Clinton, Miss. – On a damp, windy day at Robinson-Hale Stadium, the Majors had an opportunity to notch their first win of the season over their arch rivals, the Mississippi College Choctaws. However, a last second field goal flew wide left and the Choctaws were able to pull out a win in overtime on their home turf, 33-27.
Millsaps (0-1) received the opening kickoff and got a great return from freshman Mike Barthelemy to the MC 36. The offense came out and started slow, going three and out on their first possession. A low snap forced junior punter Stephan Gates out of his comfort zone, resulting in a short punt, putting Mississippi College (1-0) in great field position around midfield.
Senior running back Steven Knight of MC led an eight play, 33-yard drive which resulted in a Chris Campbell field goal to give the Choctaws the early 3-0 lead.
Both teams traded possessions before Mississippi College found themselves at the 48-yard line of Millsaps. Knight exploded for runs of 12 and 11 and Qin Mobley found the end zone a play later on a run of 21 yards to give the Choctaws a 10-0 leading up to the end of the first quarter.
Millsaps went to work at the beginning of the second quarter after a huge 37 yard punt return by junior Dustin Fawcett that put the Majors into Choctaw territory for the first time in the game. Millsaps cashed in with a 40-yard field goal from freshman Beau Brady.
After holding MC, punter Jacob Chancellor had a snap sail over his head which led to a mad scramble for the ball. Sophomore Joiner Stewart recovered the loose ball at the Choctaw 36, setting Millsaps up with great field position.
From there, junior quarterback Garrett Pinciotti only needed three plays before he found junior Kegan Joplin on a quick out for a five yard touchdown. Brady added the extra point to tie the game at 10.
The Millsaps offense was right back on the field as a short kickoff was muffed by Randall Pharr and recovered by sophomore Thomas Theriot.
The Majors put together a seven play drive which ended in a short, 27 yard field goal for Brady and gave Millsaps a 13-10 lead at halftime.
Both teams exchanged possessions to start the second half before Mississippi College put together the longest drive of the night. Reyer picked up four first downs and took the Choctaws 66 yards in 12 plays as he found Fred Williams towards the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, giving MC a 17-13 lead.
Pinciotti responded immediately in five plays while completing passes to Joplin, junior Jason O'Rear, and capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown to Theriot, to put the Majors back up 20-17 as the third quarter drew to a conclusion.
Millsaps started the fourth quarter with a bang as Pinciotti hooked up with Fawcett along the sidelines for a 66 yard touchdown and a 10 point lead.
Mississippi College responded with a 7 play, 62 yard drive ending in a Reyer touchdown to Pharr to cut the deficit to three.
Both teams traded possessions which included a huge 4th and eight stop by Millsaps as MC got down to the Majors 26 yard line.
The Choctaws would tie this game up, using an eight play, 50 yard drive which ended in a field goal for Campbell with 4:13 remaining.
After the Majors punted away around midfield, Mississippi College drove all the way down to the Majors 39 yard line with less than a minute remaining. Reyer went back to pass before freshman Jeff Milner came away with a huge sack and strip and junior Marvis O'Sirio pounced on the loose ball with 27 seconds remaining at the Millsaps 45.
Pinciotti completed a quick pass to senior tight end Tony Bellan before finding O'Rear in stride down the middle of the field. O'Rear scampered all the way down to the MC 15 with 15 seconds remaining. After a short loss by Pinciotti to set up in the middle of the field, Millsaps sent Brady out with a chance to win the game with seven seconds remaining.
Strong winds and a damp field thanks to Tropical Storm Lee made it tough on the young kicker as his kick sailed wide left and kept the game tied at 27, sending the game to overtime.
Millsaps held the ball first in overtime and penalties haunted the Majors, sending them the wrong way. Brady looked at a 46 yard field goal, but a false start sent Millsaps further back, forcing them to attempt the 4th and 19 from the MC 39. Pinciotti looked for a streaking O'Rear, but a great pass breakup by Jarrad Craine turned the ball over on downs.
On Reyer's first pass, Millsaps was called for pass interference, putting the Choctaws inside the 10. Reyer found the end zone a play later and gave the home team the victory, 33-27.
Pinciotti finished the day going 18-for-35 with 263 passing yard and three touchdowns with one interception. His counterpart, Reyer, was 12-for-26 with 190 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also added 42 yards rushing on 20 carries and the game winning touchdown.
Theriot led all rushers for the Majors with 84 yards and a touchdown reception. Fawcett tallied five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. O'Rear added four catches and 89 yards.
For MC, Knight led the way with 97 yards on 14 carries and Pharr added four receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jeb White led the Majors with 10 tackles including nine solo. Sophomore Jonathan Moore added nine and senior Jordan Nolan added eight solo tackles including three tackles for loss. Jeremy Bertrand led the Choctaws with 10 tackles.
Millsaps returns to action next Saturday as they host their home opener against the LaGrange Panthers. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Harper Davis Field.
