WESSON – No. 15 Jones College could not have asked for a much better opening drive Thursday night. But almost nothing went right offensively after it.
No. 13 Copiah-Lincoln held the Bobcats scoreless over the final 50 minutes and defeated Jones 26-7 at H.L. Stone Stadium to snap the Bobcats' three-game win streak.
Jones (3-2, 1-1) marched 73 yards on nine plays with its opening possession, taking more than five minutes off the clock before Jevarion Glover connected with Tyree Barnett for a 22-yard touchdown. Wyatt Jones added the extra point to give the Bobcats a 7-0 lead with 9:49 remaining in the first quarter.
Co-Lin (3-2, 1-1) answered with 26 unanswered points while its defense kept the Bobcats from generating another sustained scoring threat.
The Wolves cut the deficit to 7-6 when Ja'Quan Bentley finished a seven-play, 52-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:23 left in the opening quarter. The extra point was missed, leaving Jones in front by one.
Co-Lin took control early in the second quarter.
Jaylen Pettway connected with Zabryan Hood for a 20-yard touchdown with 14:15 remaining in the half, completing a six-play, 76-yard drive and putting the Wolves ahead 13-7.
Less than three minutes later, Co-Lin was back in the end zone.
Bentley scored his second touchdown on a 4-yard run after the Wolves took possession only 12 yards from the end zone. The two-point conversion failed, but Co-Lin had built a 19-7 advantage with 12:07 left in the second quarter.
The Wolves delivered the final blow midway through the third quarter when Pettway found Bryant Sanchez for a 70-yard touchdown. The three-play, 84-yard possession extended Co-Lin's lead to 26-7 with 9:04 remaining in the quarter.
Neither team scored in the fourth.
Glover finished 10-of-24 for 175 yards, a touchdown and interception for Jones, with Jet Henderson hauling in three passes for a team-high 50 yards. The Bobcats' only touchdown came on Glover's first-quarter pass to Barnett.
Jones rushed for just 79 yards on 29 carries.
After the Bobcats' opening drive went 73 yards, they managed just 102 the final 10 drives of the night.
Pettway accounted for 260 yards for Co-Lin and threw touchdown passes to Hood and Sanchez. Hood finished with 70 yards and Kendarious Porter added 73.
KeVon Ford led Jones defensively with a career-high seven tackles.
After seven straight wins in the series, the Bobcats have lost the last two to Co-Lin in Wesson.
Jones welcomes No. 3 Gulf Coast (5-0) to Ellisville on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. for Homecoming.
Tickets are $11 online at jcbobcats.com/tickets or $15/$16 cash/card at the gate. The game will stream on jcbobcats.com/watch.
