The annual Riverside Rumble took place Thursday night between the Belhaven and Millsaps football teams. The Majors took an early 7-0 lead but couldn’t hold off a Blazer comeback with C.J. Nightingale’s team exploding for a 50-24 win in what’s considered one of the fiercest rivalries in Division III.
Nightingale, in his second year as head coach, notched his first win in the rivalry game after losing his inaugural Riverside Rumble 24-21 a season ago. It was also Nightingale’s first Riverside Rumble inside the Belhaven Bowl, which saw nearly 2,000 people show up to watch.
Belhaven was led by former Delta State and Mississippi College quarterback Brock Morris. The senior was 16 of 25 passing for 275 yards and two touchdowns with one pick. His favorite receiver on the night was senior R.J. Garrison, who caught five passes for 155 yards and one touchdown. The other score off Morris’ hand was to senior running back Caleb Gallashaw, who finished with 83 rushing yards and 15 receiving yards with two scores.
Leading the Blazer D was senior linebacker Wyatt Beck. Beck added a tackle for loss, while teammates Tre Chaffier (2), Reece Benoit, and Johnny Evans sacked Millsaps freshman quarterback Grant Bizjack.
Before the game, Nightingale said this year’s team was going to be heavily reliant on veterans as the Blazers try to make a return to the DIII playoffs. The team cracked the bracket in 2023 under now-Northwestern State coach Blaine McCorkle.
“We lost some guys from last year who were seniors and fifth years who used up their eligibility,” he said. “But the fact that we have so many returners who have played meaningful snaps and have been thrown into the fire is really encouraging.”
For Millsaps, coach Brandon Lechtenberg’s crew kept it close for most of the first half. After losing the early touchdown lead, the Majors scored 13 unanswered to be down 21-17 at halftime. Belhaven responded in the third and fourth quarters with 21 unanswered on the way to the 50-24 win.
Bizjack was 19 of 36 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns but overthrew receivers on multiple passes, and at other times, didn’t have much separation to work with between his weaponry and Belhaven’s defensive backs. He turned the ball over once when being sacked in the fourth quarter.
Millsaps redshirt sophomore running back Braxton Garmon had 78 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Junior Taj Colom II and senior Blake Wiley led the receiving corps with a combined 149 yards, while sophomore Justin Smith and senior Luke Bridges each had six total tackles working from the secondary. Sophomore W.H. Carver managed the lone interception on the night.
Next up
Belhaven: at Trinity (TX) on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.
Millsaps: vs. Centenary College on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.
