JACKSON — The honors are rolling in for Millsaps senior defensive tackle Casey Younger.

The Vicksburg High product had the best game of his career Saturday against Rhodes College with nine tackles, with four going for a loss, and three quarterback sacks.

On Tuesday, he was named the Defensive Player of The Week by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

On Wednesday, he was tabbed for the D3Football.com national team of the week honor. D3Football selects 11 defensive players throughout the nation in NCAA Division III for their weekly performances.

“The four tackles for a loss and three sacks are the most I’ve had in one game,” Younger said after the Majors blasted Rhodes 42-0 at Harper Davis Field in Jackson. “A lot of the credit goes to the extra film study I did during the week to get ready.”

Third-year Millsaps coach Mike DuBose was impressed.

“Casey played extremely well. He played so hard that at times he overan some things, but he was very dominant,” DuBose said. “When he plays with that type of effort, he is a great player.”

Younger said he’s become comfortable in his role in DuBose’s defense. The former University of Alabama head coach is in his second year as the Majors’ head coach after spending his first year as the defensive coordinator.

“It’s a complicated defense, but with this being my third year in it, I know it like my second language,” Younger said.

Last year as a junior, Younger keyed the Majors to their first SCAC title in 10 years and first NCAA Division III playoff berth in 31 years. He registered 65 tackles, including 10 1/2 for loss. Saturday’s romp over Rhodes was the Majors’ third straight win after a 27-26 opening loss to rival Mississippi College.

“I think the sky is the limit for this team. We have a veteran team with a great coach in Mike DuBose,” Younger said.

In three previous games, Younger had just six tackles and only a half a stop for a loss. Through three seasons the former Gator has been one of the mainstays of the defense with 135 tackles in 28 games.

All six of Millsaps’ Vicksburg area players saw action in the Rhodes game. Cornerback Marcus Harris returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. Ray Kline had an interception and a forced fumble while Marcus Stokes had three tackles, including a sack.

Former St. Aloysius defensive lineman Jordan Granville, a true freshman, saw action in the fourth quarter and was credited with a tackle. He says the abundance of players on the Millsaps’ team — the Majors have 115 players on their roster — has made it tough to get on the field.

“This was a team that had a lot of players back and large group of freshmen come in, like me and John Robert,” Granville said in reference to his fellow St. Aloysius graduate John Robert Burnett. “The good thing is we have a junior varsity team and those are the games we get to play a lot in.”

Millsaps had the first of its three JV games last Monday against Mississippi College. The Majors also will play Belhaven and then have a second game with MC.

Granville says DuBose’s system has been difficult to digest.

“We run things that they don’t even run in the pros, it’s that complicated of a system. At least it’s not as hard on the defensive linemen as it is with the linebackers. They have a lot of responsibilities,” Granville said.