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Sweeping changes to the landscape of the Millsaps
College football program instituted by second year head coach David
Saunders have brought with them a revived attitude among fans and
students eager to get the season started with a win against rival
Mississippi College September 9.
Revived in 2000, "The Backyard
Brawl," which pits rivals Millsaps College and Mississippi
College, has never been won by the home team. With the series tied
between the two schools at two wins and two losses, a small advantage
like that could creep into the minds of the Choctaws Sept. 9. Could
that advantage provide the Majors with a lucky break or two in "The
Tiebreaker," not if you ask Head Coach David Saunders.
Saunders is not superstitious and he doesn't believe in luck, but
he does believe the only way to turn around a football program coming
off of a 1-9 season mark, a team that in 1996 won the Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference championship, is through hard work and great
coaching.
With that in mind only two coaches
were retained by Saunders after their last place finish. Jack Peavey
(Troy State '84) was brought in to run the offense and David Blount
(USM '77) will return to guide the defense. Keith Majors (Northwestern
'87) will act as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator,
Kai Burrell (Grambling State '95) returns to his duties as linebackers
coach and coordinator of strength and conditioning, and Fred McNair
Alcorn State '92 '96) has joined on to coach the quarterbacks.
The combined efforts of this group
of coaches netted a near record 35 incoming freshman that want to
be part of leading Millsaps College back to the top of the SCAC.
The roster fills out with 15 sophomores, 22 juniors, and eight seniors.
Peavey, who played in the National
Football League as an offensive lineman has been a winner at every
level as a player and a coach. An accomplished recruiter, he won
a national championship in college with Troy State University. As
a head coach he led Bishop Feehan High School (MA) to three Super
Bowl wins in four tries, including a 36-game winning streak that
extended over three seasons.
The Majors look to spread the field
on offense with skill players in abundance on the roster. Peavey
will still run the ball, but he will use a more vertical passing
game looking for quick strike scoring possibilities.
Brandon Morris (6-2, 218, Sr.) and
Christian Johnson (6-1, 170, Jr.) will both return after splitting
time at the quarterback position last season. Both signal callers
played a significant amount of snaps with a combined 197 pass attempts,
90 completions for 1141 yards and six touchdowns. Both QB's can
also get themselves out of trouble with their abilities to scramble.
In fact, Johnson led the team in rushing with 725 yards. Morris
ran for 361 yards, good for fifth on the team. Johnson may also
see time at wideout this season in an attempt to have him on the
field at all times.
Marshall Brown (6-0, 185, So.) finished second
on the team in rushing with 457 yards on 110 attempts. Aaron Frommeyer
will be back to clear the way for the feature back as will fullback Jeep
Darnell (6-0 216). A couple of freshmen, Eryc Lorino and Louis Conley,
will get a shot at the starting tailback position. Conley, who was a quarterback
in high school, will still get a shot under center, although his talent
for escaping would-be-tacklers could get him on the field in a variety
of roles. Sophomore Tyson Roy will be in the mix at tailback.
Johnson will now take his talent for
breaking big plays to the wideout positon for 2004. He will work
next to a player who made a splash last season and has a knack for
bringing in the deep ball in sophomore Josh Hanna. Hanna, (6-0,
162) with just 12 catches, gained 304 yards and scored three touchdowns
(25.3 yards per catch clip). Ryan Hooper (6-1, 180, Sr.) returns
after scoring two touchdowns on 13 catches in 2003.
Chandler Malone, who led the team in
catches with 25 and returned kicks and punts has transferred to
Tulane University. So that leaves a relatively untested corps of
wide outs that now step into a more prominent role. Josef Smith
(6-0, 170, So.), Nick Fowler (6-2, 190, So.) and Don Gibson (6-3,
163, Jr.) will join that group. Several incoming freshmen may find
themselves on the field in the fall.
Four freshmen, Brett Coggins, Jeremy
Hinton, Craig Tommey, and John Patton will all fight for playing
time in Peavey's multiple set offense that will occasionally line
up four wideouts.
Freshman tight end Nick Madison could
battle several players who rotated between their offensive line
position and tight end. Juniors Conell Phillips (6-0 252), Andrew
Adams (6-0 309), Tom Brezina (5-9 265), and senior Matt McCollough
(6-2 289) all pulled double duty at tight end last season.
The offensive line, a weakness last
season, may be where the Majors may have made the most improvement.
Transfer Jay Buck, a 6-5 315 lb. tackle with great run blocking
skills could pave the way for a more productive running game for
the majors. Other starters returning are Phillips, McCollough and
Adams. Juniors Brian Catchings and Jay Biedenharn could see time
on the line along with sophomore Charles Gordon (6-1 295) and freshmen
Jacob White, Steven Whatley, Mark Stewart, Dolph McCarson, Andy
Lampton, Mark Kearns, and Robert Biedenharn.
The defensive line will also have several
new faces to go along with defensive end junior David Cutter (6-1
230), who totaled 18 tackles last season. Ishmael Lockhart, a 6-7
320 lb. defensive tackle, who transferred from the University of
Missouri, could be disruptive to the opponents running game to say
the least.
The defense will definitely miss the
133 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 3 interceptions
and overall leadership of all-America linebacker Matt O'Bryant this
year, but with senior linebacker Steven Campbell (5-11 194), who
tallied 64 tackles, and junior strong safety Ross Rutledge (6-1
199), who collected 50 tackles, and cornerback Kirk Jackson, the
Majors have a strong base to start with. Marshall Brown has been
moved after a productive season at running back to linebacker for
2004. Juniors Brian King (5-10 182) and JJ Gilmore and freshmen
Barkley Wedemeyer, Ronald Wheat, Raymece Savage, Jacob Hanberry,
Canaan Ferris, Johnathan Kline and Stephen Parr will all get a look
in fall practice at defensive back.
The kicking game returns two starters,
in Tyler Alford (6-5 160) and Todd Rhoden (6-0 206), both of which
are battling for the starting spot. Alford connected on three of
four field goal attempts and four of four PAT's in 2003, but Rhoden
hit four of seven field goals and 12-13 PAT's last season.
The Millsaps Majors coaches and players
are driven to climb out of the SCAC cellar. See you at Harper Davis
Field in 2004. Go Majors!
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