No. 8 Bulldogs face must-win game Thursday

PERKINSTON — It's the last week of the MACCC football regular season, but for No. 8 Mississippi Gulf Coast and No. 12 Hinds, the playoffs start a week early. It will be a winner-goes-home showdown in Raymond on Thursday.

Coach Jack Wright hasn't directly addressed that fact with the Bulldogs.

"We have smart kids; we have football intelligent players," he said. "They know what's at stake. Really, every South game we feel like is like that, so it's not any different."

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. All tickets must be purchased online at https://events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/hindscc/L2VtYmVkL2V2ZW50Lzc5NA%3D%3D, and prices go up at the gate. Listen to the game at SuperTalk 103.1 FM or https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch, and the video stream will be available at https://hindsccsports.net/channel-1/.

Gulf Coast is 7-1 overall, and Hinds is 6-2. Both teams are 4-1 in the South Division, with Copiah-Lincoln having wrapped up division play at 5-1. If Gulf Coast wins, the Bulldogs will be co-champs and the second seed for the playoffs. Hinds would earn a share of the championship with a win and be the top seed.

The Bulldogs have won or shared the last six South Division championships. They have beaten Hinds 18 of the last 20 years and three straight, but this year's Eagles are a formidable lot.

"It's a very deep team," Wright said. "They have a lot of athletes and a lot of speed on the perimeter. The quarterback's capable of making plays with his arm and his feet. He's complemented with a solid O-line and solid running backs." 

Jaylon Ruffin has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,749 yards, with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 16:3. He also leads the Eagles with 500 rushing yards.

Hinds allows an MACCC-low 12.0 points per game and conference-leading 12 interceptions.

Gulf Coast has tried to nurse some nicked-up players back to health this week. The Bulldogs were able to play everybody in the 56-3 win at Coahoma, and Wright's staff has concentrated on football fundamentals.

A new face on the roster this year has been defensive tackle Tyler Bailey. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder from Hammond, La., has 21 tackles, including four for losses and two sacks. The ebullient sophomore has also registered one sack.

"Tyler transferred here from Mississippi Delta," Wright said. "He had really impressive film from there his freshman year. Anytime that you bring in somebody new, you worry about them meshing with the team and being able to acclimate to our team chemistry. He's been a very good teammate. He brings positive energy. He's got a smile on his face. He's just been a very positive addition for our program. And he makes plays on Thursday night, which is good, too." 

Game #8

WHO: Gulf Coast (7-1, 4-1 South) vs. Hinds (6-2, 4-1 South)

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Joe Renfroe Stadium, Raymond

WATCH: https://hindsccsports.net/channel-1/

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

The Series

Series record: 89^th meeting, Gulf Coast leads 53-34-1

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2024, Gulf Coast 56, Hinds 14

Notes: Gulf Coast has won 18 of the last 20 meetings dating back to 2005, and three in a row … Gulf Coast is averaging 40.0 points in that span, Hinds 18.0 … Gulf Coast has nine shutouts in its 52 wins, the last of which came in 2023 (41-0) … Hinds has nine shutouts in its 34 wins, the last of which came in 1995 (55-0) … Gulf Coast has two 12-game win streaks in the series (1962-73, 2005-16) … Hinds' longest win streak is 10 (1988-97) … The biggest Gulf Coast win in the series was a 61-0 win in 2007, while the biggest Hinds win came in 1995 (55-0).

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