The Majors began the game with a strong start taking the opening kickoff and driving the field. Ten plays and 82 yards later, Matt Foisy caught a 24-yard pass from freshman quarterback Juan Joseph (in for the injured Billy Bob Orsagh) and gave the Majors their first lead of the game, 7-0 following the DJ Mello extra point.

Following their opening possession, the Majors struggled, punting the ball on their second possession of the game, fumbling it on their third and punting again on their fourth possession. Rhodes College took advantage of their struggles, scoring twice on two separate 1-yard touchdown runs and once more on a blocked Millsaps punt to bring the score to 20-7, Lynx.

Following the blocked punt, the Majors got back in the ballgame, quickly taking the ball from the Millsaps 29-yard line to the Rhodes end zone on four plays, ending with a Joseph to Foisy 19-yard touchdown pass. The Millsaps defense, however, continued to struggle as Rhodes scored again, forcing the Majors to tack on another score. Running back Neil Woodall took the ball on a 24-yard run into the Lynx end zone. Following a safety called against the Majors, Rhodes took the ball in at halftime with a 29-20 lead.

The second half of the homecoming competition saw a more defense charged ballgame resulting in sloppy play by each team’s offensive unit. On their first possession of the half, Lynx quarterback Mark Oliver threw an interception. The Majors took advantage of the turnover when two plays later, junior running back Tyson Roy scored for Millsaps to close in on the Lynx advantage with a 29-27 score.

The rest of the quarter, the Lynx and Majors combined for three fumbles, three punts and a missed field goal by Rhodes. The fourth quarter saw much of the same action. The Majors opened the fourth with a fumble, the Lynx followed by an interception and the Majors responded with another fumble. Neither team was able to take advantage of the many turnovers throughout the game.

As the competition began to wind to a close, the Majors took the ball for the final time. Starting on their own 12-yard line, Millsaps took 13 plays to drive to the Rhodes 14-yard line before giving the ball to freshman kicker DJ Mello. With 1:41 left in the game, Mello successfully kicked a 31-yard field goal, giving the Majors a 30-29 lead which held for the rest of the game.

For the day, Roy led the way for the Majors on the ground, rushing for 128 yards and one touchdown on 19 plays. Eric McCarty had the most receptions with six for 70 yards. Foisy had four receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Juan Joseph showed promise in the quarterback position, finishing the day 21 for 30 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. On the defensive end of the ball, EJ Johnson had 13 total tackles for the Majors, two for a loss. Ross Rutledge finished the day with six tackles, while Ronnie Wheat had five.

Besides giving the Majors their first conference win of the season, the 30-29 victory over Rhodes College provides Millsaps with the confidence they will undoubtedly need as the team heads to San Antonio, Texas next weekend to face Trinity College in their last game of the season.