CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will close out the 2016 season on Saturday afternoon when they host the University of North Alabama. Kick-off at Robinson-Hale Stadium is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Before Saturday's contest, Mississippi College is pleased to recognize 29 seniors that will be participating in their final home football games. Athletic training, support staff, cheerleaders and football players will all be honored prior to kick-off.

COMING IN...
The Choctaws (3-6, 1-6 GSC) are coming off their first Gulf South Conference win since 1995 in a 32-0 victory over Shorter University last Saturday in Rome, Ga. The Lions (7-1, 6-0 GSC) have already clinched the GSC regular season championship, their fourth title in as many years.

THE COACHES
MC is led by 3rd-year head coach John Bland, who has posted 81 victories over 12 seasons at the helm of Southern Arkansas, Cumberlands (KY) and MC. The former Arkansas quarterback has increased the Choctaw win total in each of his three seasons.

UNA's head coach is Bobby Wallace, who is in his 15th year among two stints with the Lions. Over 28 seasons as a head coach, Wallace, Mississippi State University graduate, has 167 victories at UNA, Temple and West Alabama.

WHEN MC HAS THE BALL...
The Choctaws are led offensively by senior Marcel Newson, who is the only player in the country, among all divisions, to score four 70-yard touchdowns in 2016. He has a 93-yard kickoff return score (Shorter), 83-yard receiving touchdown (Delta State), 75-yard rushing score (Cumberland) and 73-yard punt return for a touchdown (Valdosta State).

Newson (Coldwater, Miss.) ranks 3rd nationally and leads the GSC in all-purpose yards per game, averaging 189.5 per contest. He leads the Choctaws with 50 catches for 820 yards and five touchdowns, hauling in a score in each of the last five games.

Senior quarterback Sharone Wright (Houston, Miss.) has accounted for 12 touchdowns in 2016, passing for eight and rushing for four more. The former defensive back is completing 58% of his passes for 1,354 yards, while rushing for 367 on a team-high 95 carries.

Senior Josh Dixon (Clinton, Miss.) has suffered through an injury-plagued season that has seen him play in just six games, but the hometown kid leads the team with 383 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 7.4 yards per carry and opened the season with three scores in the win over Point.

The Choctaws boast a senior-laden offensive line, led by three-year starter Jamaal White and two-year starters Daivon Milan and Sean Rogers. MC is averaging 100 more yards of total offense per game in 2016 than last season.

The Lions lead the GSC in scoring offense, allowing just 15.4 points per game. They gave up a season-high 31 points in the season-opener to Division I-FCS Jacksonville State, but no other opponent has eclipsed 23 points in a contest.

Eddrick Harris is the team's leading tackler with 51 stops to go along with two interceptions and four pass breakups. E.J. Parnell has a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss with 5.0 sacks, while Levi Fell and James Rivers join Harris with a team-high two interceptions.

WHEN UNA HAS THE BALL...
Senior quarterback Jacob Tucker runs the show for the Lions offense, accounting for 23 touchdowns in eight games this season. Tucker leads the team with 568 rushing yards and 11 scores, while passing for 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Dre Hall leads the team with 47 catches for 691 yards, while Julius Jones has a team-high five touchdown catches on 30 receptions.

Junior defensive back Chris Manning (Section, Ala.) leads the Choctaws with 65 tackles, including 37 solo stops. He also has a team-high two interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown against West Florida.

Senior defensive lineman JaQarius Scott (Meridian, Miss.) has a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss with 3.0 sacks, while freshman Julian Charles has added 6.5 TFL with 33 tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS...
Junior punter Matthew Turcotte (Philadelphia, Miss.) leads the GSC, averaging 42.7 yards per punt over 30 kicks this season. Turcotte had a career-day against Shorter last week, averaging 62 yards per punt with a long of 69.

Junior Matt Brasher (Meadville, Miss.) is 5-of-7 on field goals this season with a long of 37 yards that won the game against Cumberland (TN). He is also averaging 57.3 yards per kickoff with two touchbacks this year.

Kevin Henke serves as the Lions' kicker, going 8-of-10 on field goals with a long of 49 yards. He has made five field goals over 40 yards and is averaging 63.2 yards per kickoff with 28 touchbacks.

Jeb Millender is the team's punter, averaging 36.3 yards per kick with a long of 54 yards on the year.


Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.