ELLISVILLE – Expectations are always high for Jones College football.
This season is no different as the No. 6 Bobcats open play Thursday at Itawamba. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the game will air on JCJC.TV and WLAU-FM, 99.3, SuperTalk of Laurel with Mark Easley and Luke Johnson on the call.
The Bobcats went 8-2 in 2022 and advanced to the MACCC semifinals. But Jones lost most of the starters from that team and head coach
Steve Buckley is anxious to see what his team looks like when they line up at ICC's Eaton Field on Thursday.
"There are a lot of unknowns in the league," he said. "It doesn't matter who you are playing because you can change your personnel so quick."
Jones will be led on offense by quarterback
DJ Smith and center
Reed McKay.
Smith, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound sophomore from Greenville Christian, saw plenty of playing time last year. He was 55-of-98 through the air for 1,028 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. On the ground, he rushed 50 times for 352 yards and one score.
McKay, a 6-foot-2, 284-pound sophomore from Petal, is the only returning starter on offense.
"Everything has slowed down for DJ," Buckley said. "The speed of the game changes from high school to college quickly and I think just watching him process everything mentally right now and then it translates to physically. He's just very comfortable with the scheme and he's been very comfortable with his progressions. I've been really pleased with everything about him."
On defense, the Bobcats have
Raymond Collins back at linebacker and
Cedrick Beavers will start at cornerback. Collins is a 6-foot-2, 238-pound sophomore from Harrison Central and Beavers is a 5-foot-10, 182-pound sophomore from Taylorsville. Both of those players have committed to Ole Miss.
In 2022, the Bobcats opened the season with a 44-0 home victory over Itawamba.
But the Indians have a new head coach and coaching staff and they have revamped their roster.
Travis Macon, who was the head coach at Coahoma from 2020-22, is the new head coach at ICC. He was the defensive line coach at Northwest from 2014-19 and coached at his alma mater, Northeast, from 2008-13.
Buckley said he respects Macon and knows he is very familiar with the MACCC.
"You have to look at the coaching staff of your opponent and where they have been before to get an idea of what they will do," he said. "Coach Macon has been a head coach in this league for a few years now. He was the D-line coach at Northwest before that and that's obviously a successful program. He knows how to recruit and how to coach and they will have a good football team."
The Bobcats will be on the road again next week, visiting No. 8 East Mississippi for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 14.
Itawamba travels to Mississippi Gulf Coast on Sept. 14.
