Millsaps College -- The Majors' quest for their first conference championship since 1996 got a bit tougher last weekend after falling to Rose-Hulman 35-28 in an overtime thriller. Now the Majors have their sights set on conference rival DePauw University this Saturday for a pivotal SCAC showdown. A must win game for both teams, the winner emerges a contender for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title, while the loser earns dubious honors as a league pretender.
Millsaps Majors vs. DePauw Tigers -- 9th Meeting
Series record: DePauw leads 5-3
First Meeting: 1991; DePauw 15 -- Millsaps 14
Last meeting: 2001; DePauw 34 -- Millsaps 12
Last week: Rose Hulman 35 - Millsaps 28
DePauw -- did not play; DePauw defeated Sewanee
on October 12 -- 47-28.
Big Streaks: DePauw has won four consecutive games against the Majors. The last time Millsaps defeated DePauw came in 1994 when the Majors defeated the Tigers 20-16.
SCAC in 2002: Millsaps is 1-1; DePauw is 2-1
Intangibles: Millsaps has won 5 straight conference games at Alumni Field dating back to the Majors' 35-28 victory over Trinity in the 2000 season. The Majors were a perfect 3-0 in 2001 at home and defeated Centre 14-7 earlier this year to keep the streak intact. DePauw was the last conference opponent to beat the Majors on their own turf. The Tigers edged the Majors 14-13 in 2000.
Players to Watch:
Millsaps:
Quarteback Brandon Morris - The sophomore's grasp of the Majors' new offense gets firmer by the week. Morris easily had his best game of the season last week at Rose-Hulman when he rushed for 103 yards and two scores and passed for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Brent LeJeune - The senior running back has regained his form of his sophomore season when he rushed for a team-high 832 yards. Last week, LeJeune rushed for his third consecutive 100-yard game. LeJeune carried 20 times for 126 yards.
DePauw:
Quarterback Andy Yoder ranks third in the SCAC in passing yardage per game and third in passing efficiency. His top receiver is Dan Ryan with league-leading totals of 50 catches, 682 yards and 12 touchdown receptions.
