CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will celebrate "Homecoming" this weekend when they host #25 West Georgia. Kick-off at Robinson-Hale Stadium is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

FOR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF HOMECOMING EVENTS, CLICK HERE.

The Choctaws (0-7, 0-5 GSC) and the Wolves (5-2, 2-2 GSC) will meet for the 16th time in the series with MC holding an 8-7 edge all-time. The Choctaws won eight of the first nine meetings, while UWG is the owner of six straight victories. Last season in Carrollton, the Wovles held on for a 31-23 win.

Head coach John Bland is in his fourth season at the helm for the Choctaws, while David Dean is in his first year as the head man at West Georgia.

The Choctaws are coming off a tough 55-3 loss at Valdosta State last Saturday, while the Wolves suffered a 34-31 defeat at the hands of GSC-leading West Alabama.
 

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WHEN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE HAS THE BALL

Over the last two games, the Choctaws have found success running the football, averaging 140.5 yards per contest on the ground, including a season-high 205 yards two weeks ago against West Florida.

Junior Tiberias Lampkin leads the rushing attack with 396 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Junior Alizee Chubbs is just behind with 215 rushing yards on 59 carries.

Sophomore Nathan Faciane is MC's top receiving threat, catching a team-high 25 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Chakel Gates (16 rec., 137 yds) and senior Christian Keene (13 rec., 141 yds) have also had an impact through the air this year.

Juniors Ty Jobe and Khiran Williams split snaps last week at quarterback with Williams earning his first start since last season. Jobe has a team-high three rushing touchdowns this season.

The Wolves have the top scoring defense in the Gulf South Conference, allowing just 17.0 points per game. They are allowing 149.4 rushing yards per game but have given up just six scores on the ground this season.

Cameron Magee (46 tackles) and Montrell Pardue (45 tackles) lead the way in stops and each have an interception. Chad Price leads the team in both tackles for loss (8.0) and sacks (5.0).
 

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WHEN WEST GEORGIA HAS THE BALL

Two weeks ago, the Choctaws allowed a season-low 244 yards in a tight loss to West Florida, but Valdosta State jumped out for 484 yards in last week's game. On the season, they rank 7th in the league in passing defense (214.3 ypg).

Senior Chris Manning has a team-high 36 tackles on the year to go along with an interception. Junior Colton Magee has stuffed the stat sheet this year with 34 tackles, a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss and an interception for a touchdown.

The Wolves have the most productive offense in the league, averaging 463.4 yards per game. They rank 2nd in the conference with 34.9 points per contest.

The offense runs through sophomore quarterback Willie Candler, who is completing 66% of his passes for 1,617 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 162 yards and two scores.

Running back Devontae Jackson ranks 2nd in the league with 90.9 rushing yards per game to go along with six touchdowns on the ground. Travis Custis has also rushed for six scores with 314 yards.

South Carolina transfer Shaq Roland is the team's top receiving threat with 26 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns. DeNiko Carter has a team-high three touchdown grabs on the year.
 

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SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior Greg Nickles has nailed 5-of-9 field goals this season with a long of 33 yards. Senior Matt Brasher is averaging 57.2 yards per kickoff with a touchback on the year. Senior Matthew Turcotte is averaging 38.7 yards per punt, forcing eight fair catches with six landing inside the 20-yard line.

The Choctaws are averaging 22.5 yards per kickoff return this season, which ranks 2nd in the league behind West Georgia. Freshman Darius Young (29.4 ypr) and Gates (25.8 ypr) are leading the way.

Trey Wiggins is UWG's leading scorer with 51 points, going 7-of-8 on field goals with a long of 35 yards. Austin McGugan is averaging 31.7 yards per punt with a long of 45 this season.

Jackson is also the Wovles' top kick returner with 26.6 yards per return, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown. J.J. Jones is averaging 13.6 yards per punt return with a 57-yard touchdown.
 

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GAME NOTES

The Choctaws are 5-6-1 all-time on October 21st in the 105-year history of the program. The first two contests came against SEC powers Ole Miss and LSU. MC picked up a 48-6 win over this week's opponent, West Georgia, in 1989, helping lead the way to a win in the Division II national championship game.

The Choctaws are 28-21-2 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 50 in the nation in a few statistical categories, sitting fifth in the nation in time of possession (34:33), 34th in fewest penalties per game (6.0) and 49th in kickoff return average (22.5). In 2017, MC has had the time possession edge in all seven 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 face West Georgia this Saturday. Alizee Chubbs (Atlanta), Keith Harison (Dallas), EJ Hurley (Tyrone) and Jamarcus Morrissette (Douglasville) are all from the Peach State. This is the third of four games against teams from the Peach State (Clark Atlanta, Valdosta State and Shorter).

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 have their bye week next weekend before hosting Shorter in the home finale on November 4th. MC will celebrate "Senior Day" against the Hawks, honoring the student-athletes playing their final games for the "Blue and Gold". Kick-off for the home finale will be 2:00 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium.
 

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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.