CLINTON, MS - Ben McLaughlin connected on a 19-yard touchdown
pass with DeMario Parker with just 19 seconds remaining to lift
Louisiana College to a 45-42 victory over Mississippi College on
Saturday night at Robinson-Hale Stadium.
In a back-and-forth affair, junior running back Brian Whitehurst
came off the bench for an injured MC running back corps and rushed
for 160 yards on 22 carries and four touchdowns. Most of the damage
by Whitehurst came in the second half as he was called on after
Austin Divinity went down with an injury and the Choctaws were
without the services of Steven Knight for the second straight
game.
In a game that saw a combined total yardage of 979 yards, the
Wildcats prevailed with McLaughlin throwing for 346 yards and four
touchdowns, while also tossing three interceptions. Darnell
Williams caught four passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while
taking a kickoff back 89 yards for a score in the fourth
quarter.
Whitehurst was not the only star on offense as Randal Pharr caught
seven passes for 94 yards, including a 31-yard reception in the
fourth quarter to set up Whitehurst for a go-ahead touchdown with
just 1:14 remaining in the game.
Nate Jantzen led the Wildcats defensively with 22 tackles,
including nine solo stops and 2.0 tackles for loss. Taylor Cottano
and Richard Logan each finished with double-digit tackles with 14
and 10, respectively. Jeremy Bertrand led the Choctaws with 10
tackles on the night.
The Choctaws will move on to their off week before traveling to
Belton, TX to face Mary Hardin-Baylor at 1:00 p.m. on October
9th.