SEWANEE, Tenn. – Offensive prowess was on full display at the Millsaps football team took down Sewanee, 31-21 in the Southern Athletic Association opener at McGee Field at Harris Stadium on Saturday.

Millsaps (3-1, 1-0 SAA) was led by freshman quarterback Cole Canatella, who passed for 381 yards (31-of-38) and added seven rushing yards. A pair of passes were intercepted, but the New Orleans, La., native threw for three scores and added a fourth on the ground.

Sophomore Willie Elliott eclipsed the century mark with 142 receiving yards, 10 receptions and a touchdown. Senior wideout Connor Ladner hauled in five passes, including two scores, for 99 yards. Additionally, freshman tight end Kaiden Reese grabbed three catches for 41 yards and classmate Anthony James Jr. posted 47 yards off six receptions.

Classmate Chase Jacobs carried the ball eight times for 42 yards to power the running attack.

Junior Nehemiah Coalson (0.5 sacks), sophomore Tre Jones (pass breakup), sophomore Jamison Rankins (one QBH) and senior Darren Labit tallied six tackles each defensively. Labit also collected a breakup and forced a fumble.

Freshman W.H. Carver netted three pass breakups and recovered the fumble Labit forced free, while sophomore Nathan Johnson posted five tackles.

In special teams, freshman Ty Miller connected on all four PATs and classmate Connor Babin tallied six kickoffs for 326 yards (54.3-yard average). Senior Ethan Klapatch only needed to punt the ball twice for 101 yards total, while sophomore Jeremiah Hall returned two kickoffs for 42 yards. Hall added a forced fumble on defense.

The Majors started the game fast offensively as a big 3rd-down catch by Reese kept the Millsaps opening drive alive. Canatella connected with Elliott on the very next play, combining for 56 yards through the air on back-to-back snaps. The freshman quarterback then scored from one yard out on a team push up the middle.

Sewanee (1-3, 0-1 SAA) answered with a touchdown on its opening drive. Millsaps then utilized two 3rd-down conversions by Reese and Jacobs to help march down the field in response. The Majors regained the lead at 14-7 when Elliott caught a 36-yard pass and raced down the sideline.

Each defense would make stops and force turnovers from there. After a Sewanee defensive interception, Carver recovered the Tigers' fumble right before the end of the opening quarter.

Millsaps again looked poised to add to its advantage, but a 23-yard field goal attempt was blocked five minutes into the second frame.

On Sewanee's next possession, Carver stopped the Tigers on fourth down from the Millsaps 34-yard line with a pass breakup in the end zone. Defense continued to be stout as the Tigers grabbed another interception after Millsaps reached inside the Sewanee 10-yard line. The Majors remained out front, 14-7 at intermission.

The game soon became knotted up again as Sewanee copied the Millsaps blueprint with a touchdown to open the second half.

Looking for a spark on the next drive, Ladner provided an extraordinary 40-yard catch on the sideline and managed to stay in bounds with control of the ball. Miller later connected on a 27-yard field goal to build a 17-14 cushion.

A trio of combined drives for both teams would end in stops. However, Elliott later alluded a tackler and raced down to the Sewanee 14-yard line with an 18-yard catch as the third quarter expired. Ladner followed by catching the ball in the middle of the field and raced it to the right side of the end zone behind blockers, making it 24-14.

After a pair of three-and-outs, Sewanee made it to midfield looking for the tie, but were stopped again. Now working to put the game away, Millsaps made it a 31-14 contest after covering 80 yards on the next drive. Ladner tallied his second score of the game and capped off the drive with a 28-yard touchdown catch.

The Tigers weren't done yet as they scored to make it 31-21 with 2:13 on the clock. Sewanee then recovered the onside kick at midfield. However, freshman Justin Smith intercepted a Tiger pass at the Millsaps 4-yard line to seal the game for good.

The Majors now enter their Bye Week and will next host Centre College on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. with live stats and live video available 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.