdowns
on 27-of-40 passing and the Millsaps offense piled up a season-high
669 yards, including a season-high 305 on the ground, as the
Majors picked up their fifth-straight road win of the year to
improve to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the SCAC.
It marked the second consecutive 7-win season for Millsaps, the
first time since the 1986 and '87 seasons and the first time
since the 1990 and '91 seasons that the Majors had won five-straight
on the road.
After the Millsaps defense forced a three-and-out to open the
game, the Majors’ offense took their opening drive of the
game 77 yards in 10 plays over 3:21 for an early 7-0 lead, capped
off by a 5-yard touchdown strike from Joseph to Donnie Epps.
The Majors stretched the lead to 14-0 on their ensuing possession,
driving 92 yards on 7-plays and using a 32-yard run by junior
Nick Namias to set up first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. From
there, Joseph picked up his second rushing TD of the year after
recovering his own fumble and stepping into the end zone untouched.
With Millsaps up 21-0, Colorado College got on the scoreboard
for the first time on its final drive of the first quarter, taking
advantage of a 3-yard TD run from quarterback Jon McDonald
to cap off a 9-play, 66-yard drive over 3:02 for the Tigers.
The point after from Andrew Litchford was wide and the Majors
led 21-6.
After back-to-back defensive stops, Millsaps tacked on two more
scores off Joseph’s third and fourth TD tosses of the half,
hooking up with sophomore transfer Guy Smith from 7-yards out
and freshman Michael Galatas from 50-yards out.
A solid drive (10-plays, 66-yards) from the Tigers down to the
Majors' 1-yard line following the Galatas score looked to cut
into the
Millsaps
35-6 lead, but a combined stop by Mason Burrell
and David Dale in the backfield on first-and-goal and a CC fumble
on second down from
the
3-yard line resulted in a Canaan Farris recovery and a big defensive
stand for the visitors.
The ensuing drive for CC ended in another turnover off a McDonald
interception, as senior safety Ray Kline stepped in front of
underthrown pass at the Millsaps 44-yard line and scampered 56-yards
down the Majors' sideline untouched. It was Kline's third interception
of the year and marked the second time this season a Major has
returned an interception for a score (Marcus Harris).
Millsaps' final score of the half was set up by
sophomore Jaren Bowser's first career interception, picking off
the McDonald delivery and returning it 22-yards down to the CC
18-yard line. From there, a 17-yard run by sophomore Kenneth
Metzger
down to the CC 1-yard line allowed senior fullback Neil Woodall
to plow over the line for his first rushing TD of the year and
a 48-6 Millsaps lead.
The second half was all Millsaps, as Joseph and the offense scored
on their opening drive of the third quarter to outscore CC 20-0
and the defense allowed just 98 total yards while
forcing four
Tiger punts, a fumble, an interception and a turnover on downs.
Two of the Majors' three second half scores came off CC turnovers,
using a Mike Moore interception that set up a Burt Pereira to
Louis Conley connection from 15-yards out and a Mason Burrell
fumble recovery off a Cedric Lawrence sack that led to a Metzger
46-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers did not have a drive over 27-yards in the second half,
going three-and-out five times including a turnover on
downs and an interception. Their longest play of the half came
off a McDonald 21-yard completion to Nolan Swett in the fourth
quarter.
For Millsaps on offense, Joseph led the way with 346 yards through
the air and six TDs (one rushing), hooking up with Galatas
four times for 113 yards and a score, Conley four times for 52
yards and a score, Epps three times for two TDs and Smith twice
for 35 yards and a score.
The rushing trio of Schuyler Huff,
Namias and Metzger contributed to a season-high 305 yards on
the ground,
with Huff carrying the ball 14 times for 89 yards, Metzger carrying
it five times for 80 yards and a score and Namias carrying it
nine times for 60 yards.
On defense, Jonathan Brooks and Kline led the way in the secondary,
with Brooks picking up eight tackles and Kline adding seven to
go along with four pass breakups, a tackle-for-loss and a 56-yard
INT return for a score midway through the second quarter. Three
other Majors picked up an interception en route to forcing six
CC turnovers while Burrell and Farris each had a fumble recovery.
The Majors will wrap up the regular season on Saturday at home
against Birmingham-Southern at 1 p.m. and will await the result
of the Trinity/Austin game to see if their season will continue.
Fourteen players, including two student coaches will be recognized
prior to kickoff as apart of "Senior Day" ceremonies.
Game Notes:
Millsaps won its fifth-straight road game of the year
(8 of last 9 overall) while setting new single-season team records
in rushing yards (305), yards-per-rush (7.4), rushing TDs (3),
yards-per-pass
(8.7), TD passes (6), total offense (669), yards-per-play (8.1),
points (68), first downs (32) and interceptions (4) ... Joseph
picked up his school-record 52nd career TD pass and became the
school's all-time pass attempt leader with 806 ... Millsaps scored
its most points in a single-game since an 84-0 win over Landmark
College in 1980 ... The offensive line didn't allow a sack for
the second consecutive game and are allowing just one sack in
every 34 pass attempts.
