MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Millsaps football program fought hard at Rhodes College but were unable to battle back from an early deficit and fell, 31-24 at Crain Field on Saturday.
 
Millsaps (5-3, 3-2 SAA) was quarterbacked by freshman Cole Canatella. He completed 17-of-27 passes for 215 yards, rushed for 14 yards and two touchdowns.

Classmate Chase Jacobs posted a quality 88 yards in the rushing game, while freshman Willie Elliott hauled in six catches for 117 yards. Both freshman Anthony James Jr. (46 yards) and junior Blake Wiley (33 yards) grabbed four catches.
 
Rhodes (3-5, 2-3 SAA) struggled to contain freshman W.H. Carver in special teams, with Carver returning five kickoffs for 92 yards. Additionally, classmate Connor Babin sent five kickoffs of his own 242 yards (48.4-yard average) and senior Ethan Klapatch sailed three punts 135 yards (45-yard average).

On the defensive front, sophomore Tre Jones led the Majors with 10 total tackles (1.0 TFL) and junior Nehemiah Coalson followed with eight stops.

Sophomore Luke Bridges posted seven tackles, while senior Darren Labit, junior Malachi Pasteur (interception) and sophomore Jamison Rankins (1.0 TFL, one quarterback hurry) all added five tackles.

The Lynx opened the scoring on their opening drive five minutes into the contest. Millsaps looked to immediately answer, but a sack led to a 43-yard field goal attempt that was missed.

Rhodes extended its advantage to 14-0 on their ensuing drive, but Millsaps would not be denied a second time. Canatella only needed four plays to drive the offense 79 yards to the end zone. A 68-yard pass to Elliott set up Jacobs with a short four-yard rush to the left, cutting the deficit to 14-7.

The early offensive success continued for the Lynx after extending the lead to 21-7 with 11 minutes to play in the opening half.

Millsaps freshman kicker Ty Miller then provided the final offense of the opening 30 minutes when he nailed a 27-yard field goal with 5:35 to play before intermission. Rhodes held a 24-10 advantage at the half.
 
The Lynx looked poised to add to their lead after advancing to the Millsaps 21-yard line, but Pasteur caught a crucial interception early in the third quarter.

Millsaps take advantage by marching the ball down the field and cut the deficit to seven points when Canatella faked a handoff to Jacobs and scored with a fourth-down rush from one yard out.

Rhodes responded with another touchdown drive after scoring on its own quarterback rush from a yard out, making it a 31-17 game with 13:11 to play.

Each team would be stopped on ensuing offensive drives before the Majors worked to battle back once more. After starting with the ball at Millsaps 44-yard line, the Majors worked their way down the field and Canatella scored again with his feet. The two-yard rush made it 31-24 with 1:58 remaining.

The Lynx unfortunately picked up one more first down and were able to kneel out the clock in the Southern Athletic Association matchup.

The Majors will remain on the road and next travel to Georgia to face Berry College, beginning at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday. Live video and live stats will be provided at gomajors.com.
 
 
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Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.