JACKSON, Miss – In their first home game of the season, the Millsaps football team (0-3) was defeated by Olivet College (3-0) by a score of 44-27 at Harper Davis Field on Saturday. The Majors featured four players who found the endzone.

Junior wide receiver Moïse Tezzo had five catches for 103 yards and a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Senior defensive back Ryan Taix returned an interception for a 60-yard score.

Receivers Austin Russell and Nic Hayes both scored by means of receiving touchdowns for the Majors.

Sophomore quarterback Kaleb Thompson threw 18 of 26 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the high-scoring affair.

Junior linebacker Josh Smith led the Majors defensively with eight total tackles, while senior defensive back Cade Broussard also had an impressive game with seven tackles and three pass breakups.

Turnovers would prove to plague the Majors as they would lose the ball three times, while committing 14 penalties.

The Majors came out of the gates fast, however, with a 58-yard passing strike from Thompson to Russell in their second offensive play of the game for a 6-0 lead. The extra point was missed on the opportunity.

Olivet College would respond quickly on the next drive with a kickoff return deep into the Majors' redzone. The Comets would then punch the ball in on a run up the middle to take a 7-6 lead.

Later in the first quarter, the Comets would start a possession from their own 20-yard line and march down to the red zone once again. Two flags against the Comets would force them to settle for a field goal.

Early in the second quarter, Millsaps would reclaim a 13-10 lead when Tezzo would return an electrifying 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, making several Comet players streak by.

In the following possession, Olivet would answer with a critical touchdown run down the left-side line on a 3rd-and-2. They would add another touchdown on the final play before halftime when a deflected pass from a 31-yard Hail Mary connected as time expired.

Down 24-13 with the ball to begin the second half, a false start and a sack would stall the Majors' first possession.

Outscoring the Majors in the third quarter 20-0, the Comets would use their bruising running back attack to finish a seven-play rushing drive for a touchdown to go up 30-13 to begin their second half.

Millsaps would then throw an interception on the first play of the following drive. Olivet would capitalize three plays later with a four-yard touchdown run. The Majors would then fumble the kickoff return where a Comet defender would recover the ball just outside of the Majors' 20-yard line.

Looking to put the game out of reach, a personal foul on Millsaps would set the Comets just inside the 10-yard line where they would punch it in for a commanding 44-13 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Thompson would complete a pass to Tezzo where he would trample defenders for a 51-yard gain to set up the Majors at the Comets' 38-yard line. Later in the drive, Thompson would connect with Hayes in the middle of the endzone for his first score of the season.

After both teams traded punts, Taix would score his second career pick-six to help cut into the lead. The Comets would then run out the clock for the remaining three minutes to secure the victory.

Millsaps will next travel to Memphis to face Rhodes College in their first SAA conference game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 2. Kick off will begin at 12 p.m. CT. Football season tickets, which includes the remaining four scheduled home games, may be purchased here.


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