No. 15 MGCCC squares off with archrivals

PHOTO: Bobby McDuffie/JUCO Weekly

PERKINSTON — It's Rivalry Week at Mississippi Gulf Coast as the No. 15 Bulldogs have been preparing for Pearl River.

The teams meet Saturday at 2 p.m. for the Wildcats' homecoming. Throw in a long MGCCC winning streak in the series and the natural rivalry juices, and it should be a doozy.

"I'm from the Coast," Gulf Coast coach Chad Huff said. "My dad has played in this game in this game multiple times, my brother has played in this game multiple times, I've coached in it multiple times. There's no love lost. You've got people playing for a lot of pride."

Video from the game will be streamed at http://www.prccmedia.com/PRCCMEDIA_TV, with MGCCC audio available at https://livestream.com/accounts/5943231/events/7837102 or SuperTalk 103.1 FM.

Gulf Coast (5-2, 3-1 MACJC South) has won 11 straight times in the series, dating back to 2007. It's the Bulldogs' first trip to Dobie Holden Stadium since 2014, however.

The Bulldogs are fighting for a berth in the postseason for the 11^th straight season, which would extend the longest such streak in the MACJC. They need to win out against Pearl River and Jones County to maximize those chances.

Pearl River (3-4, 2-2) in on probation, which prohibits postseason participation. The Wildcats have gotten their offense cranked up with backup quarterback Markevion Quinn. He averages almost eight yards per rush and has scored 12 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the MACJC lead.

"Quarterback play has definitely picked up from where it was at the start of the season," Huff said. "Quinn coming in has brought an extra dimension to that offense. He's an athletic kid who can run, and he makes plays."

Gulf Coast's offense has been potent, as well. It has scored 52 points in each of the last two games. It's the first time the Bulldogs have scored 50 or more points in back-to-back games since they defeated Southwest 69-17 and Copiah-Lincoln 54-21 in October 2012. The feat has only happened four times in school history.

The defense and special teams have done a good job establishing field position for a potent running attack. Deandre Torrey (Fr, Gautier/Gautier) broke the 1,000-yard mark in seven games, and Terrion Avery (Fr, Stone/Wiggins) ranks 15^th in the country with 643 yards rushing.

"Torrey and Avery and the offensive line have been able to do some things with our running game," Huff said. "We continue to build on that, and build the passing game with Larry Sisson taking advantage of what the defense will give us."

Game #8

Who: MGCCC (5-2, 3-1 MACJC South) vs. Pearl River (3-4, 2-2 MACJC South)

When: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m.

Where: Dobie Holden Stadium, Poplarville

Watch: http://www.prccmedia.com/PRCCMEDIA_TV

Listen: http://livestream.com/BulldogLIVE or SuperTalk 103.1 FM 

The Series

Series record: Pearl River leads 53-40-1

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Oct. 22, 2016, MGCCC 30, Pearl River 17

Notes: Gulf Coast has won 11 straight in the series, dating back to 2007 … It's the second-longest streak in the series … Pearl River holds the longest win streak, 17 games between 1949 and 1965 … PRCC is one of only two MACJC teams MGCCC has a losing record against (Jones County, 43-44-6) … Gulf Coast is averaging 44.7 points per game during the 11-game win streak, PRCC 15.7.

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.