CLINTON, Miss. --- On a day where the Mississippi College football program honored 14 seniors playing their last game in Robinson-Hale Stadium, the Choctaws saw a fourth quarter rally come up just short in a 41-28 loss to the University of West Alabama on Saturday afternoon.

The Choctaws (1-8, 0-6 GSC) trailed 34-14 with under three minutes to play in the third quarter, but senior quarterback Jonathon Redd, who earned his first start since week two against North Alabama, found senior Kirk Bryant for a 49-yard touchdown strike that cut into the lead. Redd threw for 172 yards and the touchdown, while rushing for 45 more and the first MC touchdown of the game that tied the score with four minutes left in the first quarter.

"I wanted to give Jonathon a chance to go out on 'Senior Day' and have some fun," said head coach John Bland. "I'm so proud of how hard he has worked this season, and it paid off with a big game tonight."

Following the long touchdown pass from Redd to Bryant, his first career touchdown reception, the Choctaw defense forced a fumble and set the offense up at the UWA 29-yard line with 8:08 left in the game. MC needed just five plays and two minutes to cut the lead to 34-28 as freshman quarterback Kyle Smith rushed in from seven yards out.

The Choctaw offense had their third straight week of a season-high in offensive output as they posted 358 total yards on 58 plays, averaging over six yards per play. Junior Chris Ingram rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown, while Smith chipped in 54 rushing yards and a score. Ingram also returned seven kickoffs for 174 yards, averaging 24.9 yards per return with a long of 47 yards.

"I'm so proud of the way our guys played tonight," said Bland. "They know what it's like to be in a fight for 60 minutes, now. These seniors worked their tails off all week long and it showed up tonight. The energy and the heart these Choctaws displayed tonight is something that will propel us into a successful future."

Following the MC score that cut the game to just one possession, the Tigers (5-5, 2-4 GSC) marched 64 yards on 11 plays as senior quarterback Kyle Caldwell rushed in from 16 yards away to clinch the victory. The touchdown took 5:04 off the clock and left just 55 seconds for the MC offense to score twice.

Caldwell had a big night for the Tigers, passing for 221 yards on 22-of-27 passing three scores and also rushing for 55 yards and a touchdown. Chad Toocheck led the receiving corps with six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, while Daryl Collins had seven catches for 67 yards.

Sophomore Chris Ori and freshman Kaleb Coleman each led MC with six tackles apiece, while senior Dylan Klibert had four tackles, including one for loss. Freshman defensive back Chris Manning had two tackles in the game and picked off his second pass of the season in the third quarter.

Izauea Lanier and Quinton Harton each had a game-high seven tackles for the Tigers, as the defense picked off three passes and had four tackles for loss.

After the MC defense forced a punt on UWA's opening possession, the Tigers intercepted a pass, and the offense went down the field in three plays as Caldwell found Ty Morgan for a 25-yard score to take a 7-0 lead. Redd rushed in for the tying score on MC's next drive, but the Tigers would grab a 21-7 lead as Tyshaan Alston caught a 3-yard pass from Caldwell and Tyler Rogers rushed in from two yards out.

Ingram found the end zone on MC's next drive as the Choctaws marched 72 yards on five plays, the highlight of which was a 47-yard, one-handed catch by sophomore Connor Chavez, his first reception of the season. After a couple of punt, including a 56-yard boot by freshman Matthew Turcotte, UWA went 82 yards on 12 plays and Caldwell found Toocheck for a 9-yard score to push the lead to 28-14.

MC's next possession ended in a fumble and the Tigers would kick a field goal as time expired to grab the 31-14 lead going into the halftime break. UWA kicked a field goal to open the scoring in the second half before the Choctaws would attempt their comeback over the final 21 minutes.

"This team fought for four quarters tonight," said Bland. "I knew they could do it. This coaching staff knew they could do it. When they came out and brought energy for 60 minutes, we were in the game until the very end."