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MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Millsaps College senior quarterback Chris Graves tied a career-high with four touchdown passes through three and a half quarters but went out with an injury with 8:17 remaining in the third as host Huntingdon College grabbed momentum and rallied for 23 unanswered points to beat the Majors 47-36 at Samford Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Millsaps dropped its second straight road contest -- first back-to-back regular season road losses since 2005 -- to fall to 3-3 overall, while Huntingdon improved to 4-1 on the year and 3-0 all-time against the Majors.
In a flag-filled game in which both teams were whistled for double digit penalties en route to a combined 277 penalty yards, a costly pass interference call on Millsaps late in the third quarter on 3rd-and-23 kept the drive alive and set up Huntingdon's eventual go-ahead touchdown from senior QB Justin Ridgeway.
Ridgeway accounted for four of the Hawks' six touchdowns on the afternoon as the offense racked up 546 total yards, hooking up with Cody Pearcy and Tyler Young from 33 and 26 yards out to give the hosts a 14-0 lead just 5:20 into the game.
After the Millsaps defense forced a fumble, junior running back \#Taylor Weaver\# found his way into the end zone from 1-yard out for the Majors' first score, cutting the lead in half at 14-7. The Hawks would respond though with 54 seconds left in the quarter, using a Parker Roberts 2-yard TD run to extend a 21-7 lead.
Twenty-three unanswered points from Millsaps in the second quarter turned a 14-point deficit into a 30-21 halftime lead, as Graves found his rhythm and led the Majors to scoring drives of 63, 92 and 47 yards. \#Shane Bowser\#, \#Josh Gast\# and \#Jason O'Rear\# all caught touchdown passes, while \#Miles Sager\# blocked a punt for a Millsaps safety.
A Millsaps fumble on its opening drive of the second half set Huntingdon up at the Majors' 26-yard line, where the Hawks would have to settle for a 22-yard field goal after failing to find the end zone on 1st-and-goal from the 7-yard line.
The Majors' offense, however, would redeem themselves the ensuing possession, using a short field after a 42-yard kick return from \#Michael Galatas\# and capitalizing on a 10-yard touchdown toss from Graves to Galatas five plays later for a 36-24 lead.
After a pair of defensive stops for Millsaps, including \#Tevin Goggins\#' interception in the end zone, things went from bad to worse for the Majors in a matter of 8:45 on the clock.
Sandwiched between a pair of Huntingdon touchdowns -- including the go-ahead score -- Graves was injured after diving to recover a Bowser fumble, making way for sophomore backup QB \#Sean Murphy\#. Murphy was then knocked out of the game with 15 seconds left in the third by former Major turned Hawk, Quinn Hambrite, which had Millsaps down to its third-string QB the final 15 minutes.
Millsaps managed just 42 yards in the final quarter and was held without a first down, as Huntingdon held the ball for 10:24 and tacked on 10 insurance points for the 47-36 win.
Junior linebacker \#Will Hawkins\# had a career afternoon with 13 tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a pair of quarterback hurries in a losing effort, while Sager chipped in 11 tackles and \#Kevin Peters\# added a career-high 10.
Millsaps (3-3, 2-1 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) will return home next weekend, playing host to Rhodes College (2-4, 0-2 SCAC) at 1 p.m.
