MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Millsaps football team (1-3, 1-0 SAA) defeated Rhodes College (1-3, 0-1 SAA) by a score of 42-21 in the Southern Athletic Association opener. A total of three Majors found the end zone on multiple occasions at Crain Field on Saturday.
Junior quarterback Kaleb Thompson finished 18-of-33 passing, throwing for three scores and added rushing touchdown to go along with 380 all-purpose yards (339 passing, 41 rushing), against two interceptions.
Memphis native and senior wide receiver Nic Hayes had an impressive day of his own, accumulating career-highs with 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior pass catcher Moise Tezzo totaled a career-high 114 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown.
Millsaps ran 26 more plays than Rhodes and dominated time of possession (37:06-22:54). The Majors also outgained the Lynx by a wide margin, 522-281 in total yards.
Freshman Byron Phillips was a beast on the ground with 71 yards on 15 attempts and two touchdowns. His running mate and junior Montreal Felix proved to be the other half of a dynamic duo, gaining 55 yards on 4.6 yards per carry.
Sophomore defensive end Zach Clark led Millsaps in tackles for the second time this season with five and one tackle for loss, while sophomore defensive end Adrian Turner added two tackles for losses.
After both teams traded punts on their opening possessions, Millsaps would strike first via a one-play 36-yard toss from Thompson to Tezzo for a 7-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, Phillips would punch in a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line to cap off a 16-play 65-yard drive.
Rhodes would then answer with a 12-play scoring drive for 81 yards to cut the lead to 14-7 early in the second quarter.
With the Majors' offense still rolling, Thompson would show off his dual-threat ability. The St. Amant, La., product would rush for 30 yards on the drive, including a nine-yard scamper off a read-option to push the Majors' lead back to 14 at 21-7.
With 3:46 remaining before halftime, the Lynx would look utilize their four-minute offense. However, the Lynx drive looked promising until freshman defensive back Christian Hawkins stripped Rhodes' running back and teammate Josh Smith recovered the loose ball on the Millsaps 30-yard line.
Smelling blood in the water, Thompson would find Hayes for a 70-yard dot down the middle of the field to take a commanding 28-7 lead going into halftime.
Millsaps would keep up their momentum with another strip sack. Freshman linebacker Brian Patterson that would result in Ryan Taix collecting a fumble recovery and his second takeaway of the season at Rhodes' 29-yard line.
Millsaps would not be able to capitalize on the great field position as a sack by the Lynx would knock the Majors out of field goal position.
Rhodes would strike closer with a 78-yard touchdown off a wide receiver screen to cut the lead to 28-14. The Lynx would then close the gap even further with an interception returned to the Millsaps seven-yard line. The Majors would hold strong for the first two downs, but Rhodes would punch in a one-yard touchdown plunge to make it a one-score game at 28-21.
Thompson would show immense poise on the following drive. He completed a 21-yard touchdown strike to Hayes for his second receiving score and pushed Millsaps ahead, 35-21 lead with 14:00 remaining in the game.
The Majors would put the game out of reach when Phillips would hurdle a defender for an 18-yard gain deep in Lynx territory, and follow that run with an outside rush to the left for a 12-yard score. It was his second score of the contest, giving Millsaps the final 42-21 advantage with 8:12 left to play.
Asserting their dominance late, Millsaps converted on six straight third downs in the third and fourth quarters en route to closing out the victory.
Millsaps will host Berry College for Homecoming at Harper Davis Field on Saturday, Oct. 9, beginning at 12 p.m. CT. Football season tickets, which includes the remaining four home games, can be purchased here.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps football program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Kaleb Thompson’s Four Scores Topple Rhodes, 42-21 on Saturday
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211002_8qbs.xml
2021
Millsaps
42
Rhodes
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millsaps (1-3) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
| Rhodes (1-3) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
Oct 02, 2021