No. 5 Gulf Coast faces Hinds challenge

PERKINSTON — No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast is on a pretty good historical roll playing against this week's opponent, but there's little reason to expect this week's trip to Raymond to be an easy one.

Gulf Coast has won 15 of the last 16 meetings against Hinds, but the last two, in particular, have been slugfests. The Bulldogs won 31-24 at Perk in overtime last year and came from behind two years ago to win 31-21.

"Hinds is a high-quality opponent coming off a big win at Northeast, and we know how tough that can be up there," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They've got a dynamic quarterback who is a passer first, but he moves around well enough with his feet to hurt you there. He throws off-platform, buys extra time in the pocket and has some dynamic guys he can throw to make plays."

Hinds beat Northeast 18-13 last week, and Gulf Coast needed a last-minute field goal to win 18-16 the previous week.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 MACCC South) kickoff against Hinds (2-1, 0-0) at 6:30 p.m. at Joe Renfroe Stadium. The game will be streamed at https://hindsccsports.net/channel-1/, and the Gulf Coast radio broadcast can be heard at https://livestream.com/mgcccbulldogs/events/9855706 or on SuperTalk 103.1 FM.

The previously mentioned quarterback is BeSean McCray, from Orlando, Fla. He's thrown for three touchdowns and run for three touchdowns so far. Tabashi Thomas is the leading receiver with 11 catches for 182 yards and a score, while Jamarian Samuels has three rushing touchdowns averaging 5.1 yards per rush.

The Gulf Coast offense started to pick up steam in the second half of the 33-10 win over Pearl River last week. Cam Thomas (So., Picayune/Picayune) ranks second in the MACCC with 120.3 yards per game. Part of the reason he's gotten rolling is from the big bodies in front of him, and Zacchaeus Williams (So., Jackson/Callaway) has rejoined the starting five.

"Zac played a good bit as a freshman," Wright said. "He had a pretty serious shoulder injury after his freshman year. He had surgery and battled through that. He started Thursday against Pearl River, and he's continued on that track back. He's getting really close to meeting those expectations we had for his sophomore year, which were really high."

Game #4

WHO: MGCCC (3-0, 1-2 South) vs. Hinds (2-1, 0-1 South)

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Joe Renfroe Stadium, Raymond

WATCH: https://hindsccsports.net/channel-1/

LISTEN: https://livestream.com/accounts/5943231/events/9855706 or SuperTalk 103.1 FM

The Series

Series record: 85th meeting, Gulf Coast leads 50-33-1

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Oct. 8, 2020, MGCCC 31, Hinds 24

Notes: Gulf Coast has won 15 of the last 16 meetings, dating back to 2005 … Gulf Coast is averaging 39.5 points in that span, Hinds 18.5 … Gulf Coast has eight shutouts in its 48 wins, the last of which came in 2016 (34-0) … Hinds has nine shutouts in its 33 wins, the last of which came in 1995 (55-0) … Gulf Coast has two 12-game win streaks in the series (1962-73, 2005-16) … Hinds longest win streak is 10 (1988-97) … The biggest Gulf Coast win in the series was a 61-0 win in 2007, while the biggest Hinds win came in 1995 (55-0) … Jack Wright became the third-winning coach in Gulf Coast history last week with 27 wins and is the fastest to that mark (30 games) ahead of George Sekul (31) and Steve Campbell (36).

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