A Decade of Excellence: Big Game No. 3

Gulf Coast 20, Pearl River 17

In 2007, Mississippi Gulf Coast's won its first state championship in 19 years.

The Bulldogs twice had to beat rival Jones County in a four-week span to do so, with the state title game decided on Nov. 10 by a narrow 20-17 margin.

"We had the ball up 20-17 with eight minutes left at our 30," said Gulf Coast head coach Chad Huff, who was the offensive coordinator at the time." We went 60 yards and took off eight minutes and just ran the clock out."

Gulf Coast entered that game ranked third in the country, part of a streak of appearances in the NJCAA Top 20 that reached a decade with the release of the latest poll Tuesday that had the Bulldogs at No. 8.

The state championship paved the way for the ultimate ranking a few weeks later when the Bulldogs defeated Kilgore to claim the national championship.

Gulf Coast also won its first meeting against Jones, 20-14. That game featured a scoop-and-score touchdown by linebacker Chris White, who would go on to win a Super Bowl with New England last year.

In the state title game, wide receiver Deon Hodges was the hero. He caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Genario McNealy with 11 minutes left for the winning score.

"Deon Hodges hadn't scored a touchdown all year," Huff said. "Those receivers were unselfish. He ran a corner-post and we scored to go up at the end."

That explosive play was the exception rather than the rule that day.

"I don't think we got a first down until the third quarter," Huff said. "Our kids battled and battled defensively."

This week, we'll be looking back at big games from a great decade of Gulf Coast football. Check back tomorrow for the next installment.