Bulldogs gear up for Homecoming

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast's contest against East Central will close out the week's Homecoming festivities, but Bulldog fans should not look at the opponent's record and think it will be a walkover.

The Warriors aren't anything like a team you might expect to see with an 0-6 win-loss mark. Four of those losses have been by five or fewer points, including a three-point loss to No. 4 Jones.

"I've never seen such a good team not have a win," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They're really, really good. They've played the best teams in the league to the wire."

Kickoff at historic A.L. May Memorial Stadium in the 75^th meeting between the schools is set for 3:30 p.m. Purchase tickets in advance at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, or the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. It will also be carried by SuperTalk 103.1 FM.

For a complete calendar of Homecoming activities, go to http://mgccc.edu/homecoming.

Gulf Coast leads the series 56-16-2 and has won 18 of the last 19 meetings.

Quarterback Gabriel Larry leads the ECCC offense, and he's coming off a 21-for-31 passing performance against Northeast Mississippi. He threw for 157 yards and ran for another 97.

"They've got a lot of scary weapons on offense with a quarterback who can move around," Wright said. "He can make things happen with his feet. Defensively, they're what they've always been, which is really, really good. They're never out of position. They pressure the quarterback and don't give up a ton of big plays."

Wright and his staff have concentrated this week on continuing to put their best players on the field. They're also trying to get their young players coached up to the high level required to play in the MACCC.

One of those players is running back Jamari Thompson (Fr., Pearl/Pearl). He was called on down the stretch to help Gulf Coast close out its 31-28 win at Copiah-Lincoln. Gulf Coast ground out the final 10:08 of the game on a long, with a 17-play, 75-yard drive.

Thompson converted a pair of first downs on the ground, including a 10-yard run on the final fourth-and-1 that allowed the Bulldogs to kneel down one final time to run out the clock.

"Jamari did a really good job in there closing out the game the other night," Wright said. "He went in there at a very critical moment of the game and was able to get first downs. He made a couple of guys miss and fell forward in a situation where we needed to keep the chains moving. He's a young guy, and I like him."

Game #7

WHO: MGCCC (3-3, 2-1 MACCC South) vs. East Central (0-6, 0-3 MACCC South)

WHAT: Homecoming 2022

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 15, 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: A.L. May Memorial Stadium, Perkinston

WATCH: https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch

LISTEN: SuperTalk 103.1 FM

The Series

Series record: 75th meeting, Gulf Coast leads 56-16-2

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2020, MGCCC 31, ECCC 3

Notes: Gulf Coast has won 18 of the last 19 meetings dating back to 2003 … Gulf Coast is averaging 36.4 points in that time, East Central 16.91 … Gulf Coast has eight shutouts in its 53 victories … East Central has five shutouts, the last of which came in 1976 … Gulf Coast won 13 straight between 2003 and 2016 … East Central's longest win streak is three between 1931 and 1933, the first three meetings … The biggest Gulf Coast wins in series history were all 41-0 shutouts (1964, 1973, 2012), while the biggest for East Central was in 1932 (42-0).

Homecoming Notes

• Gulf Coast is 56-34 on Homecoming.
• Gulf Coast is averaging 23.7 points per Homecoming game, while opponents are averaging just 17.2.
• Gulf Coast has won five of the last six Homecoming games dating to 2015.
• Gulf Coast has shut out eight opponents on Homecoming and has been shut out nine times.
• Gulf Coast's biggest margin of victory on Homecoming is 55, which has happened twice in a three-year period: 1971 Gulf Coast 62, Hinds 7; 1973, Gulf Coast 62, Itawamba 7.
• Gulf Coast biggest margin of defeat on Homecoming is also 55, losing 55-0 to Hinds in 1995.
• George Sekul has the most Homecoming wins: 19.
• Steve Campbell has 8 wins; Steve Wright 4.
• Jack Wright is tied for fourth-most Homecoming wins: 3 (Harold Wesson, Harold White).
• Jack Wright (3-0) is one of four Gulf Coast coaches who are unbeaten at Homecoming: Marvin "Red" Campbell, 2-0; Nolan E. Tollett, 2-0, Robert Whitman, 1-0.

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.