ELLISVILLE – Jones College is 4-1 overall, leads the MACCC South Division with a 3-0 record and is ranked No. 7 in the country.
 
Pearl River is 0-5 on the season and 0-2 in division play.
 
But that means nothing when the Bobcats and Wildcats meet for the 93rd time Thursday at Dobie Holden Stadium in Poplarville.
 
"We've played this game for several years and we understand what we are going into on Thursday," said Bobcat head coach Steve Buckley. "We're going on the road and it's always tough to win on the road. Pearl River will be ready.
 
"They are 0-5, but you can throw that out the window. They have been competitive in every football game they've played this year. Their kids still believe in what they are doing and the coaches believe in what they are doing. They will come out with guns a blazing Thursday night and we understand that."
 
Thursday's game will air on JCJC.TV and WLAU-FM, 99.3, SuperTalk Laurel with Mark Easley and Luke Johnson on the call.
 
Jones leads the series 48-42-2 and has won six straight games vs. the Wildcats. But the last two games have been close – a 28-22 Jones win in 2021 and a 16-10 victory last year – and Buckley believes that could be the case again.
 
"The last two years have been six-point ballgames," he said. "We missed a field goal at the end of the game last year that could have iced it and made it a two-score game. They had the ball with a chance to win it at the end."
 
PRCC has lost to Holmes (31-0), No. 9 Northeast (19-3), No. 15 Northwest (27-3), Hinds (24-21 in overtime) and last week to No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast (52-21).
 
The Bobcats are coming off a 21-3 victory over Hinds, the second consecutive week for Jones to hold its opponents without a touchdown. 
 
Jones limited Hinds to only 112 yards of total offense and a 1-for-15 night on third down conversions.
 
"That was crucial to getting to 3-0 in the division," Buckley said. "The defense stepped up and played well again. They didn't get to the end zone, so that was huge for use. Third down was the key and they only had the one third down conversion. Anytime you get that you are getting off the field and causing them to punt.
 
"The defensive staff and defensive players did a great job. You always have a chance to win when you do that."
 
Linebacker JD Stewart (Greenville Christian) had nine tackles, three TFLs and one sack. Linebacker Raymond Collins (Harrison Central) had six tackles, two TFLs and two sacks. Lineman Kelten Mickell (Petal) had six tackles and .5 TFL. Tyreke Snow (Newton) and Kennon Loftin (West Jones) had pass interceptions.
 
On special teams, Jerry Johnson Jr. (Pearl) returned a punt 28 yards to the Hinds 19-yard line to set up the game's first touchdown. Punter Bart Edmiston Jr. (Ocean Springs) averaged 49.0 yards per punt on nine kicks. He leads the NJCAA in punting with a 47.0-yard average.
 
"I thought our punt return team did a great job most of the night," Buckley said. "We had a big return to set up the first touchdown."
 
Offensively, freshman Brax Garrison (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) played the entire game with DJ Smith (Greenville Christian) sidelined by an injury.
 
Garrison was 16-of-24 through the air for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
 
Buckley was pleased with Garrison's performance.
 
"Let's face it. It was his first start as a freshman against an excellent defense," Buckley said. "You don't score many points on Hinds and that's one thing they've been successful in doing this year and that's playing solid defense.
 
"You look at their numbers and the numbers don't lie. I thought we did what we had to do to win the football game and that was our main objective to go in there and walk out 3-0 and have them be 2-1 in division play."
 
Buckley added that the Bobcats still are dealing with an inordinate number of injuries. Six players are out with season-ending injuries and several other players are week to week when it comes to availability.
 
"We overcame a lot of injuries and we continued with the injury bug throughout the entire game," Buckley said. "This is all we've got and nobody is going to feel sorry for us. It's next man up and we gotta go."
 
The Bobcats will play their first Saturday game next week when they go Southwest for a 5 p.m. Homecoming kick on Oct. 21.
 
Pearl River visits Copiah-Lincoln on Oct. 19.