CLEVELAND, Miss. --- Mississippi College's season came to a close on Saturday afternoon, falling to Delta State by a final of 41-3 in the Heritage Bell Classic.
In the first quarter, Delta State kicked off the scoring with a 15-yard field goal by Nick Herber, putting them ahead 3-0 after an 11-play, 65-yard drive.
Moving into the second quarter, Kelvin Smith extended Delta State's lead with a 15-yard rushing touchdown, making it 10-0 following a 5-play, 57-yard drive. Nick Herber added another three points for Delta State with a field goal, bringing the score to 13-0 after a 12-play, 81-yard drive.
Mississippi College responded with a field goal by
Ben Pledger just before halftime, closing the gap to 13-3 following a 9-play, 44-yard drive. However, Delta State swiftly countered with a touchdown pass from Patrick Shegog to Jaylen Green, increasing their lead to 20-3 after a 2-play, 48-yard drive in the closing seconds of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, Patrick Shegog had a 1-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 27-3 after an 11-play, 83-yard drive. Christian Malloy then added another touchdown with a 10-yard rush, extending Delta State's lead to 41-3 after a 3-play, 63-yard drive late in the third quarter.
Delta State went on to win the Heritge Bell Classic by a final score of 34-3. Mississippi College amassed a total of 135 yards as a team, with 96 yards coming from rushing.
RJ Wilson led Mississippi College in rushing yards with 40 yards on 9 attempts, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
Marcus Williams also contributed, gaining 23 yards on 10 attempts, averaging 2.3 yards per carry.
Defensively,
Grant Watts and
Jason Betz led the defensive efforts for Mississippi College, each recording 10 total tackles. Watts contributed 8 solo tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Betz had 8 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and solid overall defensive performance. With the loss, MC caps off the 2023 season with an overall record of 3-7 and 2-6 in GSC play.Â
