Millsaps College will wrap up the 2009 campaign on Saturday against SCAC provisional member Birmingham-Southern, recognizing 18 graduating seniors prior to kickoff along with a pair of cheerleaders and two dance team members.
The Majors are 4-0 at home this season and have won 10-straight regular season home games dating back to 2007. They'll look to post a second consecutive season without a regular season home loss when the Panthers come to town.
A win on Saturday would secure a fourth consecutive 7-win season for only a second time in school history, with legendary coach Harper Davis stringing together five 7-win seasons in-a-row from 1983-87.
BSC is in year three of transition to Division III and will become eligible in 2011 to compete for its first conference championship, but has thrown together a 4-5 overall record (2-2 on the road) heading into their final game of 2009 at Harper Davis Field.
Last Year's Meeting (Millsaps 31, Birmingham-Southern 14):
Senior Marcus Harris' 61-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter broke open a 3-point game and helped Millsaps College overcome a season-high seven turnovers to complete the first perfect regular season since the 1980 season in a 31-14 road win.
In a sloppy ballgame with 20-plus mph winds and on-and-off rain throughout the entire afternoon, the teams combined for nine turnovers (six fumbles, three interceptions) that kept the game interesting and the crowd of close to 1,700 on the edge of their seats.
A gutsy performance from the Majors' defense helped the team to its 12th-straight victory overall, holding BSC to 88 total yards in the first half and just 282 for the game. They also had a combined 13.0 TFL. Junior Lee Klein fell just three tackles shy of a Millsaps single-game record for tackles, recording a career-high 20 on the afternoon, while seniors Cap White (13) and Marcus Stokes (11) both set new career-highs in tackles.
Harris' 15th career interception and third career house call (second all-time at Millsaps) on BSC's first drive of the fourth quarter helped Millsaps put the nail in the coffin, as QB Joe Thigpen did not see the senior defensive back on the quarterback option and tossed it right into his hands.
Chris Skinner added a late touchdown for the Majors with 3:18 remaining to cap the scoring and top off a 6-play, 78-yard drive. Joseph's 71-yard connection to Galatas down the BSC sideline on 2nd-and-19 put the Majors into Panthers territory at the 16-yard line where they scored three plays later.
Joseph recorded his 11th career 300-yard game with 344 yards on 24-of-35 passing and a score, connecting with Eric McCarty six times for 51 yards to help his senior teammate move past Wes Ingram for first all-time on the career receptions list with 160. Michael Galatas also had four catches for a career-high 120 yards.
Scouting the Panthers:
There's no secret to what the Panthers want to do come Saturday...run the football. BSC is second in the SCAC in rushing offense at 194.3 ypg on the heels of junior Walter Arrington (103 carries, 546 yards) and freshman Shawn Morris (73 carries, 536 yards) who've eached rushed for eight touchdowns. Throw in junior quarterback Joe Thigpen who's rushed for 416 yards and five touchdowns, and the Panthers have a three-headed trio who can flat out move the football down the field.
BSC is averaging 28.7 ppg but are also allowing 29.9 ppg, which is 6th in the SCAC. A very disciplined team who has been whistled for a conference-low 36 total flags, the Panthers find their troubles in the red zone. In 25 trips inside the 20, BSC has scored just 16 times (64 percent) and turned it over seven times on downs.
Sophomore Andrew Shannon leads the defense with 49 tackles (19th in the SCAC), while junior Jeremy Jones and sophomore Sam Bratt lead with three sacks. Freshman safety Chris Reeves leads with two interceptions.
Scouting the Majors:
Millsaps won a share of the SCAC Championship with a 61-7 drubbing at Sewanee two weeks ago, securing a fourth league championship in-a-row. The Majors are on the outside looking in, however, in the NCAA Playoff race with three overall losses but will try to go out on top with a win against BSC on Senior Day.
Three records were broken in the win at Sewanee, including junior kicker Taylor Russolino breaking the school's career field goal record with his 25th. Galatas also returned his third career kick for a score, while breaking the single-season yardage mark with 658 return yards.
The Majors are averaging a league-best 34.7 ppg and have won three consecutive games after back-to-back losses on the road against two playoff bound teams in DePauw (7-1, 5-1 SCAC) and Huntingdon (8-2). After giving up 28.2 ppg in their first six games, the Millsaps defense is surrending just 9.7 ppg in the last three games while forcing a combined nine turnovers.
Where They Rank in the SCAC:
Scoring Offense - Millsaps 1st, BSC 4th
Scoring Defense - Millsaps 3rd, BSC 6th
Total Offense - Millsaps 4th, BSC 6th
Total Defense - Millsaps 4th, BSC 8th
Rushing Offense - BSC 2nd, Millsaps 7th
Rushing Defense - Millsaps 5th, BSC 8th
Turnover Margin - BSC 1st, Millsaps 2nd (6th nationally)
Red Zone Offense - Millsaps 1st, BSC 7th
Red Zone Defense - Millsaps 2nd, BSC 6th
Series History:
This year's game will mark the 21st overall meeting between the two schools and third consecutive since BSC brought back football in 2007. The Panthers lead the all-time series 14-3-3, while Millsaps has won the last two by an average margin of 34 ppg.
The Head Coaches:
Millsaps College is led by fourth-year head coach Mike DuBose (Alabama `74), who brings a 56-33 (.626) career record into Saturday's game against BSC and 32-10 mark at Millsaps. The Panthers are led by second-year man Eddie Garfinkle (Jacksonville State, '81) who's compiled a 7-12 record (.368) as BSC's sixth coach in school history.
What to Watch For:
The turnover battle will be an interesting one to watch, with the teams ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in the league. BSC is +18 in the turnover game, while Millsaps is close behind with a +14 margin which ranks 6th nationally.
How to follow the action:
Millsaps Webcast:
http://www.sportsnation360.com/schools/webcast/Millsaps-College