Centre D ‘Crashes and Burns,’ Boys Head Home for Millsaps. @CentreFootball @BSCFootball @MajorsFootball @d3football

Colonels look to head into the offseason “the right way”

The Centre Colonels saw the wheels come off its defensive bus in Birmingham, Alabama today in the game with BSU. BSU accumulated over 500-yards rushing on the afternoon, an infinitely unacceptable number from a college football defense’s perspective.

Still, the Colonels will come home to renew one of its older rivalries as the Millsaps Majors are set to come to Danville for the season finale. A win in the final game will set the seasonal mark at 6-4 and send the team off into offseason workouts, and recruiting season, on a high note.

Fletcher Long, KPGFootball Senior Scout

According to the Library of Congress book, Respectfully Quoted, the phrase “the opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings” was coined in 1978 by Dan Cook, a sports writer from San Antonio, Texas. It seems his town’s basketball team had gone one up in a championship series and he was cautioning fans not to get too excited about the team’s prospects.

Well, being perfectly honest, if the “Fat Lady” didn’t sing, post the Trinity game in Danville a week ago, she darn sure began warming. After this afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama, she’s singing a full throated aria right about now.

When the game went to the second quarter knotted up at zeroes, there appeared to be a chance. BSU came out the second quarter and put 21-points on the board and it was all over but the crying.

However, Centre did show some moxie and grit in the fourth quarter. The Colonels put 21-points of its own on the scoreboard to slap some lipstick on this 42-21 hog of a blowout. 

How bad was it? Well, statistically, it is hard to imagine it being any more one-sided.

Centre gained 183-yards rushing on the day. The Colonels surrendered 516-yards rushing to the Panthers. Centre averaged 4.8-yards per carry. BSU averaged 12.6. 

Centre gained 202-total yards on the day. BSU gained over 600 total-yards. 

In looking at the statistics, how in the world did we only lose by 21?Who knows, right?

There were some bright spots. There were some wonderful individual performances.

Scotty Brown had his biggest game of the season. Brown caught 4-passes for 93-yards receiving and 2TD’s.

Senior Sam Murray caught 7-passes, rushed his only attempt from scrimmage 21-yards and averaged 25.8-yards on 4-KO returns today with a long of 36-yards. Murray is a weapon and today further illustrated what a dangerous return guy he really can be given opportunity.

Christian Billiter caught 2-balls, one of which was our third TD reception on the day. Billiter also returned his 2-KO’s 55-yards on the day, coming out with an average of 27.5. 

Sophomore sensation, Will McDaniel, went over the 100-yard rushing plateau again on the year. McDaniel gained 111-yards on 27-carries, averaging 4.1-yards per rushing attempt with a long of 13-yards.

Nick Osterman, gained 21-yards on 4-attempts from the QB position. He was bottled up much of the day by the BSU pass-rush but still managed to get the ball down field. Centre’s offense engineered three, fourth-quarter scoring drives. 

Punter Nick Whitlow may be the SAA, first-team All-Conference Punter for what he has done this season. Whitlow was a bright spot for the Colonels again today.

Whitlow punted five times for 212-yards. That is an average of 42.4-yards per punt with a long of 57-yards. 

Sophomore, Parker Guillaume, picked a pass. He returned his INT 26-yards and may have provided the defense one of its best plays on the afternoon.  

It doesn’t look like the BSU, Sports Information Director’s office posted any individual, defensive statistics from the game. Of course, what would there have been to say on that end? 

BSU gained 618-total yards on the day on 55-offensive plays. BSU rushed for 516-yards. BSU scored 4-rushing TD’s and 2-through the air. BSU averaged 12.6 yards per rushing attempt and 14.6-yards per completion. 

Centre registered 47-tackles on the day, 29-of which were solos. Centre registered 6-TFL’s on the day but no sacks. Centre had one takeaway via an INT, the one about which we have already reported, which Guillaume returned 29-yards. 

Centre is now 5-4, 3-3 in conference play, with a game with Millsaps in Danville to finish off the season. At stake for the Colonels is a winning record both in and out of conference. Millsaps will enter the game 3-6 overall and 2-4 in conference play. 

Millsaps is coming off an absolute throttling at the hands of conference regular season champion, Trinity University. The Tigers toppled the Majors, 53-7, in Jackson, Mississippi. 

Against Trinity’s defense, which we know first hand is stout, Millsaps rushed for 60-yards and had 159-total yards. They averaged 2.9-yards per rushing attempt. 

Millsaps had 8-first downs all day. The Majors surrendered 29. 

I will cut it short here by simply saying this. It would be a monumental upset for the Majors to come into Danville, KY and beat the Colonels. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but…

This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT! 

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