It was a season of countless firsts.

The LaGrange College football team won its first championship in its first year in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and made the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time.

Not to mention the Panthers won their first game.

LaGrange College had gone winless in its first two seasons, going a combined 0-20 under head coach Todd Mooney.

That all changed, however, with an unforgettable comeback in the Panthers’ first game of the year.

In a road game at Birmingham Southern, the Panthers fought back from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to win 34-31.

It helped having a calm quarterback at the helm. Sophomore Drew Carter threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes to Devin Billings – including one with less than 25 seconds remaining – which will echo in Panther history.

“Everyone was ecstatic,” running back Mario Wallace said after the game. “I fell out on the field. Everyone was cheering. Everyone was happy.”

The win sparked the Panthers to a 9-1 regular season record and a berth against Millsaps College in the first round of the playoffs. While Lagrange College went down 56-26 at No. 1-seeded Millsaps, the foundation was set for what could be a winning tradition at the program.

Carter was a huge part of the Panthers' success – he threw for over 2,200 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions – but Wallace and a plethora of other players contributed greatly.

Wallace led the Panthers on the ground with 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Billings led the team with five receiving touchdowns. The Panthers also averaged 403 yards per game.

The LaGrange College defense were the team's unsung heroes. Allowing about 280 yards per game, the Panthers' ferocious unit caused a plethora of turnovers and returned four interceptions for touchdowns.

Richard Okpani, Josh Britt and Jeremy Pickens led the Panthers with 34 solo tackles a piece. Tim Hill led the team with three interceptions, and Alex Sapp led with seven sacks.

After a close loss to Shorter College in week two, the Panthers reeled off eight straight wins en route to their first SLIAC championship. LaGrange College outscored its opponents 354-119 during the winning streak.

No win was bigger than the 27-17 victory over previously unbeaten Huntingdon College Nov. 15. With everything on the line, the Panthers came through to earn a berth in the playoffs.

"It's unbelievable," said wide receiver Nick Langley. "Nobody, except the team in our locker room, thought this was possible. Just to pull it off after everything this team has been through in the first two years, it's just unbelievable."