CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Mississippi College Choctaws fell in an overtime thriller to the Delta State Statesmen by a final score of 24-21 in the Heritage Bell Classic.
The Choctaws got things started off late in the first quarter with a touchdown run by
Marcus Williams to put Mississippi College ahead 7-0 with 3:26 left in the first quarter of play.
Delta State knotted the score up at 7-7 with 4:54 remaining in the half on a touchdown run, yet the very next possession for the Choctaws saw
Sam Wilder put MC back on top with a one play 75-yard touchdown catch from
DeAnte Smith-Moore in just 13-seconds.
MC took a 14-7 lead into the break with
Cole Fagan leading the way on the ground with 38 yards rushing on four carries. Mississippi College had 168 yard of total offense on 28 plays after two quarters.
On Delta State's first drive of the second half, the Statesmen once again tied the game up at 14-14 with a 51-yard rushing touchdown with 10:52 left in the third quarter.
With 11:13 left in the game,
Cole Fagan broke loose on a 64-yard scamper, scoring to give Mississippi College a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter.he field
Delta State answered with 1:31 left in the game with a four play 61-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run to tie the game up at 21-21.
Mississippi College marched down the field in the final minute of play, including a one hand catch by
Stephen Smith that put MC at the Delta State 25-yard line with 34 seconds in regulation. With one second left,
Jance Riley's field goal attempt came up short, as MC and Delta State would need overtime to decide the Heritage Bell Classic.
MC got the ball to start OT, but a fumble fell into the hands of Delta State, resulting in a Delta State field goal attempt on the change of possession that ultimately gave the Statesmen the 24-21 win.
Fagan led MC with 131 yards on the afternoon, with an average of 10.9 yards per carry, including a 64-yard touchdown run. Smith-Moore finished 3-of-7 for 152 yards and one touchdown. Wilder led MC with 75 yards receiving on one catch.
Jonathan Jones had a solid outing defensively, collecting 17 tackles, 15 of which were unassisted, including one sack.
Nicholas Walker and
Grant Watts each had eight tackles a piece.
Mississippi College finished with 424 yards of total offense while surrendering a total of 403 yards defensively. Mississippi College falls to 3-6 overall on the season and will cap of the 2021 season next weekend at West Alabama. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CST in Livingston, Ala.
