CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will play their fourth straight home football game to open the 2018 season when they host Valdosta State University on Saturday evening. Kickoff at Robinson-Hale Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

This will be the 19th all-time meeting between the two schools with the Blazers holding a slim 9-8-1 edge in the series. This is a rivalry that has seen two significant streaks as the Choctaws opened with eight wins in the first nine contests. Since then, VSU has won eight straight coming into Saturday's tilt. The last time the teams met in Clinton, the Choctaws came up just short in a 42-41 loss to the nationally-ranked Blazers.

The Choctaws (2-1, 0-1 GSC) are led by 5th-year head coach John Bland. MC dropped their first game of the season last Saturday against West Florida (34-21) following a nearly two-hour lightning delay. The Choctaws could not overcome five turnovers in the defeat against the defending NCAA Division II national runner-up.

The Blazers (4-0, 2-0 GSC) are led by 3rd-year head coach Kerwin Bell, who is a former quarterback at the University of Florida. VSU boasts the top scoring offense (52.0 ppg) and scoring defense (11.0 ppg) in the Gulf South Conference. They are coming off a 52-0 win over Shorter.
 

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WHEN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE HAS THE BALL

The Choctaws are scoring 28.7 ppg, which is the fourth-best mark in the GSC in 2018. MC has the top rushing offense (276.3 ypg) in the league, averaging 6.0 yards per carry over their first three games.

Quarterback Detric Hawthorn (106.7 ypg) is the league's leading rusher, scoring three touchdowns with 141 rushing yards in the season-opening win against Clark Atlanta. In the loss to UWF, Hawthorn threw for 174 yards and two scores.

Tiberias Lampkin has rushed for 248 yards on the season, tying for a team-high with Hawthorn with 43 carries. He got in the end zone for the first time this season last week against the Argonauts.

The deep passing attack put up a couple touchdowns against UWF with Cole Rotenberry hauling in a 46-yard score and Chakel Gates going 67 yards for a touchdown.

Saturday's contest will be a contrast of styles as the Blazers have the top rushing defense in the league, allowing just 67.5 yards per game on the ground.

Jameon Gaskin is the team-leader with 25 tackles, while Ravarius Rivers has 22 tackles with an interception and three pass breakups.

Taurus Dotson leads the squad with two interceptions on the year, while David Brown has a team-best 3.5 tackles for loss.
 

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WHEN VALDOSTA STATE HAS THE BALL

The Choctaws are led by Derric Hawthorn with 18 tackles, including 15 solo stops in 2018. He has also broken up two passes and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown against UWF.

Turner Rotenberry and Elijah Rogers each have a pair of interceptions this year, and the five picks by the MC defense has already equaled the total from a season ago. Rotenberry already has 111 return yards on his two interceptions, including an 87-yard return for a score in the victory over CAU.

Not only do the Blazers have the top scoring offense in the league, but they also boast the best offense with 523.3 total yards per game.

Rogan Wells, who has earned a GSC Player of the Week honor, has thrown for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns with just one interception. He has also rushed for 145 yards and a score.

Jamar Thompkins leads the team with 365 rushing yards, while Seth McGill has rushed for a team-high three scores.

Lio'undre Gallimore has a team-high 217 receiving yards, while Brian Saunds has caught 12 passes with five touchdowns. Kenny Benjamin has a team-high 15 catches for 149 yards and three scores.
 

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SPECIAL TEAMS

Drake McCarter handles all of the kicking duties for the Choctaws, averaging 62.7 yards per kickoff with five touchbacks and nailing 3-of-4 field goals with a long of 44 yards. He is also averaging 44.5 yards per punt with four over 50 yards and five landing inside the 20-yard line.

Gates is averaging 19.4 yards per kick return with a long of 37 yards, while Paul Anderson is averaging 3.0 yards per punt return.

Andrew Gray does the placekicking for VSU, hitting 5-of-7 field goals with a long of 39 yards and averaging 58.0 yards per kickoff with 10 touchbacks. Gavin Wilson is averaging 38.4 yards per punt with a long of 48 yards and seven landing inside the 20-yard line.

Benjamin is averaging 18.5 yards per kickoff return, while Saunds has returned eight kickoffs for 78 yards.
 

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GAME NOTES

The Choctaws are 6-10 all-time in their 106-year history as a football program when they play on Sept. 29th. The first contest was a 27-6 loss to what is now Mississippi State University.

The Choctaws are 30-21-2 all-time against teams from the State of Georgia. 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).

As the Choctaws face one of four teams they play from the State of Georgia this season in Valdosta State, let's highlight the MC players from the Peach State. Alizee Chubbs (Atlanta) has made the move to linebacker for his senior season after four years in the offensive backfield. Hurley (Tyrone) has also switched positions, moving to defensive line after starting on the offensive front in 2017.

The Choctaws will be implementing a new offensive strategy in 2018 that will be spearheaded by new offensive coordinator Tommy Laurendine. He has had two Gulf South Conference stops in his career at West Georgia (1992) and West Alabama (1997-00) and brings the specialty of the triple option attack. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Choctaws lead the GSC with 273.6 rushing yards per game.

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 are scheduled to play their first road game of the season when they make the 14-hour bus trip to Melbourne, Fla. to play Florida Tech. MC was set to play their initial road contest on September 15th at North Greenville, but Hurricane Florence forced a cancellation. FIT is 3-1 overall with a 1-1 mark in Gulf South Conference play.
 

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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.