No. 7 East Miss. outguns No. 3 MGCCC 75-71

MGCCC’S Jonathan Carmon sacks EMCC quarterback Randall Mackey Nov. 7.

Bulldogs fall short of third straight MACJC title in offensive shootout

SCOOBA, Ms.---The old saying “defense wins championships” took a back seat on a fall day in Scooba, Mississippi.

East Mississippi 75, Gulf Coast 71.

This isn’t a misprint.

It’s not a mistake.

There were no overtime periods.

This really happened.

The 2009 MACJC State Championship game featured 146 points, more than 1,200 yards of offense, 40 penalties, and the first state title ever for East Mississippi Community College.

In short, it was easily one the wildest games in MACJC history. For Gulf Coast (9-2), it brings to an end the 2009 season and the team’s quest for three straight MACJC state titles.

“We’ll learn something from this,” said Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campbell. “I don’t know what, but we’ll learn from it.”

The offensive numbers from the game were staggering:

• Randall Mackey, the 2009 MACJC Player of the Year, threw for 494 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 123 yards.
• East Miss. wide receiver Lewis had 136 yards receiving and four touchdowns.
• The Lions (10-1) had 633 total yards of offense.
• Gulf Coast racked up 608 total yards of offense.
• Bulldog quarterback Greg Jenkins threw for 332 yards and 5 TD’S. His one interception of the game happened with 1:02 to go in the game to seal the victory for the Lions.
• Gulf Coast running back Vick Ballard, the nation’s leading rusher, ran for 194 yards and 4 TD’S.
• Bulldog wide receiver Kelvin Bolden racked up 236 yards receiving and 3 TD’S.

East Mississippi jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead on two short touchdowns by running back Pat Shed.

The Bulldogs then ran off 19 unanswered points on a 31 yard TD pass from Jenkins to Joe Burnett, a 26 yard TD pass from Jenkins to Bolden which was set up by an onsides kick, and a 52 yard interception return for a score by Bulldog safety Bradley Jacobs.

The Lions responded with 14 unanswered points of their own via two TD passes by Mackey, a 53-yard bomb to marcus McQuarley and a bullet to Lance Lewis.

The two teams then traded scores before halftime. Jenkins hit Brett Moncrief with an 8-yard TD pass and Mackey found Shed on a 43-yard TD making it 34-26 at halftime.

“We didn’t play Gulf Coast football in the first half,” Campbell said. “I’m proud of the way the guys responded to get back in the game.”

Gulf Coast and its powerful running game got going as the even wilder second half began. Vick Ballard’s one yard TD plunge and a successful 2-point conversion tied the game at 34.

Other than one punt by East Mississippi and the game-ending interception by the Lions, each offense scored points the rest of the way.

The Lions re-gained the lead on Mackey’s fourth TD pass of the contest making it 41-34.

Gulf Coast answered on a 50-yard TD run by Ballard but missed the PAT…making the score 41-40.

Mackey’s fifth TD pass on the ensuing drive upped the Lions lead to 47-40 as the PAT was blocked.

Ballard and the Bulldogs responded with a 15-yard TD run to tie it up at 47-47 with 6:51 still left in the third quarter.

East Mississippi’s next score game instantly as British Footman took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a TD to light up the scoreboard again at 54-47.

Gulf Coast came right back with another Jenkins to Bolden hook-up…a 61-yard TD pass to tie it up again at 54-54.

That lasted a little more than five minutes as the Bulldogs defense stopped East Mississippi and began the fourth quarter with another Ballard TD…this one a one yard dive…and the Bulldogs led 61-54 with 14:22 remaining.

The Lions also used a one-yard dive by Gabe Poe to tie it again at 61-61.

Gulf Coast regained the lead 64-61 with 6:49 to go on a 29-yard field goal by Bo Bryan. That scoring drive was slowed down by a nine-yard sack on Jenkins…a key play that forced the Bulldogs to settle for three points instead of seven.

Two minutes later the Lions re-took the lead 68-64 on Mackey’s sixth TD pass…an 11-yard strike to Lewis.

It only took the Bulldogs two minutes to erase that deficit as Bolden made a diving catch in the end zone for a 19-yard score making it 71-68 with 2:48 to go.

It took Mackey and the Lions exactly one minute to answer as the NJCAA All-American found Lewis again for a 32-yard TD to make it 75-71 with 1:38 remaining. That drive was aided by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Mackey…one of the 40 infractions called during the game.

Gulf Coast then drove for the win as Jenkins picked apart the Lions secondary and had his team at the Lions 22 with 1:02 left. That’s when a Jenkins pass intended for Kennedy Helms was picked off by Anthony Hines to end the threat and finish off the Bulldogs’ push for another state crown.

“You can’t put the blame on Jenkins,” Campbell said. “That’s only the fourth interception he’s thrown all season. They’re guy made a great play.”

A great play in a game that seemed like it was controlled by two people playing “Madden 09” on an X-Box 360 than on the shredded turf in Scooba, Ms.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Bulldog wide receiver Kelvin Bolden. “All I can say about this is it hurts. We played out hearts out.”

With the victory, East Mississippi earns a spot in the second annual Mississippi Bowl Dec. 6 in Biloxi, Ms.

“Hold your heads high,” Steve Campbell said to his team after the game. “The sun will come up tomorrow.”