Fresh off a 31-30 come-from-behind win on the road at Austin College, Millsaps College (2-1, 1-0) will welcome conference rival Trinity University (3-0, 1-0) to Harper Davis Field on Saturday for an anticipated early season matchup. To the victor goes a slight edge in the race for the 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship, which is already shaping up to be a good one.

In a series that has meant more in the past three years than ever before, the Majors have won two of the last three meetings, including a 56-27 beatdown in San Antonio last year that saw a 64-game, regular season home winning streak snapped in addition to a streak of 13 years of undefeated conference play at E.M. Stevens Stadium.

This week's game, moved up from its original Oct. 31 date due to a shuffle in the SCAC schedule, will mean just as much now as it would have a month from now. 

Scouting the Tigers:
Trinity, ranked 18th in the AFCA Top 25 Poll, enters Saturday's game fresh off a lopsided 40-19 win at Rhodes College in which the Tigers weren't really tested. Freshman kicker Garrett Biel booted a school-record four field goals in the game, including a 47-yard field goal that was the fourth-longest in school history. Biel's eight field goals in the first three games lead all kickers in Division III. 

Fellow freshman Kyle Trella has also been impressive, though his efforts have come as the team's punter. Trella is averaging 43.6 yards/punt this season, which is good for first in the conference and third place nationally, and nailed a career-high 61-yard punt against Rhodes on Saturday.
 
Running back Chris Baer cracked the top 10 in career rushing, moving past Trinity Athletics Hall of Famer Obert Logan (1960-64) with his first 100-yard effort of the season. Baer's 123 yards rushing on just 16 carries gave him his second straight 100-yard game against Rhodes. He is just 207 yards from moving into ninth place all-time, passing Jimmy Whitney (1985-88). 

Also achieving a significant career milestone was wide receiver Riley Curry. Curry moved past Hall of Famer Bill Hodge (1969-72) for fifth place in receiving yards, needing 143 to move ahead of Canaan Factor (1996-99). Ahead of Factor would be Bo Edwards (1996-99), Jerheme Urban (1999-02), and record-holder Jason Hunt (1999-02). 

Scouting the Majors:
Receiving votes by D3football.com for a third consecutive week, Millsaps won its ninth consecutive SCAC game overall and 11th in-a-row on the road under \#Mike DuBose\#, who's compiled a 20-1 record in league games since his arrival as head coach.

Special teams play proved to be the difference, with junior \#Michael Galatas\# getting his second career kick return for a score (first all-time) and having a 64-yard punt return called back. \#Shane Bowser\# also had a breakout game in the return game and overall, piling up 263 all-purpose yards, including 117 on two kick returns. Senior punter \#William Lawrimore\# continued his steady play as well, averaging 44.7 yards per punt on three punts to bump his average up to 39.6 (t-third in the SCAC).

The Majors are scoring 34.0 ppg (second in the SCAC), but must face off with the league's top-ranked defense in Trinity, who is allowing 270.7 ypg overall and just 21.7 ypg on the ground. Millsaps is also yielding 29.0 ppg in three games although they have a +7 turnover margin, but must get better in the secondary where a majority of the opponents' points have come.

Senior QB \#Chris Graves\# has been steady offensively in his first year as a starter, throwing for 693 yards (second in the SCAC) and nine touchdowns, but must limit interceptions in order to keep the Majors' offense on the field. In three games, Graves has five picks (two off deflections), which leads the league.

Where They Rank in the SCAC:
Scoring Offense - Millsaps 2nd, Trinity T-4th
Scoring Defense - Trinity 4th, Millsaps 6th
Total Offense - Trinity 4th, Millsaps 5th
Total Defense - Trinity 1st, Millsaps 5th
Rushing Offense - Millsaps 5th, Trinity 6th 
Rushing Defense - Trinity 1st, Millsaps 6th
Turnover Margin - Millsaps T-1st, Trinity T-1st
Red Zone Offense - Millsaps T-2nd, Trinity 4th
Red Zone Defense - Millsaps 5th, Trinity 6th

What to Watch For:
Turnovers and field position. Both teams have a +7 turnover margin through the first three weeks, and have relied heavily on their kickers and punters. Trinity is second in the SCAC in net punting (34.1 ypp) behind Trella who has placed four inside the 20 and booted three 50+ yards, while Millsaps' Lawrimore has five inside the 20. 

If the game comes down to a last-second field goal, look out. Both teams are extremely talented in the kicking game behind \#Taylor Russolino\# who holds almost every Millsaps record and TU frosh Garrett Biel who leads the country with eight field goals.

Both returners are also very talented and can break it open in a matter of seconds. Millsaps' Galatas, who's averaging 29.6 yards-per-kick return and TU's Caleb Urban who's averaging 21.2 yards-per-kick return are very dangerous and lead their teams.

Series History:
Saturday's contest will mark the 33rd overall meeting between the two teams, with Millsaps holding a slight 17-15 edge in the series. From 1993-2005, Trinity won 11 times in 13 meetings, but the Majors have come out on top two of the last three en route to three-straight SCAC titles (shared in 2007).

How to Follow the Action:
Simply click on the "Web Casts" link on www.gomajors.com (bottom right) to follow the action via live video and audio with Derrel Palmer on the call. Or watch it here.