Millsaps College Athletics

SUWANEE, Ga. - After leading Millsaps College to a season-ending win over Birmingham-Southern, 38-20, to close out a fourth consecutive 7-win season, senior quarterback Chris Graves and junior linebacker Will Hawkins have been named the SCAC Co-Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.

Graves completed 27-of-39 passes for a career-high 336 yards and two touchdowns, hitting a combined 11 different receivers on the day. The 300-yard performance marked the third this season and of his career, helping the senior class go out with the most wins in a four-year stretch at 33-10 overall. 

His lone interception late in the fourth quarter also snapped an SCAC-record streak of 230 passes without a pick (Division III record is 288), breaking former teammate Juan Joseph’s record of 149 in 2007. Graves finished the year with 30 touchdown passes overall, just the second Major to eclipse 30 in a season.

Hawkins had a career-high 17 tackles (10 in the first half) and two quarterback hurries, becoming the first Major since All-American Matt O’Bryant in 2003 to record 100 tackles in a season. Hawkins’ breakout performance helped him finish for the conference lead with Andrew Meier at Rhodes with 102 on the season, as he finished five of the last six games with 10 or more tackles.

Millsaps closed the year at 7-3 overall, with all three losses to playoff-bound teams.