JACKSON – Senior
safety Ray Kline returned his second interception for a touchdown
in as many weeks to give Millsaps an early 21-0 lead and the
rushing trio of Nick Namias, Schuyler Huff and Kenneth Metzger
combined for 133 yards and four TDs to lead the offensive attack
as the Majors rolled past Birmingham-Southern 58-7 in their
season finale at Harper Davis Field on Saturday afternoon.
Quarterback Juan Joseph capped off a spectacular junior season
with three first half TD tosses to Eric McCarty, Tye Menist and
Michael Galatas en route to a 21-for-30 day and 250 yards passing.
Millsaps (8-2, 6-1 SCAC) capitalized off four BSC turnovers on
their first four possessions, including a fumble by Walter Arrington
on the opening kickoff, to jump out to a 28-0 lead just 9:45
into the first quarter. A Joseph to Menist connection with seconds
left in the quarter from 8-yards out gave the Majors a commanding
35-0 lead after one.
Millsaps tacked on three more scores in the second quarter to
put the game out of reach, using a Sam Herman 20-yard field goal
that was set up by an 83-yard run by Namias to go along with
a 47-yard strike from Joseph to Galatas and a Metzger 5-yard
run.
The Majors led 52-0 at the break after racking up 356 total
yards (136 rushing) and scoring on 8-of-9 possessions while the
defense held the Panthers to just 111 total yards and four first
downs.
BSC (1-7) opened the
second half with a successful pooch kick to gain positive momentum,
recovering the Jonah Fryfogle kickoff
at the Majors’ 47-yard line. The drive stalled, however,
as the Millsaps defense forced BSC into three consecutive plays
for negative yards and a Drew Jackson 29-yard punt.
On the Majors’ ensuing possession, Joseph’s
pass was intercepted by Jerron Mitchell at the Millsaps 45-yard
line
and returned down to the 23, giving the Panthers their best scoring
opportunity of the afternoon.
Three plays later,
a 35-yard field goal attempt from Fryfogle sailed wide right
to keep BSC off the board and keep the shutout
alive. It marked Fryfogle’s first miss in his last six
attempts dating back to Week 5 against DePauw.
A Metzger 2-yard touchdown
run on the Majors’ final possession
of the third quarter capped the scoring for Millsaps, while the
Panthers finally reached the end zone with 3:31 left in the fourth
off a 3-yard run from James Hall.
Millsaps emptied the bench in the fourth quarter to allow reserve
players to receive reps, filtering in four different quarterbacks
and a new offensive and defensive line en route to playing a
total of 84 different Majors in the game on a roster of 115.
BSC outgained Millsaps 93-88 in the second half to hold a 7-6
advantage on the scoreboard, but Joseph and the Majors had already
done their damage in the first to cruise to a season-ending win
at home.
Millsaps ends the season with an 8-2 overall record, marking
the first 8-win season since the 1996 SCAC Championship season
whereas the Panthers fall to 1-7 in their first season of football
since 1939.
Game Notes:
Twelve seniors played in their final game and were recognized prior to kickoff … Millsaps
scored 50+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1980 … Nick
Namias' 83-yard rush was the longest in Millsaps history dating back to 2000
... Ray Kline became the second player in as many seasons to return an interception
for a
TD in
consecutive
games
(Ronnie
Wheat)
... the Majors have won seven of their last eight games at
home after starting 2006 at 0-3.
