JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps football team was downed by Rhodes College, 31-7 during Homecoming at Harper Davis Field on Saturday.

Sophomore quarterback Brody Davis completed 16-of-30 passes for 231 yards and two interceptions. He also tallied a rushing score for the Majors. Classmate Xavion Butler had a breakout game with a career-high 100 receiving yards on four receptions.

Fellow sophomore Thomas Patterson finished with a career-best and game-high 13 tackles, including five solo stops and 1.0 tackle for loss. Rising freshman Nehemiah Coalson tallied nine tackles, including a sack.

Millsaps (3-4, 2-2 SAA) tallied 308 yards of offense, but it was not enough to overcome three turnovers on the day. Rhodes (3-4, 1-2 SAA) also pressured Davis with four sacks.

Both defenses held strong on the team's opening two possessions to open the game. The Majors looked poised to score first with under five minutes remaining in the first quarter having reached the Rhodes 14-yard line. An interception in the end zone was returned 61 yards to end the early opportunity.

The Lynx would cash in on the first play of the second quarter with a five-yard passing score to build an early 7-0 advantage.

Millsaps would soon respond on the ensuing drive, which covered 11 plays and 89 yards. A pair of 29-yard receptions by graduate Nic Hayes and Butler set the Majors up in the Lynx red zone. Back-to-back-to-back runs by freshman Brennan Harrell pushed the ball to the one-yard line. Davis would then rush into the end zone on an option play to tie the contest at 7-7.

The next two drives would end without points, but Rhodes would add a 31-yard field goal as time expired heading into halftime.

Rhodes would then pin Millsaps deep into Major territory to begin the third quarter, which lead to great field possession on their opening possession. The Lynx would convert an 11-yard rushing tally to grow their lead to 17-7 early in the quarter.

Teams would trade possession until another turnover led to another Rhodes score. A Lynx defender would jump a route and take the ball for a 44-yard score and make it 24-7 with three minutes remaining in the third.

Millsaps again looked poised to recover when Davis found Butler for a 48-yard electrifying pass-and-catch. Butler alluded four tacklers but was tripped up from behind and fell on the two-yard line as the third quarter closed. However, a pair of rushes and two incomplete passes ended the drive.
 
A fumble on the Majors' next drive gave the Lynx strong field possession again at the Millsaps 39-yard line. The Lynx turned the turnover into the final seven points of the game off a 39-yard touchdown reception.

Graduate Nic Ojonta would add an interception late to prevent further scoring in the 31-7 contest.

Millsaps now travels to face Berry College on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.


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