FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Ron Boerger]

D3football.com voters are more knowledgable than SCACsports.com voters:

OK, we know what the SCAC website says - who wins on on SA on Saturday?

Millsaps - by 10 or more   12 (44.4%)
Millsaps - by less than 10   8 (29.6%)
Trinity - by less than 10   5 (18.5%)
Trinity - by 10 or more   2 (7.4%)

Total Voters: 27

[TigerDad]

I would also like to add my congratulations to Millsaps for a hard-fought and well-deserved victory in S.A. this afternoon.  We saw a very strong team, especially the O-Line as was mentioned earlier by others.  Joseph had all the time he needed and more ... what a fine performance by the Majors offense.  Millsaps bent but did not break and took advantage of several key opportunities presented to them.

Trinity tried to keep pace but just got worn down as the game went along.  Tigers mounted a terrific comeback effort, but just came up a play or two short.  The game was much closer than the final score would seem to show.  Even in defeat, the Tigers showed the heart of a champion today.  Nobody likes to lose and we're glad it doesn't happen very often for Trinity.

Just a football game, after all ... we were reminded of the proper perspective during halftime as the S.A. area military vets were honored.  Proud to be an American today ... and a D3 football fan.

Also nice to see all the media and fan support at E.M. Stevens today ... not something we get to see very often. 

Wishing the Majors and all their family and fans a safe trip back to Jackson and best wishes for the remainder of their season.  Hope the SCAC will be represented well when the NCAA makes their picks in a couple weeks ... none of us are quite ready for football season to end yet!!

WE'RE TIGER PROUD.

[pbrooks3]

Congrats to the Majors - this is quite a team. They must have an offense like Texas Tech - it never stops rolling!

[Major Rev]

TigerDad, glad to see Chris back on the field for the limited time that he played.  We hope he'll get to show his stuff in the playoffs!

[roocru]

My 2 cents on the AC/DePauw contest;

Congratulations to DePauw, especially to their goal line defense. AC had three chances at 1st and goal during the game and missed one field goal and turned it over on downs twice.  They also outgained DePauw in total yardage 458 to 415.  However, you guys made the plays you needed in order to win and my hat is off to you!

It was a great game in which neither side ever quit and as heartbreaking as the loss is, I am proud of the Roos for their improvement this year.  Time will tell, but I sincerely hope AC has shown they are no longer the "patsies" of the SCAC.  Once we learn to score in the red zone (ie; DePauw and Centre), we can truly turn the corner.  We now have two weeks to prepare for Trinity with the knowledge that an upset is possible.  Who knows what will happen!   

[crufootball]

Congrats to Millsaps on a good game.

Also wanted to mention that the Trinity-Millsaps game was mentioned during the highlights of the Tech-Texas game tonight on ESPN. Of course they mainly mentioned the Miracle but they also said the two teams were playing again today.

[consultant]

Millsaps and Trinity received a brief mention on College Football Final in the highlight package of the Texas Tech/Texas game.  (Wild game!)

I thought that turnovers would be a factor in a close game, but it turns out that the turnover category was a wash in a game that wasn't so close in the second half.  The difference in the game was the strength of the Millsaps offense in terms of its consistency.  

Best of luck to both squads the rest of the way!

[Bill McCabe]

I enjoyed the Millsaps-Trinity game yesterday.  I thought Joseph was outstanding at QB.  Two things that doomed Trinity were their kicking game and their total lack of a pass rush.  Joseph had all the time he needed to throw and he is too good to let him stand back there with no pressure.  Also, the middle of the field was wide open for him to take off for several key runs.  Great win by the Majors.

[bbunch]

Great game yesterday for Millsaps in San Antonio. Though I would chime in with my thoughts/observations on the game.

First off, the temperature was not too bad, but the sun was very intense and made it seem much hotter than it was. This fact was evident in seeing several players on the sidelines fighting cramps. I'm sure Millsaps was happy to be in their all white gear  .

As several have said, Millsaps was just too good offensively. Trinity could not figure out how to stop the Majors. Trinity was respecting the pass so much that the middle of the field was a parking lot that the coaches quickly capitalized on and is reflected in the rushing yards that Juan was able to compile. Millsaps did a good job of balancing the offense with their rushing attack, with some hard running by several of Millsaps RB's. When Juan did pass, the o-line gave him plenty of time to find someone. Trinity did a decent job of covering, it was just a matter of Juan making his decisions so quickly and his passes were exactly where they needed to be. One other thing that was a huge factor IMO was yards after the catch. Millsaps receivers did an outstanding job of getting another 5-10 yards after the catch time after time.

I think TigerDad hit the nail of the head RE Millsaps defense. They definitely bent (a little more than I would have liked) but did not break. Trinity was able to move the ball with some big plays and kept themselves in the game until the middle of the 4th quarter. The first interception in the end zone was the back breaker for Trinity, it was one of those "look what I found" interceptions that the DB did not see until it hit him in the hands. All in all, the defense did step up in the end and make plays when they had to. Hopefully the next two weeks will give coach Dubose some time to get his defense back to where they should be, since that was the one spot where Millsaps seemed the most vulnerable.

For those just seeing the score, this game was MUCH closer than the scoreboard showed. Trinity was within 15 early in the 4th quarter and was driving for another score when Millsaps intercepted in the end zone. But once Millsaps got their hands on the ball again, Trinity did not have an anwser.

Thanks to the Tigers for a great game and this should be a great rivalry for years to come.

[evacuee]

The Majors were at an advantage in pretty much all phases of the game.  While they had virtually all the same people from last year's game on offense, the dropoff in the talent of the Trinity defense from last year was evident.  Defensively, they were great as well.  While the Tigers have some scoring power, the inexperience at the QB position showed.  Joseph was completely relaxed and at ease throughout, which he has been for three years.  Something that I think has hurt Trinity's offense is the emphasis on the screen passes.  The QB doesn't ever really figure out how to make reads down the field and more mistakes occur as a result.  Millsaps throws a good amount of screens as well, but Joseph has been back there for so long that he can see all the action in slow motion it seems.  He always finds the open receiver and it's just so tough to stop. 

I think if the defense and the qb had been a little more experienced, the game would have been closer.  Not a win, though, as Millsaps was pretty much unstoppable and I suspect they'll get a shot at the purple raiders this year.  Yes, I think they are that good.

[D3_DPUFan]

Congrats to the Majors....wow, what a performance. Was also nice to see the game get a mention on College Game Day Saturday morning...

[D3_DPUFan]

My 2 cents on the AC/DePauw contest;

Congratulations to DePauw, especially to their goal line defense.  AC had three chances at 1st and goal during the game and missed one field goal and turned it over on downs twice.  They also outgained DePauw in total yardage 458 to 415.  However, you guys made the plays you needed in order to win and my hat is off to you!

It was a great game in which neither side ever quit and as heartbreaking as the loss is, I am proud of the Roos for their improvement this year.  Time will tell, but I sincerely hope AC has shown they are no longer the "patsies" of the SCAC.  Once we learn to score in the red zone (ie; DePauw and Centre), we can truly turn the corner.  We now have two weeks to prepare for Trinity with the knowledge that an upset is possible.  Who knows what will happen! 

Well said. Hats off to the Roos....I think the team has made a huge leap in just the past year...that was a hard fought road win for the Tigers. In talking with some of the locals they were prettty high on the things Coach Gage is doing...sounds as though he may be building something, which is great for the conference. We enjoyed the set up at the stadium and the folks there were very accomodating...really enjoyed our time in Sherman and Dallas 

[fb52]

Man This is from the Millsaps SID. Sounds like they definetly had revenge on thier minds. Notice key phrase "San Antonio Slaughter"

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Oliver Galicki, Andres Wallace, Jordan Granville, John
Shivers and Adam Williams paved the way for a season-high 576 yards of total
offense and 5th-ranked Millsaps dropped the most points on host Trinity (Texas)
in the SCAC era in a 56-27 rout of the Tigers Saturday afternoon at E.M. Stevens
Stadium.

Senior All-American hopeful Juan Joseph completed 30-of-43 passes for 370 yards
and three TDs and also rushed for 91 yards and two more scores as Millsaps not
only clinched an automatic playoff berth but snapped a 13-year home conference
winning-streak (36 games) for the Tigers dating back to 1995.

Millsaps (8-0, 5-0 SCAC) won its 10th straight game dating back to last year's
"Mississippi Miracle" loss and earned the right to term the game this season the
"San Antonio Slaughter" while sending 14th-ranked TU to its first loss of the
2008 season after opening the year at 7-0.

"We hit on all cylinders today," offensive coordinator John David Caffey said.
"It's probably our best performance of the season but we can still perform
better.  We followed our game plan that we practiced all week and definitely
showed up  for the showdown."

Millsaps set the tempo on the opening play from scrimmage, using Jonathan
Brooks' 26-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.  However, Trinity's Riley Curry
was deemed down by contact and the touchdown was wiped off the board - one of
two on the afternoon (Michel Galatas 85-yd kick return).

Trinity (7-1, 4-1 SCAC) would score first two series later, taking advantage of
a Joseph fumble on a called option play that set the Tigers up on the Majors'
24-yard line.  After the turnover, Bryant Wilson marched TU 24 yards on seven
plays, connecting with Al Furlow from 12-yards out for the 7-0 lead.

Millsaps responded right back 1:08 later, using a career-long 55-yard kick
return from sophomore Michael Galatas to set the Majors up at TU's 32-yard line. 
After a 10-yard rush from Joseph, the senior found fellow senior Eric McCarty
from 20-yards out over the middle to knot it at 7-7.

After forcing TU into a three-and-out on its next possession, Millsaps took its
first lead of the contest on its best drive of the day, a 9-play, 80-yard drive
over 3:15 that ended in a 14-yard run from Joseph and a 14-7 lead.

Ten unanswered from the Tigers off Peter Licalzi's 25-yard field goal and
Wilson's 26-yard TD pass regave them the lead at 17-14 and energized the crowd
of 3,213 before 10 unanswered from the Majors gave the visitors a 28-17 lead at
intermission.

Millsaps would take total control of the game in the second half, scoring TDs on
four of its five possessions while limiting the Tigers to just 10 points to come
away with the convincing, 29-point win.

Behind Joseph's stellar afternoon that will likely garner him D3football.com and
SCAC Player of the Week honors, McCarty caught nine balls for 115 yards and a
score, Galatas caught four for 82 yards and a score, Raymece Savage grabbed six
for 49 yards and Shane Bowser grabbed four for 56 yards and a score.  Wilson
completed 18-of-31 passes for 275 yards, three TDs and two INTs for TU,
connecting with Chris Coleman a team high five times for 67 yards.

Defensively for Millsaps, Lee Klein had a team high eight tackles, Denarold
Anderson had seven tackles (2.0 TFL) and a sack and Jacob Hanberry had seven
tackles, two breakups and a key interception in the third quarter.  For the
Tigers, Dennis Grebe had a game high 10 tackles.

The Majors will return home next weekend for a Homecoming showdown with Colorado
College, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.  Before kickoff, 20 Millsaps seniors will
be recognized in addition to halftime festivities.

[Tex]

Congrats to Milsaps.  Better team yesterday in the 2nd half, and that's when it counted.  TU had a comeback chance down two scores, but threw an INT in the endzone that ended their hopes.  That was the game changing moment. 

TU defense had little solution for Juan Joseph in the 2nd half..  He will be graduating, right?    As good as he was, his receivers helped him a lot by catching most of his tosses.  It was his runs up the middle that were the most effective.  He doesn't take too many direct hits.    Hats off to the Milsaps coaches for their 2nd half adjustments. 

The Milsaps  running back was pretty darn effective as well.  Arm tackles do not bring him down.   

I've seen a lot of D-3 games this year and Joseph is the best I've seen so far. 

I guess the next poll should be did the point differential knock TU out of a Pool C bid?  I sure hope not.  But, I have no idea of what exactly determines Pool C bids. 

[Ralph Turner]

Congrats to Milsaps.  Better team yesterday in the 2nd half, and that's when it counted.  TU had a comeback chance down two scores, but threw an INT in the endzone that ended their hopes.  That was the game changing moment. 

TU defense had little solution for Juan Joseph in the 2nd half..  He will be graduating, right?    As good as he was, his receivers helped him a lot by catching most of his tosses.  It was his runs up the middle that were the most effective.  He doesn't take too many direct hits.    Hats off to the Milsaps coaches for their 2nd half adjustments. 

The Millsaps  running back was pretty darn effective as well.  Arm tackles do not bring him down.   

I've seen a lot of D-3 games this year and Joseph is the best I've seen so far. 

I guess the next poll should be did the point differential knock TU out of a Pool C bid?  I sure hope not.  But, I have no idea of what exactly determines Pool C bids. 

Point differential is not a criterion.

Playoff bids

Let's see what the Regional Rankings look like on Wednesday.