JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps football team came up short in the 2023 installment of the Riverside Rumble, 47-7 at Belhaven Bowl Stadium on Thursday.

Sophomore quarterback Benny Malin completed 9-of-13 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, mainly in the second half. He added 27 yards on the ground.
 
Freshman Willie Elliott caught four passes for 45 yards and a score. Sophomore Joshua Richardson finished with 33 yards rushing the ball.
 
Classmates Donald Turley and Nehemiah Coalson recorded a team-high nine and seven tackles, respectively. Seniors Peyton Leingang and Adrian Turner teamed up on a sack.
 
Sophomore Tondarrius Stallion tallied 83 yards on four returns in special teams, while junior punter Ethan Klapatch averaged 63.5 yards on two kickoffs and 47.6 yards on seven punts.
 
The Blazers opened the game with a 55-yard pass completion and then scored on the second play from scrimmage.
 
Stallion responded with a 21-yard return before the drive ended.
 
Leingang and Turner followed with a big sack, which was then saw Turley deliver a huge hit. However, Belhaven answered with a 71-yard completion and would add six points on the next play. Millsaps would hold the Blazers on a two-point attempt five minutes in.
 
The Majors forced a fumble in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the Blazers recovered and scored on the ensuing play. A second two-point try would hold the score to 19-0.
 
On the next possession, the Blazers pushed their lead to 26-0 with a short rush up the middle. Belhaven added another passing touchdown to extend the lead to 33-0. Millsaps would then hold in the final minute to force a fourth down and intermission.
 
Stallion opened the second half with a 28-yard return, which was followed by three consecutive positive plays. After an incompletion, Millsaps continued by rattling off two positive runs and three successful passes. The last successful pass out of Malin's hand went 22 yards and found Elliott fading in the corner of the end zone, cutting the deficit to 33-7.
 
The teams traded punts before the Blazers registered a big gain on a return. The resulting field position eventually led to a Belhaven rushing score up the middle, pushing their lead back up to 40-7.
 
Belhaven scored again with five minutes remaining to conclude the scoring.
 
Up Next: Millsaps hosts McMurry in the home opener, beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9.


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