JACKSON, Miss. – The LaGrange College football team won 31-15 at Belhaven University in USA South Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Belhaven Bowl Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi.
THE BASICS
Score: LaGrange 31, Belhaven 15
Records: Panthers 7-2, 5-1 USA South | Blazers 4-5, 3-3 USA South
TOP PERFORMERS
- LaGrange junior quarterback Aaron McLaughlin (Alpharetta, Ga.) had his best game under center for the Panthers as he passed for 193 yards and rushed for another 14 with a combined three touchdowns.
- LaGrange junior linebacker Ched Smith (Macon, Ga.) had an outstanding performance with a team-high nine tackles to go along with two sacks. With his first sack of the day – that coming with 4:49 left in the third quarter when the Blazers went for it on fourth down – Smith recorded his 16th career sack, breaking the school's all-time career sack record set by former Panther great Alex Sapp at the end of the 2009 season. With his second sack of the day, Smith finishes his day with 17 career sacks.
- LaGrange senior running back Michael Hays (Jacksonville, Fla.) had a combined 119 yards from scrimmage – 80 on the ground, 39 off four receptions – to keep the Panther offense rolling.
- LaGrange junior cornerback Tavares Simmons Jr. (Perry, Ga.) continued to show why he's one of the best defensive playmakers in the conference as he intercepted a Belhaven pass in the end zone with 3:19 to go in the first half, eventually leading to a Panther field goal in a major swing. This came off the heels of blocking an extra-point attempt by the Blazers in the first quarter.
- Belhaven freshman quarterback Matthew Dial (Ocala, Fla.) threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
- LaGrange sophomore defensive end Zymarion Hudson (Cordele, Ga.) filled the stat-line with 2.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
THE BIG PLAYS
- Trailing 6-0 with 4:30 to go in the first quarter, it would once again be the Panther defense making the big play as LaGrange senior linebacker Dezmond Jones (Thomasville, Ga.) made the strip-sack on the Blazer quarterback at the hosts' eight-yard line, recovering the ball himself and returning it for a touchdown as LC went ahead 7-6.
- Late in the second quarter, LaGrange sophomore wide receiver Austin Harris (Jonesboro, Ga.) caught a 27-yard pass from McLaughlin to give the Panthers a first-and-ten from the Blazer 11. Three plays later sophomore kicker James Whatley (Birmingham, Ala.) sent one through the uprights as the Panthers took a 10-6 lead into halftime.
- With 10:27 to go in the third quarter, McLaughlin found LaGrange graduate wide receiver Ashton Bryant (Athens, Ga.) for a 30-yard touchdown reception as the Panthers went up 17-6.
- On the Blazers' next play from scrimmage, LaGrange senior defensive end Anthony Lovett (Lithonia, Ga.) performed a strip sack on Belhaven QB, as Hudson recovered to give the Panthers the ball back at the BU 4. Three plays later, McLaughlin would punch it in himself on an eight-yard run, as LaGrange opened up a 24-6 lead.
- The Blazers were driving deep into the Panther red zone as the fourth quarter got underway, but on third-and-nine from the nine, LaGrange junior defensive back Halbert Clark III (Mobile, Ala.) forced the receiver out of bounds for a loss of two, forcing Belhaven to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to 24-9 with 14:12 left in the game.
- On the very next drive, McLaughlin found senior running back Kolby Crawford (Douglasville, Ga.) on a pass and Crawford would not be stopped, going 70 yards for another touchdown as the Panthers went up 31-9. A late score by the Blazers was not enough to close the gap.
UP NEXT
- LaGrange is back on the field next Saturday when they play host to Southern Virginia University with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Callaway Stadium. The Panthers will recognize their senior class as part of Senior Day in a ceremony prior to the kickoff.
For continuing coverage of LaGrange College Athletics, visit lagrangepanthers.com and follow the Panthers on Instagram ( @lagrange_panthers ), Twitter ( @lcpanthers ) and Facebook ( LaGrange Panthers ).
