No. 4 Bulldogs make short trip to PRCC

PERKINSTON — The distance of the road trip is usually inversely proportional to the magnitude of the rivalry, and that's certainly the case for No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast this week.

The 29-mile trip to Poplarville is the shortest the Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 MACCC) have, and it ends in Dobie Holden Stadium and a showdown with archrival Pearl River (1-3, 0-2)

Thursday will be the 103^rd meeting between the teams, and kickoff is set for 7 p.m. You can listen to the Gulf Coast radio feed on SuperTalk 103.1 FM and at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. The game will be streamed at https://prccmedia.com/watchlive/gold/.

Pearl River's box office is cashless. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance ($10) or on game day ($13) by visiting www.prccathletics.com/tickets. Visiting fans are encouraged to park in the Northeast parking lot, or the gravel lot closest to the baseball and softball fields.

"They play a lot of man-to-man coverage," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They make it really difficult to stay in any kind of rhythm on offense. It's very disruptive. They've got a couple of really dangerous receivers. (Kendrick Triplett) has some fantastic plays on film. He's very scary."

Triplett has 15 catches for 312 yards and four touchdowns, including an 88-yard reception late against Itawamba which gave Pearl River a 48-42 win.

Gulf Coast won its Homecoming matchup with Southwest Mississippi on Saturday 40-23. That gives the Bulldogs a short week of preparation for Pearl River. The team made a big step is last weekend's game. 

"I thought we took a step back at the Jones game, but I think we recovered," Wright said. "Overall execution, focus, and effort was a lot better bouncing back from the Jones game, so I'm really pleased to know that we did not play up to our standard at Jones. We came back and played at a high level. That lets me know that we were able to refocus, re-gather, and get back on our mission."

The Bulldogs have a deep crew at defensive line, and Jonathan Keys has proved to be a vital cog. The 6-foot, 285-pounder from Laurel has 13 tackles, including two for losses and half a sack.

"Jonathan is what our program is about," Wright said. "He's got a high motor, very strong, very hard to block. He uses his hands really well and is very coachable. He's always in the right spot, plays hard and it pays off for him. He makes plays when he's supposed to. He's been a solid rock for us for two years."

Game #5

WHO: MGCCC (4-0, 2-0 MACCC South) vs. Pearl River (1-3 0-2 MACCC South)

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Dobie Holden Stadium, Poplarville

WATCH: https://prccmedia.com/watchlive/gold/

LISTEN: SuperTalk 103.1 FM or https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch

The Series

Series record: Pearl River leads 56-45-1

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Sept. 26, 2024, Gulf Coast 41, Pearl River 14

Notes: Gulf Coast has won six of the last seven, and 12 of the last 14 meetings dating back to 2011, and 16 of the last 19 back to 2007 … Gulf Coast is averaging 29.4 points in the last 14 games, Pearl River 13.5 … Gulf Coast has seven shutouts in its 41 victories, the last of which came in 2014 … Pearl River has 19 shutouts, the last of which came in 2003 … Gulf Coast won six straight between 2011 and 2016 … Pearl River's longest win streak is 17 between 1953 and 1965 … The biggest Gulf Coast win in series history was a 52-7 win in 2008, while the biggest Pearl River win came in 1961 (60-6) … This is the only MACCC opponent Gulf Coast has a losing record against … Wright (6-1) has the second-best record among Gulf Coast coaches against Pearl River (Louis D. Megehee, 2-0).

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.