SUWANEE, Ga. - With their wins last week Centre and Trinity, the two remaining undefeated SCAC teams, set the stage for a de facto SCAC championship game on November 5 in San Antonio. Centre escaped with a 24-22 win at Millsaps while Trinity held off upset minded Birmingham-Southern, 24-16.
AROUND THE SCAC
Austin College held a 10-7 halftime lead against DePauw but was unable to hang on as the Tigers scored 14 unanswered in the third quarter and held off a late charge by the ‘Roos, dropping Austin College 21-17 on Saturday and spoiling Homecoming Weekend for the ‘Roos. The ‘Roos got out to a quick start, recovering a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and scoring two plays later when Noah Jesko found Jordan Schell for a 23 yard strike, and after DePauw tied things up the ‘Roos got a 21 yard field goal from Mitch Anderson to head into the break with the narrow lead. However, DePauw took control in the third quarter to build the lead to 21-10 before Jesko again found Schell for another 23 yard touchdown to cut it to 21-17, but after forcing a fumble and driving down to the DePauw two yard line late in the fourth quarter, the Tigers held the ‘Roos out of the end zone, ending Austin College’s hopes for a comeback victory. Jesko finished 24-of-40 for 230 yards and Schell caught six passes for 89 yards. The ‘Roos, now 0-8 on the year, will be looking for their first win when they travel to Sewanee on Saturday.
Birmingham-Southern lost on the road this week, losing a hard-fought 24-16 game to No. 14 undefeated Trinity. BSC is now 0-5 all-time against Trinity. Trinity entered the game with the SCAC's top defense, and the Tigers held BSC to just 13 first downs and 279 yards total offense, far below its SCAC-best 434 yards per contest. Junior quarterback Jimmy Stainback finished the afternoon 8 of 15 passing for 114 yards. Junior tailback Shawn Morris tallied 131 yards rushing on 20 carries, just below his league-leading 134 yards a game. Senior defensive end Bryan Jackson led the Panther defense with 11 tackles, including one sack and two tackles for a loss. Senior linebacker Dustin Massey also had 11 tackles. Birmingham-Southern returns home for its last two games of the season, hosting Rhodes on Nov. 5 and Millsaps for Homecoming/Reunion Weekend and Senior Day on Nov. 12. Both games kickoff at 1 p.m. in Panther Stadium.
For the first time since the 1989 season, No.
25 Centre has started a season 7-0 after
defeating Millsaps 24-22 Saturday in Jackson, Miss. The win marks
the first time since the 1989 season the Colonels have opened with
seven consecutive wins. The Majors out-gained Centre 405-237 in
total offensive yards, but turned the ball over three times, while
the Colonels did not have any turnovers in the game. The win also
extends Centre’s winning streak going back to the end of last
season to nine games. The Colonels will travel to San Antonio,
Texas for a showdown of the two remaining undefeated teams in the
SCAC. Both teams will enter the game ranked in the latest
D3football poll. Centre is currently No. 25, while Trinity is now
No. 18.
Millsaps battled the undefeated Centre Colonels to the
end on Saturday, outgaining Centre 405-237 in total yards, but
could not pull off the win as they fell 24-22 on Saturday
afternoon. Junior quarterback Garrett Pinciotti finished the day
outdueling the number one passer in the SCAC in Tyler Osterman as
he went 28-for-42 for 344 yards and two touchdowns. His
favorite target was junior Jason O'Rear who hauled in 114 yards
receiving off six catches. O'Rear's touchdown in the fourth quarter
placed him first all-time in career touchdown receptions at
Millsaps College. Defensively, juniors Jeb White and Marvis O'Sirio
each led the way with 10 tackles on the day while senior Jordan
Nolan added seven. The loss drops Millsaps to 4-4 overall and 3-2
in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, eliminating them
from any chance of sharing the title. Millsaps returns to action on
Saturday, November 5th as they will take on Division II
Tarleton State in Stephensville, Texas. Kickoff is set for 2
p.m.
Rhodes lost a 34-7 decision to Sewanee in the annual
Orgill Cup Game. Sewanee scored the final 27 points of the game to
break a 7-7 2nd quarter tie and beat Rhodes for the first time in
six seasons. The Lynx played their final home game of the 2011
season and will travel this week to Birmingham, to face the
Birmingham-Southern Panthers. Rhodes currently is 3-4 overall and
finished the season 3-2 at Fargason Field. The Lynx continue to
lead the SCAC in passing offense. Senior quarterback Brett Stoots
leads all quarterbacks in passing yards per game and Lynx receivers
Buddy Legens and Jack Lartigue are the top two receivers in yards
and receptions per game.
After residing at Rhodes for the past five seasons, the Edmund
Orgill Trophy is back at Sewanee after the Tigers
defeated their longtime-rival 34-7 Saturday afternoon in Memphis.
With the win, Sewanee now sits at 4-5 on the season. Also with the
victory, the Tigers picked up their first SCAC win of the fall. In
the game, Sewanee played outstanding both on offense and defense.
The Tigers managed to outrush Rhodes by 214 yards. Individually,
sophomore quarterback Lee Schurlknight totaled 154 yards. On the
defensive side of the ball, Sewanee forced three interceptions, one
fumble, 11 pass breakups, and eight tackles for loss. With the win,
Sewanee is now 42-35-3 all-time against Rhodes. Also, Saturday's 27
point margin of victory was the largest the Tigers have had against
their rival since Sewanee defeated then Southwestern (Rhodes) by a
41-6 mark on October 30, 1965. Sewanee returns to action in its
final game of the 2011 season, as the Tigers welcome Austin College
next Saturday for homecoming. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at McGee
Field at Harris Stadium.
No. 13 Trinity earned a key 24-16 SCAC win over
Birmingham-Southern last weekend, remaining unbeaten on the season,
and setting up a showdown with Centre this week. The winner of the
this week’s game will secure at least a share of the SCAC
Championship, and will also secure the league’s automatic bid
to the playoffs. Trinity jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first
half, but BSC rallied to within seven by halftime. The Tigers
scored again in the third to make it 24-10, and BSC couldn’t
manage another score until the 4:27 mark in the fourth quarter. The
Trinity defense recorded an interception in the final minutes for
the second straight week, sealing the win to improve to 5-0
all-time against Birmingham. Kyle Trella’s average of 45.6
yards/punt was the fifth-highest in school history (min. five
punts), while Phillip Hiner-Leamon recorded 1.5 sacks to bring his
season total to 6.0 sacks – the most for a Tiger player since
2005. Saturday’s meeting will be the 23rd between Trinity and
Centre in football, with the Tigers holding a 14-8 edge in the
series. Centre defeated Trinity 26-7 last season, and has won two
of the past three matchups.
For the complete SCAC Gridiron Weekly for Week 9,
click here.
