No. 6 MGCCC opens MACCC South play at Jones

PERKINSTON — No. 6 Gulf Coast may not know all the wrinkles and tricks that await them in the MACCC South opener at Jones on Thursday, but they certainly know the two leaders of the Bobcats coaching staff.

The teams will kick off at 7 p.m. in Ellisville. You can listen to the game at SuperTalk 103.1 FM or online at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. The game will be streamed at https://jcbobcats.com/watch.

Jones is led by former Gulf Coast defensive coordinator Lytrel Pollard, who occupied the same position in Ellisville for the past six years and is now in his first season as head coach. He hired Bulldogs wide receivers coach Bam Bryant to be his offensive coordinator.

"They have a very balanced offense," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They have some strong running backs and some incredible offensive firepower. We're very familiar with a lot of players on their roster through the recruiting process, and watching these guys play in high school, they've just got a very, very talented roster."

Bryant's offense is scoring 42 points per game in a 2-0 start. Pollard's defenses always present problems, and the Bobcats are allowing 155 yards per game after wins against Mississippi Delta and Coahoma.

"Jones' defensive line, year in and year out, is always an extremely formidable group," Wright said. "They're no different this year. They're very big and strong, hard to move. They're active rushing the passer. They have some really, really talented guys on the back end."

The Bulldogs have won the last six meetings in the series, and the schools will be meeting for the 103^rd time. Gulf Coast has faced Jones and Pearl River the same number of times entering the season, the only schools it has faced more than 90 games.

Gulf Coast got a 58-7 win over Delta last week, piling up 600 yards of total offense. A key contributor has been offensive guard Michael Smith (So., Picayune/Picayune), who had a sack playing on the other side of the ball last season.

"We recruited him as a defensive lineman, and he played a good bit last year on the defensive line," Wright said. "But if you look at his skill set and his body type, he's going to be able to play at a higher level if he commits to be an offensive lineman. He made that switch back in February, and he's really committed himself to it and looks really good. He started in the first two games for us on the offensive line, which is not an easy task, and he's played really well."

Game #3

WHO: No. 9 Gulf Coast (2-0) at Jones (2-0)

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Bobcat Stadium, Ellisville

WATCH: https://jcbobcats.com/watch

LISTEN: SuperTalk Mississippi 103.1 FM or https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch

TICKETS: https://jcbobcats.com/tickets 

The Series

Series record: Gulf Coast leads 49-46-6

First Meeting: 1929

Last Meeting: Sept. 12, 2024, Gulf Coast 27, Jones 20

Notes: This is the 102^nd meeting between the schools, with the 1930 game ruled out of the records … Gulf Coast has a six-game winning streak in the series … Gulf Coast has 10 shutouts in 49 victories … Jones has registered 13 shutouts in its 46 wins … Gulf Coast won eight straight in the series between 2005 and 2011 … Gulf Coast beat Jones 42-3 in 2014, the most-lopsided result in the series.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.