Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 33

Sunday, September 14, 1997 The Clarion-Ledger 5D hoes rail jj over Tusculu Arkansas Tech scores real late to ruin Delta State home opener By Lee Baker Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Special To The Clarion-Ledger MC's defense controlled in the second half, shutting out the Pioneers. "I think we started feeling sorry for ourselves after they scored those three touchdowns so quickly," Mills said. "But, in the second half we made adjustments. We showed blitz, and then when they checked off, we went back to our regular defense. "That kept them off balance." It also kept Tusculum out of the MC end zone.

"We got our wind back the second half and kept them under control," Mills said. "The kids told me going out not to worry, but I couldn't keep from some. "They changed their offense totally from last year, when they ran the split back veer. They ran the I and power bulked by a lot of big people from Middle Georgia CC. All that size created problems for us." At least it did in the first half.

The Pioneers' first score came on a 9-play, 78-yard drive with Birdie Dockery going the final 10. Then after successive Choctaw fumbles, Rivington Kendrick ran 30 yards for a touchdown and Dockery added a 1-yard run for the 19-9 lead. The Choctaws had led 9-0, turning a Pioneer fumble into a 31-yard Bond field goal after 3V2 minutes and getting a touchdown from senior halfback David Glisson, a transfer from Valdosta State, who broke 54 yards for his first MC touchdown. Bond's point-after try hit the upright and bounced back. After Tusculum's rally and Bond's second field goal, the Choctaws worked back slowly in the second half.

They got even on a 17-play, 76-yard march. Jimmy Dottolo ran 6 yards for the touchdown. Bond's PAT made it 19-19. The Chocs took the lead on another slow but sure march, using 13 plays to go 85 yards. Glisson took a pitchout around the right side for the final 6 yards and victory.

taking advantage of a 56-yard punt return by Chad Huff that set the Statesmen up at the Tech 11. Two plays later Clifton Shavers found Houston Cunningham in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and a 20-16 DSU lead. Arkansas Tech got one final shot with 1:50 remaining, beginning at its 34-yard line, and made it count. Coo-ley's pass to Sawyer completed the 66-yard, 7-play drive, got the win and improved Tech to 2-1, 2-0 in the Gulf South Conference. Highly-touted DSU running back Tregnel Thomas was held under 100-yards rushing for the third consecutive game, as he accumulated 98 yards on 16 carries including a 50-yard scamper in the first half.

The DSU defense, which finished second in Division II a year ago in rushing defense, allowed just 37 yards rushing on 35 carries but gave up 313 yards through the air. CLINTON It took Mississippi College one half of football to shake off its rustiness. Overcoming a ragged start, the Choctaws rallied for a 26-19 season-opening win Saturday over Tuscu-lum, thanks in great part to a sturdy defense in the second half. The Pioneers had put the Chocs in a hole with 19 points in a 2-min-ute, 10-second stretch late in the first half for a 19-9 lead. "That was just like a hurricane hitting us," MC defensive coordinator Johnny Mills said of the Ten-nesseans' streak that ended with 4:04 left in the first half.

MC made the run easier for Tus-culum with two turnovers that led to two of the three Pioneer scores. The Choctaws began coming back late in the second quarter. Jeremy Bond's 31-yard field goal with a second left made it 19-12. CLEVELAND Do Wonder Boys never cease? They didn't Saturday night until the final minute when the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys scored on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Todd Cooley to Tom Sawyer with 47 seconds remaining to knock off Delta State 23-20 at Travis E. Parker Field.

The Statesmen, who drop to 0-2 after being ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Division II preseason poll, rolled up 207 yards on the ground and found themselves with a 13-0 halftime lead after dominating the Wonder Boys in the first half. Arkansas Tech turned it quickly around, scoring 16 unanswered points in the second half. Rushing touchdowns by Eddie Nash and Ernest King and a Chris Wade safety put the Wonder Boys up 16-13. Delta State bounced back up, i 4 v--, i The Clarion-Ledger File Photo Sophomore Treg Thomas rushed fox 98 yards on 16 carries.

DornrH.cattinn Stecker runs over Alcorn The Associated Press LORMAN Aaron Stecker set a Western Illinois record by running for 244 yards Saturday, and his two touchdowns led the fifth-ranked (I-AA) Leathernecks past Alcorn State 31-17 at Jack Spinks Stadium. Stecker got the record and the clinching touchdown on the same play with a 34-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to play that nullified a brilliant rally by Alcorn State. Trailing 24-3 with 13:03 left after a 5-yard Ty Kingsby run, the Braves came alive when reserve quarterback Mose Lemon replaced struggling starter Marcus Taylor. Taylor had completed just 4 of 17 passes for 48 yards with two interceptions. On Lemon's second pass, he found Andre Credit who turned the play into a 71-yard touchdown.

The lead was 24-10. After recovering a Leatherneck fumble, Lemon drove the Braves to the Western Illinois three, but on fourth down he threw incomplete to kill the drive. It was the seventh time Alcorn had driven inside the Leatherneck 20, and the Braves failed to score on six of the trips. "Not scoring in the red zone killed us," said Alcorn coach Car-dell Jones. "We had our chances." Alcorn stopped Western Illinois again, and this time Lemon put more points on the board.

A 16-yard pass to Credit made it 24-17 with 4:06 to play. The Braves defense needed one more stop, but didn't get it. Behind Stecker. the Leathernecks drove 65 yy ur I Each Way With Roundtrip Purchase. DETROIT CHICAGO (MIDWAY) OClfYELAND COLUMBUS OMAHA ff I INDIANA IANAP0US KANSAS CITY JACKSON EACH WAY WITH ROUNDTRIP PURCHASE FROM JACKSON TO: Chicago (Midway) $87 Cleveland $99 yards on eight plays.

Lemon finished with five completions in 11 attempts for 155 yards. He threw one interception. Running back Estus Sands produced 73 yards for Alcorn State on 17 carries and credit Credit with 100 yards on four passes and the two touchdowns. The Braves, 1-2, travel to Montgomery Saturday to return to Southwestern Athletic Conference action against Alabama State. The Leathernecks take their 3-0 record to West Virginia to play Marshall.

Rhodes rallies around Williams to beat Millsaps From Wire and Special Reports MEMPHIS Pat Williams threw two second-half touchdowns, the final one on fourth down with 20 seconds left, to rally Rhodes to a 22-19 victory over Millsaps on Saturday. The Majors, 1-1, who led 19-7 at halftime, dodged two bullets in the fourth quarter with interceptions. Free safety Mitch Smith stopped one scoring threat with an interception in the end zone, and Adam Cabell ended the next Lynx drive with an interception at the Millsaps 19. Cabell's return gave the Majors the ball at their 31 with less than three minutes left. It also gave them an opportunity to run out the clock.

But, on second down at the 34, running back Mike McKenzie fumbled and Rhodes recovered at the 40. From there, Williams threw on all eight plays. He completed five, including the 9-yard touchdown to Austin Jowers on fourth and 5. Millsaps had built its lead on the arm of quarterback Beau Pollard and the foot of kicker Todd Reeves. Pollard had touchdown passes of 29 yards to Nathan Byrd and 10 yards to Wes Ingram, sandwiched around field goals of 33 and 41 yards by Reeves.

All of the scoring came in the second quarter when the Majors forced two Lynx turnovers. Rhodes had taken a first-quarter Columbus $99 Kansas City $99 Detroit $99 Omaha $99 Indianapolis $97 We're giving you the freedom to fly nonstop from Jackson to Chicago (Midway) for only $87 each way with a roundtrip seven-day advance purchase. From there, for just a few dollars more, you can fly nonstop to Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, or Omaha. Your total fare will be $99 or less each way. All it takes is a call to your travel agent or Southwest Airlines.

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