Football | 9/18/2019 12:49:00 PM
ELLISVILLE – It will be another NJCAA Top 20 showdown this week for Jones College.
The No. 13 Bobcats travel to Perkinston to face No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Thursday at A.L. May Stadium and the game will air on
JCJC.TV, SuperTalk WLAU-FM 99.3 and
supertalklaurel.com with Luke Johnson and Chuck Robertson on the call.
The Bobcats are 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the MACJC South Division after an impressive 31-7 win over No. 12 Hinds last week.
MGCCC is 3-0 after opening the season with wins over Mississippi Delta (49-9), Coahoma (36-6) and Holmes (41-7). This will be the division opener for the Bulldogs.
Bobcat head coach
Steve Buckley said this week's game will be a test for his squad.
"Gulf Coast is a top five team in the country," he said from his office Monday morning. "Statistically, they are as good as anybody in the country both defensively and offensively. It will be a tremendous challenge to go on the road. It's hard to win on the road, no matter who you are playing, but to go to Gulf Coast will be a challenge for our football team and it will be interesting to see how we respond to that challenge."
Buckley was happy to open division play with a win over Hinds. But he says the Bobcats must improve in several facets of the game.
"It was a huge win against a very good opponent," he said of the victory over the Eagles. "But I am not pleased with where we are with a lot of our younger players as far as executing what we have called. I thought we could have played a cleaner game, especially in the kicking game and defensively with explosive plays.
"We have really good corners and they need to carry the same personality they have every day in practice to the game field and they are not doing that right now. We are giving up too many deep balls."
In the win over Hinds, running back
Ladamian Webb (Opelika, Alabama) rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. He had three receptions for 56 yards and another score and was named the MACJC Offensive Player of the Week. Quarterback
Quaterius Hawkins (Bastrop, Louisiana) was 8-of-9 through the air for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Buckley was pleased with the fact that Jones had only two negative plays and no turnovers on offense.
"I thought offensively we did two things we have done for two weeks," he said. "We stayed in front of the chains and we took care of the football. That's just a philosophy I've always had. We had two negative plays this past week. We've gone from 25 percent negative plays (vs. Coahoma in week one) to 17 percent (in week two vs. Holmes) to three percent (in week three vs. Hinds). It makes a big difference when you are calling plays and you are in front of the chains."
On defense, lineman Chei Hill (Miami, Florida) had nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, half a sack and a fumble recovery and linebacker
Daylen Gill (Louisville) had eight tackles, two tackles for loss, half a sack and a forced fumble.
"Chei is a really good football player," Buckley aid. "We see it every day in practice and it shows up in the games, too."
MGCCC is led by sophomore quarterback Chance Lovertich (5-11, 192). Lovertich, out of Jackson Prep, has completed 60-of-87 passes for 795 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Deondre House (5-9, 180) of Senatobia is their leading rusher, averaging 82.0 yards per game. Jymetre Hester (5-10, 160) of Belle Glade, Florida, leads the Bulldogs in receiving with 16 catches for 201 yards and four scores.
"Their quarterback is the key to the whole thing," Buckley said. "They have explosive receivers and good backs. They are huge up front. They are a big RPO team and are very balanced between run and pass. The quarterback is a competitor and makes wise decisions."
On defense, linebacker Mike Smith (6-1, 225) from Ridgeland had 10 tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown in last week's win over Holmes. He was named the MACJC Defensive Player of the Week. Linebacker Navonteque Strong (6-0, 230) from Scott Central is the leading tackler with 26 tackles and four TFLs.
"Defensively, they are multiple and will mix man and zone," Buckley said. "They are aggressive up front. They have young linebackers, but they are really good players. They are a good football team."
Buckley said the young players on the Bobcat team must step up, starting this week.
"I think the lack of execution from the younger guys is very disappointing right now," he said. "When you are three weeks into the season and you are not executing and doing what you are told to do, it's obvious you are not listening. And I've got a problem when these kids don't listen. We need a good week of preparation and we need to focus on us. Our younger kids need to grow up quickly. I think they understand what we are doing, but they have to do what they are asked to do."
The Bobcats will play their fourth road game in five weeks next week. Jones goes to Southwest for a 7 p.m. game on Sept. 26. MGCCC goes to No. 8 Copiah-Lincoln next week.
