STEPHENVILLE, Texas --- The Mississippi College football team played their lone countable game of the 2021 spring season, falling to Division I-FCS Tarleton State, 39-14, on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

The Choctaws have a scrimmage at Southern Arkansas on March 13th and in Clinton on March 19th against Arkansas Tech. The 2021 fall season is currently slated to begin on September 2nd when Albany State comes to Robinson-Hale Stadium.
 

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TARLETON STATE 39, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 14

HOW IT HAPPENED
  - The Texas grabbed early momentum with a 7-play, 80-yard drive that saw Steven Duncan find J.F. Thomas for a 15-yard touchdown to go ahead 7-0 just over two minutes in.
  - The Choctaws then gave TSU 14 points on the next two drives with fumbles returned for scores, one of 60 yards and one of 48 yards, to make the score 21-0 halfway through the first 15 minutes.
  - After the Texans tacked on a field goal, the Choctaws forced a turnover of their own as TSU fumbled a punt, setting MC up at the opponent 27-yard line.
  - After a pair of runs from Cole Fagan to set the Choctaws up inside the 20-yard line, Sam Wilder ran in from 11 yards out to cut the score to 26-6 after the Texas blocked the extra point and returned it for two points.
  - The Texans would close the half with another field goal, but the MC defense came up big on the final drive as Josh Miller forced a fumble that Nick Grady recovered and the score was 29-6 at the break.
  - The Choctaws got the ball to open the second half and used up 12:56, going 75 yards on 19 plays that finished with a three-yard touchdown run from Marcus Williams to cut the score to 29-15 after a two-point rush from DeAnte' Smith-Moore.
  - The Texans added a field goal and another touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the game its final score.

KEY STATS
  - The Choctaws rushed for 225 yards on 59 carries and held the Texans to just 116 rushing yards in the contest.
  - Fagan rushed for a team-high 78 yards on 15 carries, while Jalen Henderson had 16 carries for 57 yards.
  - Williams rushed for 36 yards on four carries with the touchdown, while Smith-Moore had 25 rushing yards on nine attempts.
  - Defensively, Miller led the Choctaws with nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Jaylan Woods tallied seven tackles.
  - Jordan Mims tallied a pair of tackles with a team-high two pass breakups.
  - Duncan led the TSU offense, going 18-of-28 for 259 yards and a touchdown, while Thomas caught four passes for 77 yards and the score.
  - Ryheem Skinner carried the ball 24 times for 106 yards and a touchdown.
  - Ronnell Wilson led the defense with 22 tackles to go along with 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

NOTES
  - This was the first-ever meeting between Mississippi College and Tarleton State.
  - The Texans are currently in transition from Division II to Division-FCS and are scheduled to play a Western Athletic Conference schedule in the fall of 2021.
 

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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 18 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Men's and Women's 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.