Football

September 26, 2009

Trinity Falls to Defending SCAC Champion Millsaps

Millsaps (3-1, 2-0 SCAC) has now won three of the past four games with Trinity (3-1, 1-1 SCAC). The Majors beat the Tigers 56-27 last season in San Antonio. The Tigers took the famous 15-lateral “Miracle Play” game in 2007, on their last visit to Jackson.

Trinity’s only score of the game was an 87-yard kickoff return by senior wide receiver Caleb Urban, early in the fourth quarter. (The extra point attempt was blocked.) Urban had four kickoff returns for 153 yards, which sets a new Trinity record for a single game.  The previous record of 152 yards was shared by Rickey McKinley and Jock Craig.  McKinley set the record – also against Millsaps – in 1983, then Craig tied it in a game against Centre in 1990. 

Urban leads the Tigers with 424 all-purpose yards this season (280 kick return yards), and his 965 career kickoff return yards place him fourth on the Trinity all-time list.  His 87-yard return ties for the seventh-longest return in school history, tying Ernest Camehl (vs. UTEP in  1959) and Kolby Brailsford (against Millsaps in 2003).

Senior quarterback Jeremy Staska, back in the lineup after an injury, completed 10-21 passes (two interceptions) for 121 yards. Staska also rushed five times for a total of 22 yards and was sacked once. Riley Curry, a senior wide receiver, snagged five passes for 68 yards. First-year punter Kyle Trella booted the ball eight times for 319 yards, an average of 39.9 per punt.

Sophomore defensive back Tyler Barrett, sophomore linebacker Ben Robinson and senior linebacker Dennis Grebe each had eight tackles. Junior defensive lineman Reuben Lucas and senior linebacker Jeff Jones were responsible for one QB sack apiece.

Millsaps quarterback Chris Graves sent a 1-yard TD pass to receiver Jason O’Rear midway through the first quarter, giving the Majors a 7-0 halftime lead. Graves completed 23-41 passing (no interceptions) for 297 yards and two touchdowns. The Majors outscored the Tigers 17-6 in the second half.

The Tigers had just 127 yards in the air and were limited to 59 yards on the ground (186 total yards). Millsaps put up 297 yards passing and 217 rushing for 514 total yards.

Trinity opens its home schedule – after four straight road games – next Saturday with Birmingham-Southern in an SCAC game at E.M. Stevens Stadium. The kickoff time has been moved to 12:30 p.m.

Caleb Urban broke a school record with 153 kickoff return yards at Millsaps on Saturday afternoon, highlighted by his 87-yard TD

Jeff Carapetyan had six total tackles - including one for a loss

Dennis Grebe tied for the team lead with eight tackles on Saturday