CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will make their second appearance in the GSC-TV/ESPN3 Game of the Week when they travel to Georgia to face Valdosta State University on Saturday night. Kick-off at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Central Time.

The Choctaws (0-6, 0-4 GSC) and the Blazers (1-3, 1-2 GSC) will meet for the 18th time in school history with the series tied at 8-8-1. MC won eight of the first nine meetings, while VSU is the owner of seven straight victories. Last season, the game came down to the final seconds with the Blazers pulling out a 42-41 win in Clinton.

Head coach John Bland leads the Choctaws in his fourth season at the helm, while Kerwin Bell is in his second season as the head coach at Valdosta State.

The Choctaws are coming off a 28-14 loss to West Florida last Friday night in Pensacola. MC led 14-7 at the half, but the Argonauts score 21 second half points to get the come-from-behind win. The Blazers dropped their last outing to West Georgia, 42-13.
 

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WHEN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE HAS THE BALL

The Choctaws had their biggest rushing game of the season against West Florida, carrying the ball 49 times for 205 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per rush. Junior Tiberias Lampkin led the way with 60 yards and his first touchdown of the year, while junior Alizee Chubbs had 53 yards on a team-high 14 carries.

The offensive line, led by senior Ronny Smith and junior Lawrence Guyot, paved the way for the big-gaining rushing night that included only losing six total yards on the 49 carries.

Junior Khiran Williams has been named the starting quarterback this week, marking his first start since last year's game against Valdosta State when he nearly led MC to a last-second victory. The Dothan, Ala. native threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 11 times for 28 yards and a score.

Junior Nathan Faciane has been the go-to receiver thus far this season, leading the team with 23 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns. The Lacombe, La. native has 15 catches for 154 yards and a score the last two weeks alone.

The Blazers struggled defensively last week against West Georgia, giving up 550 total yards, including 259 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. For the season, they are allowing 388.0 yards per game, which ranks 8th in the Gulf South Conference.

Malik Slater is the team's leading tackler on the year with 38 tackles, while Sharmaine Washington has 33 tackles. Raymond Palmer has posted 22 total tackles on the year, including a team-high 18 solo stops.

Guito Ervilus leads the team in sacks (5.0) and tackles for loss (4.0), while John Marvin has a team-high two interceptions. Brandon Roe also has an interception on the year, while Slater and Josh Ealy have forced and recovered a fumble.
 

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WHEN VALDOSTA STATE HAS THE BALL

The Choctaw defense was stout on Friday night against West Florida, as well, holding the Argonauts to 244 total yards, the lowest for an MC opponent this season. The Argos average nearly 300 passing yards per game on the season, but the Choctaws held them to just 106 in Pensacola.

Junior Colton Magee is leading the Choctaw defense in 2017, tying for the team-high with 30 tackles and leading the way with 3.5 tackles for loss. Senior Chris Manning and junior Kaleb Coleman also have 30 tackles on the year, while Manning has an interception and Coleman has forced a fumble.

Senior Carl Rainey Jr. and juniors Blake Miller and Justin Stewart each have 24 tackles apiece with Rainey and Reliford each tallying 2.5 tackles for loss. Junior Marc Toussaint earned his first career start last week against UWF, leading the team with seven tackles and a sack.

The Blazers implement a two-quarterback system with Rogan Wells and Adam Robles each attempting around 80 passes on the season. Wells is the team's leading rusher (217 yards) and passer (386 yards) and is tied for the team-lead with one rushing touchdown and one passing score.

Dallas Baldner is the team's top receiving target, catching 18 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, including catching at least three balls in all four games. Ron Johnson (135 yards) and Jordan Germany (121 yards) are the top ball-carriers for VSU this season.
 

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SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior Chakel Gates took over for the injured Darius Young in the kick return game against West Florida, averaging 28.3 yards per return with a long of 37 yards. As a team, the Choctaws are averaging 23.4 yards per kick return which ranks third in the GSC.

Senior Matthew Turcotte is averaging 38.5 yards per punt this season, ranking 5th in the league. He has forced eight fair catches with five punts landing inside the 20-yard line. Junior Greg Nickles is 4-of-8 on field goals with a long of 33 yards, while senior Matt Brasher is averaging 57.2 yards per kickoff on the year.

Gavin Wilson is averaging 40.1 yards per punt for the Blazers, which ranks 3rd in the GSC. Andrew Gray is 3-of-6 on field goal attempts with a long of 37 yards, while averaging 61.9 yards per kickoff with a touchback on the year.

Kenny Benjamin has returned 15 kickoffs for 304 yards, averaging 20.3 yards per return with a long of 47 yards. Baldner has returned four punts for 22 yards with a long of 17 yards.
 

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GAME NOTES

The Choctaws are 7-5 all-time in games played on October 14th, including winning their last game on the date over LaGrange (33-0). MC's first game on October 14th saw them fall to the University of Alabama 13-7 in Tuscaloosa.

The Choctaws are 28-20-2 all-time against teams from the State of Georgia. The 2017 campaign sees them face four teams from the Peach State in Clark Atlanta, Valdosta State, West Georgia and Shorter.

The Choctaws rank in the top 30 in the nation in a couple statistical categories, sitting fifth in the nation in time of possession (34:28) and 30th in kickoff return average (23.4). In 2017, MC has had the time possession edge in all six games and lead the Gulf South Conference by more than two minutes in the category. The Choctaws sit third in the GSC in kickoff return average, just 0.3 yards behind league-leader West Florida.

The Choctaws have five players from the State of Georgia that will be having a 'homecoming' of sorts heading to Valdosta State this weekend. Alizee Chubbs (Atlanta), Keith Harison (Dallas), EJ Hurley (Tyrone) and Jamarcus Morrissette (Douglasville) are all from the Peach State. This is the second time MC will make a trip to Georgia after opening the season against Clark Atlanta.

Senior defensive back Chris Manning will open his final campaign on the field this season, but he has been recognized for excellence on and off the field in the preseason. Chris is the lone Gulf South Conference nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, recognizing those football student-athletes who contribute to their community while impacting their team. He has also been nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is a post-graduate scholarship granted to 18 different student-athletes across the country. Manning serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was vital in the efforts to grant a wish for Make-A-Wish.

The Choctaws will play 10 games in 2017, six of which come against opponents that received votes in the AFCA Top 25 Preseason Poll. North Alabama (6), Valdosta State (11) and Southwest Baptist (18) were all in the Top 25, while West Georgia, Florida Tech and Delta State all picked up recognition.

The Choctaws will come back to Clinton for "Homecoming" on October 21st against West Georgia. The Wolves are currently 5-1, 2-1 GSC and ranked in both polls (AFCA, D2Football.com). For more information on how to get involved in the "Homecoming" festivities on campus, head to mc.edu/homecoming.
 

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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.