LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- The Mississippi College football team could not withstand another tough second half in a 35-21 loss to West Alabama on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
 
The Choctaws fell to 4-5 on the season with a 3-4 Gulf South Conference mark, while the Tigers improved to 6-4 and are 3-4 in league play.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Tigers opened the scoring as Derrick Underwood capped a 9-play, 56-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to grab a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
  - The Choctaws answered with a scoring drive of their own, going 69 yards on 15 plays and taking up over nine minutes with senior Drew Croegaert tying the game at 7-7 with an 11-yard scoring run.
  - After an MC defensive stop, MC notched their longest offensive play of the season as senior Detric Hawthorn found senior Moregan Sharp for a 71-yard catch.
  - The long pass play set up a 3-yard touchdown run from junior Jaylin Jones that gave the Choctaws a 14-7 lead with 10:48 to go in the half.
  - The Tigers responded late in the first 30 minutes as Jack McDaniels found Bayley Blanchard for a 1-yard touchdown pass that would send the game into the half with the score 14-14.
  - To open the second half, UWA took went 65 yards on nine plays, capped by a two-yard touchdown run from McDaniels that gave the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.
  - They scored to double the lead in the final minutes of the third quarter as McDaniels found Tyriq Martin for a 32-yard score to make the lead 28-14.
  - The Tigers struck again to open the fourth quarter as Demetrius Battle rushed in from eight yards out to push the lead to 35-14.
  - The Choctaws would stop the scoring run by the Tigers when Hawthorn capped a 17-play, 65-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give the game its final score.
 

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KEY STATS
  - The Choctaws rushed for 208 yards on 53 carries, averaging 3.6 yards per carry in the contest.
  - The defense allowed just 359 total yards and the Choctaws held the ball for over 35 minutes in the contest.
  - Jaylin Jones led the Choctaws with 63 rushing yards and the touchdown, while senior Ja'Mori Mark had seven carries for 49 yards.
  - Senior Moregan Sharp led the Choctaws with 77 receiving yards, including a career-high 71-yard reception in the second quarter.
  - Senior Derric Hawthorn led the Choctaws with nine tackles, while junior Jonathan Jones had five tackles with 2.0 for loss and a forced fumble.
  - McDaniels went 17-of-22 for 218 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for a score.
  - Undraez Lilly had a team-high 10 tackles for the Tigers.
 

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GAME NOTES
  - The Choctaws are now 19-25-2 all-time against the Tigers with their last win coming in 1995.
  - Junior quarterback Aaron Feazelle left the game with a lower-body injury in the third quarter.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Choctaws will wrap up the regular season at home next week, hosting rival Delta State at 2:00 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 began 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.