Title showdown awaits No. 5 Bulldogs in Senatobia
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (9-2) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
|
Northwest Mississippi Community College (10-1) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
PERKINSTON — No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast faces a familiar postseason foe Saturday in the MACCC Championship.
For the fifth time since 2015, the Bulldogs will play at Northwest Mississippi, ranked fourth in the latest NJCAA poll. In addition to determining the conference title, the winner will certainly get a berth in the four-team NJCAA playoffs.
"They're really good in big games," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They play with a different intensity level. They've been in the playoffs. That's a coach and staff that's had a lot of success late in the year. They've seen a lot, they've worked together a lot, so that shows up on film. You can tell there's a lot of cohesion, not a lot of mistakes. Everything's coordinated well on both sides of the ball."
Kickoff at Bobby Franklin Field in Senatobia is set for 2 p.m. The Gulf Coast radio broadcast will be available on SuperTalk 103.1 FM and https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. Northwest's video stream will be at https://nwccrangers.com/watch. Tickets are available at https://nwccrangers.com/tickets.
Gulf Coast is aiming for its 17th conference championship and first since 2019.
Northwest is riding a seven-game win streak after suffering its only loss of the season to East Mississippi, a 34-28 decision in Senatobia. The Rangers offense is led by quarterback Neko Fann, who completes nearly 65 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,870 yards and 19 touchdowns. Northwest is second in scoring (35.9 ppg).
"They're a complete team," Wright said. "They have a really good quarterback, and they're balanced on offense. They're really good at running and throwing. They have a very physical defense and play really hard. They do a lot of things well. They play zone defense well. They cover man-to-man well, so we've got our work cut out for us."
Northwest's run defense is the stingiest in the MACCC (46.0 ypg), and the Rangers allow only 14.5 points per game, the second-hardest team to score against.
Gulf Coast's prolific offense leads the conference in scoring (37.4 ppg) and passing (323.8 ypg). Landon Varnes (So., Brandon/Brandon) broke through the 3,000-yard passing plateau in last week's 45-24 semifinal win at East Mississippi. He's now the single-season (3,082) and career (5,324) passing yardage leader, as well as the single-season (30) and career (57) touchdown leader.
Tyler Henderson (So., Vicksburg/Vicksburg) continues to move up the single-season receiving record lists. He's fourth in receptions (62), receiving yards (1,151) and touchdowns (12), and all those totals lead the NJCAA.
La'Zeric Johnson (Fr., Eight Mile, Ala./Blount) put his stamp on last week's game with big plays in two phases of the game. He blocked a field goal that was returned to the EMCC 1-yard line to set up a score and also had a fumble recovery that ended a Lions drive deep in Gulf Coast territory.
He wears No. 9, which he did in high school, and it's led to a great nickname.
"Nine Volt's made some explosive plays and game-changing plays," Wright said. "The field-goal block the other day was the play of the game. He's a great athlete, and the plays he makes are just big-hitters — big hits, interceptions, blocked kicks, tackles. We've asked him to do a lot of different stuff. We've asked him to cover man-to-man and blitz. We've asked him to basically play a linebacker spot. He's a really good athlete who can do a lot of stuff. He's football savvy, and he's had a fantastic freshman year."
Game #11
WHAT: MACCC Championship
WHO: No. 5 Gulf Coast (9-1) at No. 4 Northwest Mississippi (9-1)
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Bobby Franklin Field, Senatobia
WATCH: https://nwccrangers.com/watch
LISTEN: Supertalk 103.1 FM or https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch
The Series
Series record: Gulf Coast leads 26-23-2
First Meeting: 1929
Last Meeting: Nov. 9, 2024, Northwest Mississippi 33, Gulf Coast 31
Notes: Gulf Coast is 6-3-1 against Northwest in postseason games … The tie came in the 1982 conference championship game, when the teams were knotted a 7 … Northwest has won six of the last eight meetings … Gulf Coast has five shutouts in its 26 wins, the last of which came in 1949 … Northwest has two shutouts in its 22 wins … Gulf Coast's longest win streak in the series is eight games, the first eight meetings between the team (1929-1959), the first two against what was then Tate County Junior College … Northwest's longest win streak is also eight games (1988-2001) … The biggest Gulf Coast win in the series was a 63-7 win in 2014, while the biggest Northwest win came in 2000 (79-34) … Gulf Coast has outscored Northwest 1,078-982 in the series.
Series History |
|
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| 9/28/29 | Gulf Coast 27, Tate County 0 |
| 9/26/30 | Gulf Coast 7, Tate County 0 |
| 11/8/46 | Gulf Coast 13, Northwest Mississippi 0 |
| 10/30/47 | Gulf Coast 13, Northwest Mississippi 0 |
| 10/22/48 | Gulf Coast 39, Northwest Mississippi 7 |
| 10/21/49 | Gulf Coast 12, Northwest Mississippi 0 |
| 10/25/58 | Gulf Coast 21, Northwest Mississippi 8 |
| 10/24/59 | Gulf Coast 32, Northwest Mississippi 6 |
| 10/22/60 | Northwest Mississippi 22, Gulf Coast 12 |
| 10/21/61 | Northwest Mississippi 20, Gulf Coast 6 |
| 9/22/62 | Gulf Coast 29, Northwest Mississippi 14 |
| 9/19/63 | Northwest Mississippi 21, Gulf Coast 6 |
| 11/7/64 | Northwest Mississippi 27, Gulf Coast 0 |
| 11/6/65 | Northwest Mississippi 27, Gulf Coast 14 |
| 10/26/74 | Northwest Mississippi 13, Gulf Coast 6 |
| 10/25/75 | Gulf Coast 18, Northwest Mississippi 6 |
| 10/9/76 | Northwest Mississippi 10, Gulf Coast 0 |
| 9/29/77 | Gulf Coast 7, Northwest Mississippi 7 |
| 9/4/80 | Gulf Coast 33, Northwest Mississippi 17 |
| 9/5/81 | Gulf Coast 7, Northwest Mississippi 6 |
| 11/6/82 | Northwest Mississippi 3, Gulf Coast 2 |
| 11/20/82 | Gulf Coast 7, Northwest Mississippi 7 |
| 11/5/83 | Gulf Coast 28, Northwest Mississippi 20 |
| 11/9/85 | Gulf Coast 17, Northwest Mississippi 13 |
| 11/15/86 | Gulf Coast 14, Northwest Mississippi 13 |
| 9/15/88 | Northwest Mississippi 35, Gulf Coast 20 |
| 9/16/89 | Northwest Mississippi 21, Gulf Coast 17 |
| 9/29/90 | Northwest Mississippi 38, Gulf Coast 13 |
| 9/26/91 | Northwest Mississippi 56, Gulf Coast 14 |
| 9/1/94 | Northwest Mississippi 38, Gulf Coast 21 |
| 8/31/95 | Northwest Mississippi 44, Gulf Coast 16 |
| 9/16/00 | Northwest Mississippi 79, Gulf Coast 34 |
| 9/13/01 | Northwest Mississippi 21, Gulf Coast 13 |
| 10/14/06 | Gulf Coast 31, Northwest Mississippi 10 |
| 10/11/07 | Gulf Coast 27, Northwest Mississippi 20 |
| 11/3/07 | Gulf Coast 31, Northwest Mississippi 6 |
| 8/28/08 | Gulf Coast 39, Northwest Mississippi 14 |
| 11/1/08 | Gulf Coast 42, Northwest Mississippi 6 |
| 8/27/09 | Northwest Mississippi 30, Gulf Coast 25 |
| 11/6/10 | Gulf Coast 52, Northwest Mississippi 24 |
| 11/5/11 | Gulf Coast 20, Northwest Mississippi 17 |
| 11/3/12 | Gulf Coast 43, Northwest Mississippi 17 |
| 9/4/14 | Gulf Coast 63, Northwest Mississippi 7 |
| 9/3/15 | Northwest Mississippi 26, Gulf Coast 10 |
| 11/7/15 | Northwest Mississippi 34, Gulf Coast 24 |
| 11/9/19 | Gulf Coast 22, Northwest Mississippi 19 |
| 12/5/20 | Northwest Mississippi 40, Gulf Coast 13 |
| 10/14/21 | Northwest Mississippi 38, Gulf Coast 14 |
| 9/1/22 | Northwest Mississippi 28, Gulf Coast 24 |
| 9/9/23 | Gulf Coast 49, Northwest Mississippi 14 |
| 10/9/2024 | Northwest Mississippi 33, Gulf Coast 31 |
Gulf Coast Conference Championship Game History
Record: 7-9
Conference titles: 16 (1927, 1936, 1942, 1948, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2019)
MGCCC in Conference Championship Games |
|
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| 11/20/71 | Gulf Coast 26, Mississippi Delta Junior College 14 |
| 11/22/74 | Gulf Coast 10, Itawamba Junior College 6 |
| 11/21/75 | Itawamba Junior College 21, Gulf Coast 12 |
| 11/24/79 | Jones County Junior College 12, Gulf Coast 0 |
| 11/21/80 | Gulf Coast 18, Jones County Junior College 14 |
| 11/20/82 | Gulf Coast 7, Northwest Mississippi Junior College 7 |
| 11/19/83 | Jones County Junior College 17, Gulf Coast 12 |
| 11/19/05 | Pearl River Community College 25, Gulf Coast 19 |
| 11/10/07 | Gulf Coast 20, Jones County Junior College 17 |
| 11/8/08 | Gulf Coast 52, Pearl River Community College 7 |
| 11/7/09 | East Mississippi Community College 75, Gulf Coast 71 |
| 11/13/10 | Gulf Coast 31, Copiah-Lincoln Community College 17 |
| 11/12/11 | East Mississippi Community College 42, Gulf Coast 17 |
| 11/10/12 | Copiah-Lincoln Community College 41, Gulf Coast 37 |
| 11/7/15 | Northwest Mississippi Community College 34, Gulf Coast 24 |
| 11/9/19 | Gulf Coast 22, Northwest Mississippi Community College 19 |
| 12/5/20 | Northwest Mississippi Community College 40, Gulf Coast 13 |
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
