CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will welcome Shorter University to Robinson-Hale Stadium on Saturday night for the first home Gulf South Conference game of the season. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Choctaws (2-2), led by 2nd-year head coach
John Bland, and the Hawks (1-2), led by 11th-year head man Phil Jones, have met just one previous time, with Shorter picking up a 27-14 win in Rome, Ga. last season. MC took a 14-13 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Hawks used a couple of long touchdown runs to clinch the victory. Senior linebacker
Jake Weddle tallied 18 tackles, including 14 solo stops in the loss.
Both teams are coming off games against NCAA Division I-FCS opponents with mixed results. The Choctaws traveled to Lake Charles, La., falling to #17 McNeese State by a score of 37-0. The Hawks went to Cape Girardeau, Mo. and shocked Southeast Missouri State with a 26-21 victory.
The winner of Saturday's game will have a leg up on advancing to the "Victory Bowl," which is set up as the national championship game for the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Saturday night's contest matches two teams with similar styles as both teams implement run-heavy offensive attacks. The Choctaws rushed for 500 yards with five touchdowns in their 42-21 win over Belhaven two weeks ago. Shorter averages 166.3 rushing yards per game and has just one passing touchdown on the season.
Both teams also have a similar defensive style, playing with three down linemen and five defensive backs. The Choctaws held the Blazers scoreless in the second half in their home victory on September 19th. The Hawks have yet to allow a passing touchdown this season.
Sophomore quarterback
Kyle Smith leads the MC offense attack, averaging 76.8 rushing yards per game and tossing five touchdown passes without an interception. Senior running back
Chris Ingram is averaged 43.8 rushing yards per game as the Choctaws averaged 236.5 rushing yards per contest as a team.
Junior wide receiver
Marcel Newson has caught 17 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns on the season for MC. The Choctaws had just three touchdown receptions as a team the entire 2014 campaign.
The Choctaw offensive line had their way with the Belhaven defense, pushing the Blazers around for the 500 rushing yards. The group boasts four juniors, including returning All-American
Jamaal White, who helped lead East Mississippi CC to a national championship in 2013.
The MC defense, while young, has continued to mature as the 2015 season has progressed. The Choctaws list 10 freshman on the depth chart with five of their top 10 tacklers playing in their rookie season.
Seniors
Seth McDonald and
Lazarus Shelby lead the young MC defense with McDonald posting a career-high nine tackles against McNeese State. Shelby leads the team with two sacks on the season
Freshman
Leon Cunningham posted six tackles with two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble at McNeese State. Sophomore
Chris Manning ranks 4th on the team with 17 tackles and has 1.5 for loss with four pass deflections and an interception.
The Hawks are coming into the game with a lot of confidence after a win over Division I-FCS Southeast Missouri State. They ran for 300 yards and used a big fourth quarter stop to clinch the impressive victory.
The option offense is led by junior running back B.J. McCoy, who ranks 2nd in the Gulf South Conference with 106.7 rushing yards per game. He rushed for 159 yards and two scores last week and had 94 yards and a score against MC last season.
Quarterback Aaron Bryant runs the offense and is second on the team with 45 rushing yards. He has completed 14-of-19 passes for one touchdown and 244 yards on the year. Last season, Bryant pushed Shorter's lead to two scores with a 67-yard touchdown run against the Choctaws.
On defense, the Hawks are led by senior All-American Jordan Shaw, who led the team with 89 tackles and eight interceptions in 2014. This season, he has posted 27 stops, ranking 2nd behind Zach Butts, who has posted 34.
Santavious Bryant leads the team with 2.5 tackles for loss, while Dominique Henfield and Wesley Clay have each picked off a pass.
The Choctaws will go into their bye week following Saturday's game, getting back into action on October 17th when they travel to Georgia to face Valdosta State.
