CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will open Gulf South Conference play when they host defending national runner-up West Florida on Saturday evening. Kickoff at Robinson-Hale Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and is the GSC-TV Game of the Week, which can be seen nationally on ESPN3.

This will be just the third all-time meeting between the two schools with the Argonauts winning both contests in 2016 and 2017. Last season, the Choctaws had a potential game-tying drive stopped short in the final minutes with an interception return for a touchdown in a 28-14 win for UWF.

The Choctaws, led by 5th-year head coach John Bland, have opened the season 2-0 for the first time since 2010. After wins over Clark Atlanta (31-30) and Southwest Baptist (34-9) at home, MC had their original GSC opener against North Greenville canceled due to the effect of Hurricane Florence in South Carolina.

The Argos are led by 3rd-year head coach Pete Shinnick, who had the team playing for the Division II national championship in just their second year as a program in 2017. UWF opened the season with a win over Carson-Newman (19-9) at home before going on the road to fall to nationally-ranked Midwestern State (38-17). Last week, they started their GSC schedule with a 51-7 win over Shorter.
 

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WHEN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE HAS THE BALL

The Choctaws come into the contest with the top-ranked rushing attack in the Gulf South Conference (283.0 ypg) and the 6th-ranked ground-gaining group in the nation. MC is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has only lost 32 yards rushing on 87 carries all season.

Quarterback Detric Hawthorn paces the offensive attack with 108.0 rushing yards per game, including 141 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening win over Clark Atlanta. The Jones JC transfer went 4-of-5 for 66 yards and a touchdown through the air in the victory over Southwest Baptist.

Ja'Mori Mark rushed for 100 yards and two scores against SBU, clinching the victory with a GSC-long 78-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Tiberias Lampkin has hauled the ball a season-high 27 times for 138 yards through two games.

Drew Croegaert tops the Choctaw receivers with three catches for 81 yards, including a 54-yard score against SBU. Chakel Gates has caught two passes for 47 yards through the first two games.

The offense has been explosive early on this season with eight plays going for over 20 yards and four plays going for 50 yards or more. MC has scored 30 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since 2013 when they did it five straight times from October 5 - November 2.

The Argonaut defense is giving up 183.7 yards per game on the ground but only two touchdowns through three games. They are allowing just 18.0 points per game and have forced five turnover (5 fumbles, 1 interception).

Gavin Burford leads the team with 24 tackles, including 10 solo stops and 2.0 tackles for loss. Andre Duncombe Jr. has a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss to go along with 12 tackles. Damarius Brinson has the team's interception this season.
 

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WHEN WEST FLORIDA HAS THE BALL

The Choctaws held Southwest Baptist to just three points over the first 56 minutes of the 34-9 win on September 8th. They also held SBU to fewer than 40 yards on seven of the team's 11 drives.

Jaylan Hassell, who was named GSC Freshman of the Week after the season-opener, has a team-high 13 tackles, followed by Derric Hawthorn with 11.

Dalton Frederick has a team-best 2.5 tackles flor loss, while Michael Washington Jr. has pitched in 2.0 TFL and a forced fumble. Trey Thompson had a crucial interception in the win over Southwest Baptist and has also forced a fumble this season.

Offensively, Sam Vaughn leads the attack with 270.0 passing yards per game and six touchdowns. He is completing 60.0% of his passes  with four interceptions.

Chris Schwarz has rushed for a team-high 194 yards on 36 carries, while Anthony Johnson Jr. has 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Ishmel Morrow has hauled in a team-high 15 passes for 189 yards and a score, while Tate Lehito has caught 14 balls for 179 yards. Ezra Saffold has two touchdown catches to lead the team this season.
 

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SPECIAL TEAMS

Drake McCarter has done it all in the kicking game for the Choctaws, averaging 48.0 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards. His average would lead the GSC if he had punted enough to qualify for the league-leaders. The Northwest MS CC transfer has also nailed 3-of-4 field goals with a long of 44 yards, including the game-winner against Clark Atlanta.

Gates is averaging 19.1 yards per kick return with a long of 28 yards this season, while Paul Anderson has taken back a pair of punts for six yards.

Austin Williams, the 2017 GSC Special Teams Player of the Year, is 6-of-8 on field goals with a long of 41 yards this season. Dawson Hamlin is averaging 38.2 yards per punt, landing six inside the 20-yard line through three games.

Antoine Griffin is averaging 18.3 yards per punt return with a long of 37 yards, while Lee Walker is averaging 21.3 yards per kick return with a long of 33 yards.
 

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GAME NOTES

The Choctaws are 3-4 all-time in their 106-year history as a football program when they play on Sept. 22nd. The first-ever game played on the date was in 1951 when MC fell to Arkansas A&M, 25-0. The last time they played on Sept. 22, the Choctaws picked up a 47-14 win over McMurry.

The Choctaws are 9-15-2 all-time against teams from the State of Florida. The most common opponent is Stetson University, against whom MC has a 3-2-1 record against. The Choctaws are scheduled to play two teams from the Sunshine State this season in West Florida and Florida Tech (Oct. 6).

Of the 11 regular season games for the Choctaws in 2018, six will come against teams that are at least receiving votes in the AFCA Preseason Top 25. West Florida (2), West Alabama (12) and West Georgia (19) are all in the Top 25, while Delta State, Florida Tech and Valdosta State received votes.

The Choctaws will play host to Valdosta State University on September 29th, marking their fourth straight home game to open the season after the road game against North Greenville was canceled. Two years ago when VSU came to Clinton, MC fell just short in a 42-41 loss on "Homecoming". The Blazers are 3-0 and averaging 52.6 points per game in 2018.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC 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 2018-19 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.