Panthers host high-scoring Mississippi College
Oct. 11, 2007

This Week's Opponent
Mississippi College comes to Callaway Stadium for the first time Saturday. The Choctaws are 4-1 overall and 3-1 in American Southwest Conference play. Mississippi is coming off a 42-34 road win over Louisiana College. The Choctaws are off to their first 4-1 start since the 1997 season, when they finished 8-2 and were the ASC champions. They started the season 3-0 for the second straight year.

Series Notes
Mississippi College leads the series 1-0. The Choctaws won 33-0 last season in Clinton, Miss.

The Coaches
Norman Joseph is in his third season at Mississippi College. He is 11-14 with the Choctaws and 27-29 overall in six seasons as a head coach.

LaGrange's Todd Mooney is 0-16 in his second season as a head coach.

Last Meeting
Quarterback Brad Madden threw for 256 yards and a touchdown, while Kyle Kruse kicked four field goals to lead Mississippi to a 33-0 Homecoming win in Clinton, Miss. The Choctaws converted four Panther turnovers into 16 points. Mario Wallace had 156 all-purpose yards for the Panthers.

Last Week's Recap
Mississippi College sophomore running back Chris Blanton set a new school record and tied the American Southwest Conference record with five rushing touchdowns as the Choctaws held on to beat Louisiana College on the road in Pineville, La. Blanton ended the game with a career-high 168 rushing yards on 27 carries. Senior wideout Marcus Terry who hauled in eight passes for a career high 183 yards. Quarterback Adam Shaffer was 14-for-26 passing and 247 yards.Shaffer was held without a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The Choctaws took a 35-6 lead into the fourth quarter before holding off a Louisiana College rally.
The Panthers fell 33-10 at Washington University in St. Louis. The Panthers turned the ball over five times, resulting in 26 points for Washington. Sophomore running Mario Wallace had season-highs of 136 yards rushing and 281 all-purpose yards. He also had a 63-yard touchdown run. Josh Stripling kicked a 40-yard field goal. Punter Ike Thomas had a season-best 52-yard punt. Linebacker Justin Pair had seven tackles to lead the defense.
 
Mississippi Statistics
Sophomore quarterback Adam Shaffer is third in the ASC and 18th in NCAA Division III with 1,362 passing yards. He has thrown 13 touchdowns this season. The Choctaws are the second-highest scoring team in the ASC, averaging 38.4 points per game. They are second in the conference in rushing, averaging 175.4 yards per game. The Choctaws are scoring 84 percent of the time in the red zone (21-25, 15 TDs).

LaGrange Statistics
The Panthers rushed for a season-high 176 yards against Washington, which came in to the game allowing opponents only 70 yards per game. Wallace is ranked fifth in NCAA Division III all-purpose yards, averaging 199.3 yards per game. He is also 16th in punt returns, averaging 14.8 yards per game. Wallace's 63-yard touchdown run was the longest score from scrimmage by a Panther. It eclipsed Wallace's 62-yard touchdown reception last season at Bridgewater.

Mississippi Defensive Leaders
On defense, Mississippi has allowed opponents only 47 yards per game rushing. They are the top-ranked run defense in the ASC and fourth in Division III. Strong safety Corey Cooley and linebacker Clint Champagne are tied for the team lead with 36 tackles each. The Choctaws lead the ASC and are fourth in Division III with 25 quarterback sacks and 55 tackles for losses. Defensive end Brannon Willisson has 8.5 quarterback sacks. 

LaGrange Defensive Leaders
Defensive back Jeremy Pickens leads the Panthers with 43 total tackles. Linebackers Justin Pair and Richard Okpani each have 36. The Panthers have recorded 12 quarterback sacks thus far after getting only 10 during last season. The Panthers are allowing almost 15 points and 100 yards less per game at this point of the season versus this time last season.