Millsaps Passing Game Too Much for ’Roos
SHERMAN – Last season Juan Joseph led Millsaps
College to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title, and the junior
quarterback demonstrated why he and the Majors were picked to repeat as
conference champs with a 43-10 win over the Austin College football team on
Saturday afternoon at Jerry Apple Stadium.
Joseph completed 32-of-44 passes for 355
yards and three touchdowns and the Majors piled up 505 yards of total offense
as they broke open the game with three fourth quarter scores. Eric
McCarty was the primary recipient of Joseph’s passes, hauling in seven catches
for 89 yards and two scores.
Austin College started things off as well
as they could have hoped to open the game, with Brett Anderson taking the first
play from scrimmage 72 yards for the score to put the ’Roos up 7-0, but it took
only two and a half minutes for Joseph to lead the Majors on a six play, 47
yard drive culminating in the first score by McCarty to tie things up.
Five minutes later Joseph found McCarty
again to cap off an eight play, 66 yard drive to put the Majors up 14-7 with
seven minutes left in the opening quarter.
The ’Roos came up with a big defensive
stop early in the second quarter when Joseph coughed up the ball just shy of
another Millsaps touchdown and Tommy Shelton recovered for Austin College at
the two yard line.
However, the momentum of the fumble
recovery was lost when Evan Coachman was run down in the endzone on a reverse
by Ronnie Wheat, resulting in a safety and putting the Majors up 16-7 with
12:42 left in the first half.
Austin College got three points back on a
37 yard field goal by Jonathan Hersh to cap off an 18 play, 60 yard drive that
spanned over eight minutes. The ’Roos regained possession late in the
second quarter following a missed field goal and looked to head into the half
only down six, but Jacob Hanberry picked off an Andy Braly pass and returned it
53 yards to inside the Austin College one with four seconds left, and Nick
Namias plunged in for the touchdown. Scooter Means intercepted the
two-point conversion attempt to keep it a 22-10 game heading into the break.
After neither team was able to get their
offense rolling in the third quarter, the Majors finally wore down the ’Roo
defense in the fourth quarter. Kenneth Metzger scored from a yard out
with 12:15 to play, making it 29-10, and on the next Millsaps possession the
Majors got their longest play of the game when Joseph found John Milazzo, who
weaved through and past the Austin College defense for a 78 yard touchdown with
10 minutes left.
The final score for the Majors came with
just under two and a half remaining, when backup quarterback Burt Pereira
passed to Michael Galatas for a 20 yard score to make it a 43-10 final.
Metzger led the Majors with eight carries
for 69 yards, and Galatas and Donnie Epps each caught five passes.
Defensively, Millsaps was led by Wheat and Hanberry with seven tackles
each. The Majors were also able to take advantage of three Austin College
turnovers as well as 10 penalties by the ’Roos totaling 151 yards.
Anderson finished with six carries for 88
yards to lead Austin College, as the ’Roos managed only 198 yards of offense
including 161 on the ground. Braly finished the game going 5-of-12 for 37
yards, and Zach Koerner led the Austin College receivers with a pair of catches
for 22 yards.
Matt Finke had an outstanding game in the
Austin College secondary, making 10 tackles and breaking up three passes.
Jared Baker finished with nine tackles, including two for loss, a sack, and a
forced fumble. Nick Youngblood had seven tackles in the loss.
Austin College hits the road for its next
game, a September 22 tilt with Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
Austin College athletic teams participate
as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference.
Austin College is a leading national
independent liberal arts college located 60 miles north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas.
Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas
operating under original name and charter, the college is related by covenant
to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic
excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training,
and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren
Pope’s influential book “Colleges that Change Lives.”
Jeff
Kelly
Sports
Information Coordinator
Austin
College Kangaroos
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903 813 2275
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