JACKSON, Miss. – After storming back from an early deficit to take a one-point halftime lead, Millsaps saw Belhaven score a pair of second half touchdowns that was enough to lift the Blazers to a 42-35 win in the football opener for both schools.  Junior Chance Clowers (Monroe, La.) threw for 135 yards and a score for the Majors.
 
Belhaven (1-0) struck quickly in the game, scoring on the on the fourth play of the game's first drive on a 19-yard TD throw from Hunter McEachern to Nolan Satcher. Millsaps came right back to tie the score at 7-7 on its first possesion of the season when senior Isaiah Talton (Dallas, Texas) capped off a seven-play drive with a two-yard TD run. Belhaven then took a two-score advantage with a pair of touchdowns in less than a three-minute span. After taking a 14-7 lead on a three-yard pass from McEachern to Jacob McNeill, the Blazers sacked Clowers on the second play of the ensuing Millsaps possession and removed his fumble on the Millsaps 11-yard line. Three plays later McEachern completed his third scoring toss in the quarter for a 21-7 lead.
 
On the final play of the quarter Millsaps got the turnover it needed when junior Gary Roberts (New Iberia, La.) picked off McEachern and returned it 19 yards to the Belhaven 25. Four plays later the Majors were in the end zone when sophomore Josh Pennebaker (Calhoun, La.) took it in from two yards out. A two-point conversion was missed, leaving Millsaps trailing 21-13.
 
McEachern's fourth TD pass of the half at the 9:30 mark of the second put Belhaven up 28-13, but Millsaps came back with an eight-yard scoring run by freshman Fritz Walker III (Madisonville, La.) to make it 28-20 with 6:31 left in the half. After the two sides swapped punts, Millsaps stopped Belhaven again when senior Jacob Kendall (Navarre, Fla.) sacked McEachern at the Belhaven 13. Forced to punt again, the snap sailed over the punters head and out of the end zone for a safety, pulling Millsaps within six at 28-22. On its first play after the free kick, the Majors took the lead for the first time when junior Andrew Warren (Ocean Springs, Miss.) broke free for a 42-yard scoring run and a 29-28 lead.
 
After the 57-point first half, the two teams could not generate much offense in the third quarter. The only scoring came when senior Ty Proctor's (Columbiana, Ala.) pass was intercepted and returned 30 yards for a score by Isaiah Blackmon, putting Belhaven back on top 35-29 at the 4:51 mark of the third.
 
Six minutes into the fourth quarter a 48-yard punt by freshman Andrew Byrd (Yazoo City, Miss.) pinned Belhaven on its own 10. Another bad snap on the next play resulted in the second safety of the night for the Millsaps defense, pulling the Majors within four.
 
On its next possession Belhaven scored what proved to be the game winner when Watson Fondren found Jareth Embry over the middle for a 77-yard scoring strike to make it 42-31 with 5:23 left. Millsaps came right back down the field when Clowers completed three passes for a total of 69 yards, including a 20-yard scoring toss to senior Andrew Jarreau (Livonia, La.) with 4:32 left that made it 42-37 after a missed two-point try.
 
Millsaps held Belhaven to a three and out on its next possession and got the ball back on its own nine with 2:30 left. The Majors drove down to the Belhaven, but facing a fourth-and-five with five seconds left, Millsaps could not get the ball in the end zone as the Blazers hung on for the victory.
 
Millsaps will be back in action next week when it travels to Texas to take on Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth on September 9 at 2:00 p.m.