CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will close out the 2017 season on Saturday when they travel to Florence to play the University of North Alabama. Kick-off at Braly Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
 
The Choctaws (1-8, 1-6 GSC) and the Lions (4-5, 4-3 GSC) will meet for the 34th time with UNA holding a 17-14-2 edge in the series. The road teams have had the advantage with MC going 8-6-2 all-time in Florence and the Lions going 11-6 in Clinton. Last year, North Alabama won 42-7 at Robinson-Hale Stadium on their way to a Division II national runner-up finish.
 
The Choctaws are led by fourth-year head coach John Bland, while the Lions have a new head coach Chris Willis, who previously spent 15 seasons as an assistant at UNA. MC is coming off their first victory of the season as Greg Nickles hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired to defeat Shorter, 30-29. North Alabama dropped a road game to West Florida (30-7) last time out.
 
This will be the final Gulf South Conference game for North Alabama as they are currently transition to Division I, which will begin in the 2018-19 academic year. The Choctaws are scheduled to play non-conference games at UNA in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
 

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WHEN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE HAS THE BALL
 
The Choctaws had their biggest rushing day of the season in their win over Shorter, carrying the ball a total of 46 times for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Tiberias Lampkin had a career-high 110 rushing yards, while junior Ty Jobe rushed for 103 yards and a score.
 
Jobe also passed for 101 yards, which included a 34-yard touchdown toss to freshman Darius Young in the second quarter that gave MC a 20-7 advantage going to the break. Freshman Aaron Feazelle also saw time under center against the Hawks, passing for 50 yards and rushing for 33 with a touchdown.
 
Junior Chakel Gates caught a team-high five passes for 35 yards, while Young had a team-best 50 receiving yards. Sophomore Nathan Faciane leads the squad with 26 catches for 355 yards and two scores, including a big third-down catch on the game-winning drive against Shorter.
 
The Choctaw offensive line was as close to full strength as it has been since early in the season against Shorter, putting four of the original five starters up front. Senior Ronny Smith leads the group at center and is joined by junior Randan Knight and red-shirt freshman Jeremiah Campbell, who are the only two players to start all nine games on the line.
 
The Lions have been stingy on defense this season, allowing just 18.7 points and 291.8 yards per game. They are holding opponents to only 157 passing yards per game and just seven passing touchdowns through nine games.
 
Freshman Christon Taylor is the team's top tackler with 62 stops. The rookie also has 5.0 tackles for loss with three interceptions and a forced fumble. Joshua Amanfo is second on the team with 59 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss.
 
Maurice Burton is the team leader with 10.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks, while Chris Johnson has a team-high six interceptions. As a unit, the Lions have tallied 18 interceptions and 36 passes defended.
 

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WHEN NORTH ALABAMA HAS THE BALL
 
The Choctaw defense was stout in the first half against the Hawks, holding them to just seven points and forcing two turnovers inside their own 10-yard line. Juniors Colton Magee and Justin Stewart each had a team-high seven tackles, while Magee and forced a fumble.
 
Senior Kaleb Coleman leads the 2017 defense with 46 tackles, including 29 solo stops. Senior Chris Manning is just behind with 45 tackles and a team-best three interceptions. Magee also has 45 tackles, a team-high 4.5 TFL and an interception return for a touchdown.
 
Senior Carl Rainey Jr. has a team-high 2.0 sacks and 3.5 TFL, while senior Kris Reliford is tied for 4th on the team with 35 tackles and 3.5 TFL. Stewart is tied with Reliford with 35 tackles on the year.
 
Offensively, the Lions have struggled to find consistency in 2017 with their leading rusher and passer, Rico Bruton, missing the final three games of the year with an injury. He has a team-best four rushing touchdowns and four passing scores.
 
Matt Markham is scheduled to start under center for UNA. He has completed 29 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown, seeing action in five games this season.
 
Austin Hicks and Dre Hall are the team's leading receivers this season, Hicks has caught 23 balls for 393 yards and four touchdowns, while Hall has 30 catches for 347 yards and a score. Hall has recorded a reception in an NCAA Division II record 46 straight games.
 

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SPECIAL TEAMS
 
The Choctaws boast the top two kick return men in the Gulf South Conference in Gates and Young. Gates ranks 11th nationally with 29.5 yards per kick return with a long of 83 yards, while Young has a team-high 494 kick return yards and is averaging 29.1 yards per run-back.
 
Senior Greg Nickles is the reigning GSC Special Teams Player of the Week after going 3-for-3 on field goals attempts, including the walk off kick, in the win over Shorter. Senior Matthew Turcotte will close out his stellar career with MC on Saturday, finishing in the top five in school history in punts, punt yards and average.
 
Jamal Jackson is the Lions' main kick returner, averaging 20.5 yards per return with a long of 40 yards. Delvon Carpenter has a 100-yard return for a touchdown this season. Dwain Smith has returned 16 punts for an average of 11.3 yards this season.
 
Chandler Carrera has made 10-of-14 field goal attempts in 2017 with a long of 39 yards. Joe Gurley is averaging 38.6 yards per punt, forcing 18 fair catches with 13 landing inside the 20-yard line.
 
 

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GAME NOTES
 
The Choctaws are 5-6 in their 105-year history when playing on November 11th. MC's first game on Nov. 11 was a loss to 58-0. They have won two straight on November 11th, including a 31-7 victory over Sul Ross State in 2006.
 
The Choctaws are 101-88-11 all-time against teams from the Yellowhammer State. MC has played more games against schools from Alabama than any other state, including playing their 200th contest earlier this season vs. West Alabama.
The Choctaws rank in the Top 20 in the country in two statistical categories, sitting 15th in time of possession (32:52) and 17th in kickoff return average (24.2). MC has held the ball longer than their opponent in every game this season outside of the weather-shortened contest against West Georgia on October 21st. Junior Chakel Gates (11th, 29.5) and freshman Darius Young (15th, 29.1) are the top two kick returners in the GSC. Gates had a season-long 83 yard return Saturday against Shorter.
 
The Choctaws have 16 players from the State of Alabama on their 2017 roster. Seniors Kaleb Coleman, Trey Harris, Tavin Ingraham and Chris Manning are all from the Yellowhammer State. Coleman, Harris and Manning were each part of MC's first Division II team in 2014 and will wrap up their four-year careers this Saturday.
 
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 close out the 2017 season on Saturday. They will open the 2018 campaign against Clark Atlanta University on Thursday, August 30th in Clinton. MC opened 2017 against the Panthers, falling in overtime by a score of 32-29.
 

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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.