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As senior Marcel Newson cruised to a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown with 7:36 remaining to take a 41-35 lead, it appeared the Mississippi College football team had their best shot at their first Gulf South Conference win since 1995.
However, after a blocked extra point, Valdosta State drove 67 yards in nine plays for a touchdown to grab the 42-41 advantage, and MC’s final drive stalled just past midfield as the Blazers were able to squeak out the victory on Saturday at Robinson-Hale Stadium.
Newson (Coldwater, Miss.) also caught seven passes for 114 yards, which included a great grab in the corner of the end zone on a 21-yard strike from sophomore Khiran Williams to tie the game 35-35 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game.
Senior Josh Diixon (Clinton, Miss.), who has missed three games this season with an injury, was just about back to full strength on Saturday, carrying the ball 13 times for 153 yards, averaging 11.8 yards per rush. He also had a 51-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter that tied the game 14-14 with 3:26 to go.
The Blazers jumped out to a 14-0 through the first 10 minutes of the game, and it appeared the Choctaws were on their way to a tough loss on “Homecoming” at the Clinton campus. Two years ago, VSU came to Clinton and handed MC a 59-0 defeat on “Homecoming.”
The 2016 Choctaws responded with a 10-play, 78-yard drive to open the second quarter, capped off by a one-yard run from Williams to cut the score to 14-7.
The Blazers would go into the half with a 21-14 lead after a last-minute drive ended with a touchdown pass from Roland Rivers to Joe Fortson.
The teams would go back and forth, answering score for score and junior Chris Manning set up the touchdown pass from Williams to Newson, tying the score 35-35 in the fourth quarter.
In his first collegiate start, Williams completed 10-of-19 passes for 158 yards and the touchdown. On the day, the Choctaws piled up 374 yards of offense, posting 373 of that in the final three quarters after the tough start.
Manning led the Choctaws with eight tackles, including the interception. Freshman Julian Charlesposted six tackles with 3.0 for loss and a sack. Juniors Jahmaad Harrell and Trey Harris also had tackles for loss in the game.
Rivers led the MC offense, passing for 330 yards and five touchdowns with Fortson catching six passes for 74 yards and two scores.
Kenny Moore led the VSU defense with eight tackles, including seven solo stops.
The Choctaws will be on the road next week when they travel to Carrollton, Ga. to face West Georgia at 1:00 p.m. (CT) in University Stadium.
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu
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