By Ron Boerger
D3football.com correspondent

JACKSON, Miss. -- There's a reason that football games are precisely 60 minutes long. The Millsaps Majors were the unfortunate recipients of that lesson in a 28-24 loss to Trinity (Texas).



Leading 24-22 with 2:11 left, the Majors were in position to have the game in the bag. Not only had Millsaps' Casey Younger sacked Trinity's Blake Barmore on what would have been a game-tying two point conversion, but Eric McCarty had recovered the Tigers' last-ditch onside kick attempt at the Trinity 41 and the Tigers had no timeouts left.

Three Nick Namias rushes into the center of the line left a few seconds on the clock, however, and with eight seconds remaining the Majors took their last time out to avoid a delay of game penalty that would have come one second later. That second would prove crucial. On fourth down, Millsaps quarterback Burt Pereira slowly faded to his left. He was unable to evade Trinity's Ryan Johnson, and with two seconds left -- and 60 yards from the end zone -- Trinity had one desperate last chance.

With the Majors in extreme prevent formation Barmore tossed a short pass to Shawn Thompson. The clock expired, fireworks went off, but the play was still underway. Thompson evaded a would-be tackler or two and lateraled the ball back. As did the recipient of that lateral. And again. Again. Trinity managed to lateral the ball more than 10 times. Offensive lineman Josh Hooten, being unfamiliar with the lateral process, instead tossed the ball backwards using his best rugby scrum technique -- twice. Somehow all the laterals -- even the "scrums" -- ended up in the Trinity's hands. The ball hit the ground at one point; some Majors defenders seemed to relax, perhaps thinking the play had stopped when the ball hit the ground. The ball was still live, however. The next lateral found its way to Trinity's Riley Curry, who suddenly found a huge expanse of empty green field in front of him and took it 44 yards for the game winning touchdown. In front of a suddenly stunned homecoming crowd in Jackson, the visitors had pulled of the longest of long shots to win 28-24.

"It's one of those miracle finishes," said Trinity coach Steve Mohr, "and if you did this for the next five, 50 years, you would never, ever, ever score. It's one huge win for us and I'm proud of the kids for coming in here to compete in this tough environment. To get us an opportunity like this -- how unique it is."

The "Mississippi Miracle" could join the 1982 Cal/Stanford "spike the trombonist" play and the Tennessee Titans "Music City Miracle" in football lore -- at least in the minds of those who saw it today.

As a result of this win and Rhodes' 27-0 loss at Centre, Trinity finds itself in control of its playoff destiny. Wins at home against Centre and at Austin would return the Tigers to the NCAA playoffs. Millsaps could clinch at least a tie for the championship with a win at Colorado College next week but must hope for help to get the conference's automatic bid to the playoffs.