MGCCC notches second straight shutout

MOORHEAD – Mississippi Gulf Coast's defense pitched a shutout and six different Bulldogs scored Thursday in a 42-0 blitzing of Mississippi Delta.

It's the second straight blanking by the Gulf Coast defense.

"They set the tempo of the game for us tonight," Bulldogs coach Chad Huff said. "I was glad to see the D-line, Isaiah Buggs, Dylan Davis, Carson Jordan and Mike Boykin, those guys up front, control the line of scrimmage."

Gulf Coast (3-3), which beat Hinds 34-0 last week, ran for 283 yards and held the Trojans (1-5) to 100 total yards. The Bulldogs didn't turn the ball over and forced a pair.

It was the Bulldogs' first road win of the season.

"It's tough to battle those logistics and travel," Huff said, "so I'm glad to see we learned a lot from the first two road games."

Wide receiver Lester Wells (6-0, 180, So., Adams County Christian/Natchez) opened the scoring, taking a speed sweep around left end for a 28-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.

"I told them all week I wanted to take the sweep to the house," he said. "I was close last week.  They gave it to me again, and this time I wasn't going down."

On the next possession, Octavis Johnson (6-0, 190, So., Clinch County/Homerville, Ga.) got the defense on the board with a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown.

"We were playing Cover 2, and I was just reading my man," said Johnson, who now has three career touchdowns. "I was in the right place at the right time."

T'Rod Daniels (5-9, 190, So., Bassfield/Bassfield) ran one in later in the quarter for a 21-0 lead.

Gulf Coast would have a quiet second quarter until the last two plays. Pressure on the Delta punter prevented him from getting a kick away, giving the Bulldogs the ball with five seconds left.

Kalen Whitlow (6-1, 190, Fr., Northview/Dothan, Ala.) found Brandon Martin (6-4, 217, Fr., Prime Prep Academy/New Orleans) for a 36-yard score as the horn sounded.

Quentin Frazier (6-0, 210, Fr., Hernando/Hernando) added a 16-yard score in the third quarter, and Melvin Stevenson (5-9, 180, Fr., Clarksdale/Clarksdale) ran one in from 6 yards for the final margin.

Stevenson led the Bulldogs with 85 yards rushing, with Daniels picking up 71. Ge'Vonte Jones (5-11, 175, So., Charleston/Charleston) had 60 yards on the ground.

Even without playing a South Division opponent, the Bulldogs' situation in the standings changed. Gulf Coast (2-1) is half-game behind East Central in second place in the division.

The Bulldogs and Warriors are the only two one-loss teams in the division after Copiah-Lincoln lost to Hinds and Jones lost to ECCC.

"The South Division is a tough division," Huff said. "Each week you have to be ready to play. We're looking forward to the challenge next week at Southwest."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.