ROME, Ga. --- Mississippi College sophomore defensive lineman D.J. Smith returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown with 3:30 remaining in the game to seal a 37-24 win over Shorter University on Saturday afternoon at Barron Stadium.

The Choctaws improved to 3-4 on the season with a 1-3 Gulf South Conference mark, while the Hawks fall to 0-8 and 0-6 in GSC play.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Choctaws opened the scoring in the first quarter, taking advantage of a Shorter fumble and going 21 yards in five plays, capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run from Detric Hawthorn to make the score 7-0.
- The Hawks answered back with a two-yard touchdown run from Tupac Lanier and the game would be tied 7-7 after the first quarter.
- The Choctaws exploded in the second quarter, outscoring Shorter by a count of 21-0 to take a 28-7 lead into the halftime break.
- Following an interception by Derric Hawthorn, who recovered a fumble earlier in the half, Tiberias Lampkin rumbled in from 25 yards out to give the Choctaws a 14-7 lead on a one-play drive.
- On the next drive for MC, Detric scored from 50 yards out to give the Choctaws a 21-7 advantage.
- The first half scoring ended on MC's next possession as Hawthorn found Cole Rotenberry from 51 yards out for a touchdown, marking his second straight game with a touchdown pass over 50 yards.
- Shorter appeared to be on their way to scoring just before the halftime buzzer, but the MC defense came up big with stop at the goal line to send the game to the half with a 28-7 score.
- The Hawks opened the second half scoring with a 24-yard touchdown pass, but Drake McCarter answered with a 43-yard field goal to make the score 31-14 going to the fourth quarter.
- Things continued to get tight in the fourth as the Hawks scored the next 10 points, including a 42-yard field goal from Brett Bardenwerper with 6:41 remaining to make the score 31-24.
- Following a fumble by the Choctaws, the Hawks were deep in MC territory with 3:30 remaining when Smith picked off a deflected ball and took it 73 yards to clinch the MC win.
- On the next possession, Elijah Rogers picked off his fourth pass of the year to put a nail in the victory for the Choctaws.
 

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KEY STATS
- The Choctaws would carry the ball 44 times for 272 yards and three touchdowns, led by a season-high 148 yards from Hawthorn and two scores.
- Hawthorn also threw for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Rotenberry finished the day with two catches for 67 yards.
- Lampkin finished just shy of 100 rushing yards on the day with 98, while Ja'Mori Mark had 39 yards on the ground.
- Colton Magee led the MC defense with six tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss, while Hawthorn had seven tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery.
- Calvin Sims Jr. and Rogers also had seven tackles apiece, while Trey Thompson had three tackles and a sack.
- Tyler Pullum passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns for the Hawks, but the MC defense picked off three of his passes.
- Mo Sutton caught a team-high eight balls for 116 yards, while Weldron Ford carried the ball 15 times for a team-high 48 yards.
 

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GAME NOTES
- The Choctaws have now won three straight against the Hawks, improving their series record to a 3-2 advantage.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 27) when they host #3 West Georgia for "Homecoming" at 3:00 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC 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 2018-19 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.