It was a big Thursday night across the Division II and Division III football scenes in Mississippi. Catch up with all the scores from week one below.
Mississippi College bests NAIA Keiser 17-14
With eight minutes left to play, Mississippi College kicker Ben Pledger sailed a go-ahead 46-yard field goal through the uprights to break the Choctaws’ 14-14 tie with No. 2-ranked NAIA Keiser. The Mississippi College defense held on for the last two drives of the game, giving the Choctaws their first win of the new season.
The kick that sealed the game @BenPledger3 pic.twitter.com/4KoVjwpHz9
— Mississippi College Football 🏈 (@GoChoctaws_FB) September 1, 2023
Leading the way on offense was quarterback John Henry White with 82 yards and one touchdown. All-Gulf South Conference (GSC) running back Marcus Williams added 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground. On defense, linebacker Hayden Hill had eight tackles, two for loss, and a half sack. Defensive back David Brown IV had seven tackles.
Delta State’s big second half leads to 48-20 win over Missouri S&T
Delta State got off to a quick start with quarterback Patrick Shegog hitting Todd Lee Battle on a 64-yard pass on the third play of the game. The opening drive was then capped by a four-yard touchdown reception by Tycen Gray. However, Missouri S&T fought back and was able to keep the game close for the majority of the first half. The Statesmen pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Miners 31-14.
“We hit a big play early, but they kept us in check for a while and that’s a credit to their defense,” DSU head coach Todd Cooley said afterward. “We got the win. We came out in the second half and did what we were supposed to do. Our guys can play a lot better, and they will.”
The Delta State offense was led by Shegog, who finished 16 of 22 passing for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Shegog added 58 yards on the ground. Calvin Lockett topped the receivers’ room with 123 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Delta State’s defense came to play as well, forcing four takeaways. Defensive back Jarvis Townsend had six tackles and one interception. Linebacker Adrian Hill finished with a team-high seven tackles.
Belhaven glides to 47-7 victory over rival Millsaps
It was all Belhaven in the annual Riverside Rumble. After a quick first drive that included a 55-yard flea flicker from quarterback Tim Johnson to Terry Jones and a 20-yard touchdown score by tight end Brooks Brymer, the Blazers never looked back and carried a 33-0 lead into halftime.
The Majors found their lone touchdown of the night on the opening drive of the second half when backup quarterback Benny Malin hit freshman Willie Elliot in the corner of the end zone. Belhaven responded with two more touchdowns of their own to close out the contest.
Leading the way for the Blazers was Johnson with 261 yards and two touchdowns on 11 of 13 passing. Devin Daniels had a 100-yard day on the ground with a touchdown while All-USA South running back Kolbe Blunt added two more touchdowns of his own.
On defense, Belhaven linebacker Landry Huddleston had nine tackles, two for loss, and a half sack. Four different players – TJ Hersey, Wyatt Beck, Taylor Chantz, and Carlton Brown – had six-tackle performances. Jackson State transfer linebacker Donald Turley led Millsaps with nine tackles.
Outside of two missed PATs by All-USA South kicker Constantine Hontzas, Belhaven was firing on all cylinders to secure the program’s third straight win over their cross-town rivals.
