Gulf Coast looks to get back to winning ways

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast looks to get back on the winning track Thursday when the Bulldogs play their first home game against East Central.

Gulf Coast (1-1) is coming off a pair of long road trips, which ended in loss at Northwest last week. The contest at A.L. May Memorial Stadium will be the MACJC South Division opener for both teams.

The Bulldogs slipped to No. 14 in the NJCAA poll released Wednesday.

The Warriors (2-0) will be making their first road trip of the year after beating Mississippi Delta 34-0 and Coahoma 46-13 in Decatur.

"They're 2-0 and playing with a lot of confidence," Gulf Coast coach Chad Huff said. "We've had a good week of practice and need to control what we can control."

Jesse Hosket directs the East Central offense. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore has completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 429 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

His favorite target has been Kabion Ento, who has eight catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns. His specialty has been the big play, with a 28.4 yard-per-catch average.

Donterrius Poe leads the Warriors with 176 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He's averaging 8.8 yards per carry, with Savon Robinson matching him in rushing touchdowns picking up 120 yards on 16 carries.

"They play really sound," Huff said. "They play really, really hard. Coach (Ken) Karcher has them giving great effort."

The Bulldogs are led on defense by the linebacking tandem of Reggio Dean (12 tackles, 1 force fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception) and James Graves (19 tackles). Up front, freshman defensive end Isaiah Buggs has 12 tackles.

Huff said the East Central secondary is big, presenting a challenge for a Bulldogs offense trying to get back on track after struggling in a 26-10 loss at Northwest.

Quarterback A.J. Erdely was harried in the backfield to the tune of eight sacks, completing just 9-of-20 passes for 78 yards. Erdely had more time in an opening-week 40-23 win at Northeast, completing 19-of-30 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

Chris Robinson has 117 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead Gulf Coast. Ishmel Morrow has 226 yards receiving on 11 catches, including two touchdowns.

Gulf Coast's kicking game has been in good hands with Joshua Rowland (5-6 FG, 5-5 PAT) and Tyler Flathau (averaging 40.0 yards on 13 punts).