CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team will look for their first 2-0 start since 2010 when they welcome Southwest Baptist to Clinton for a non-conference matchup. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

This will be just the 2nd all-time meeting between the two with the Bearcats falling on two fumbles in the end zone and recording a safety in a 32-9 victory over the Choctaws in Bolivar, Mo. in 2017. The Choctaw defense tallied 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks despite the loss.

Head coach John Bland leads the Choctaws in his fifth season at the helm, and the Choctaws opened the 2018 season with a 31-30 victory over Clark Atlanta last Thursday night.

The Bearcats are led by fourth-year head coach Robert Clardy, who was named Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year after leading them to a Division II playoff appearance in 2016.
 

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WHEN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE HAS THE BALL

Junior quarterback Detric Hawthorn led the offensive attack for the Choctaws in the season-opening win, rushing for 141 yards and three scores. The signal-caller also passed for 111 yards, while averaging 10.1 yards per carry.

Senior Tiberias Lampkin carried the ball a team-high 16 times for 89 yards as the Choctaws piled up 238 rushing yards against CAU. Last season, MC eclipsed 200 rushing yards just two times (West Florida, Shorter).

Wide receiver Chakel Gates caught two passes for 47 yards, including a 36-yard strike, while junior Drew Croegaert hauled in a 28-yard reception that led to a 55-yard touchdown run from Hawthorn.

The Choctaws did turn the ball over three times in the contest, all coming in the first half. The triple option attack coughed the ball up a couple of times and Hawthorn tossed an interception in the first 30 minutes.

The Bearcats opened the 2018 season with a 49-7 loss to Division I-FCS Houston Baptist in Texas. The Huskies held SBU to just 179 total yards of offense and picked off four passes.

Senior Tyler Curts led the way with 12 tackles, including a team-high seven solo stops. They recorded 5.0 tackles for loss, while Jamehl Wilson had a TFL and a forced fumble.
 

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WHEN SOUTHWEST BAPTIST HAS THE BALL

The MC defense forced Clark Atlanta into throwing three interceptions, including one that was returned by junior Turner Rotenberry 87 yards for a touchdown.

Junior Elijah Rogers was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Week after picking off a pair of passes, including one in the final minute to seal the victory for the Choctaws.

Jaylan Hassell posted a team-high nine tackles for MC and earned GSC Freshman of the Week honors, while sophomore Michael Washington Jr. had a team-best 2.0 tackles for loss.

Quarterback Dylan Mountain led the SBU offensive attack with 46 rushing yards and 66 passing yards on 42% passing. Eric Knight carried the ball a team-high 17 times for 33 yards and a score.
 

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SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior Drake McCarter made all five of his kicks in the win over Clark Atlanta, including the game-winning 18-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. He averaged 49.3 yards per punt with a long of 56 yards and kicked one touchback in the victory.

Gates returned seven kicks with an average of 19.3 yards per run-back in the victory.

Jackson Bagley punted eight times against Houston Baptist, averaging 39.8 yards per kick with a long of 54 yards. Matt Lechuga returned four kickoffs for 83 yards with a long of 31 yards.
 

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GAME NOTES

The Choctaws are 3-0-1 all-time in their 106-year history as a football program when they play on Sept. 8th. Two of the three victories were season-opening wins that helped lead to Gulf South Conference championships (1979, 1990). The last time the Choctaws played on the date, Jonathan Redd hit Alex Archer for a 77-yard touchdown with just 1:19 remaining in a win over Webber International.

The Choctaws are 2-4 all-time against schools from the State of Missouri. Last year's battle with Southwest Baptist was the first for MC against a school from the Show-Me-State since 1989 when the Choctaws defeated Southeast Missouri State, 21-6, on their way to a win in the Division II national championship 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 will hit the road for the first time in 2018 and open Gulf South Conference play when they travel to Tigerville, S.C. to face North Greenville University. NGU is a football affilliate member of the GSC and opened the season with a 13-3 win over Tusculum. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
 

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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.