CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College football team erased an early 14-0 deficit to storm back for a 39-27 victory over North Greenville University in the Gulf South Conference opener on Saturday night at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

The Choctaws improved to 2-1 with a 1-0 mark in the GSC, while the Crusaders dropped to 1-2 with an 0-1 record in the league.
 

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COACH BLAND SAID...
  - "What a great win for our program. It obviously did not start the way we wanted, but our team handled adversity and played really well against a really good football team. Our team is getting more and more confidence each game. We also know there is room for improvement. I'm very proud of the way we played tonight."
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED (FIRST HALF)
  - NGU got off to a fast start with a pair of touchdowns on their first two drives, taking advantage of an MC fumble to go ahead 14-0 with a 22-yard touchdown pass from London Johnson to Semaj Larkin.
  - The turning point of the game came at the end of the Crusaders' next possession as senior Turner Rotenberry returned a punt 53 yards, breaking several tackles, to set up the Choctaws at the NGU 10-yard line.
  - Just two plays later, junior Ja'Mori Mark plunged in from three yards out to cut the deficit in half at 14-7 with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter.
  - The MC defense forced a 3-and-out on their second consecutive drive, setting the Choctaws up at midfield following a 23-yard punt.
  - Senior Detric Hawthorn completed a 46-yard pass to sophomore Orlando Doss, which was followed by a one-yard touchdown run from junior Jaylin Jones to put the Choctaws behind just 14-13 with :40 remaining in the quarter.
  - The Choctaws forced another punt before marching 72 yards on 10 plays, capped off by a four-yard touchdown run from junior Jordan Wright to give MC their first lead of the night at 20-14 with 6:39 to go in the second quarter.
  - The Crusaders answered with a touchdown drive of their own and took over after another MC fumble, but the defense stood tall again and turned NGU over on downs to give the offense the ball with 1:28 left in the half.
  - Hawthorn came up with another big play, finding senior Cole Rotenberry with a 42-yard pass to set up another touchdown run from Jones, his second of three scores on the night.
  - The Crusaders would get into field goal range but would miss a 48-yard field goal and send the game into the break with the Choctaws leading 26-21.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED (SECOND HALF)
  - Neither team got much traction in the third quarter as each team had the ball but could not score and the game would go to the final 15 minutes with the score at 26-21.
  - The Crusaders broke the second-half deadlock with a 14-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown from Johnson to Lucas Catalfomo, but the two-point conversion was no good and NGU led 27-26 with 11:33 to go.
  - On MC's next drive Hawthorn found Rotenberry for another long play, a 46-yard completion that led to a five-yard score from Jones to put MC ahead, 32-27.
  - The final score of the game came on NGU's next drive as senior Derric Hawthorn picked off a tipped ball and went back 56 yards to the end zone, giving the Choctaws a 39-27 lead with 8:44 remaining.
  - The Choctaw defense came up with two big fourth-down stops on their next two drives, finishing with sack-fumbles by juniors Josh Miller and Didravious Henry to clinch the victory.
 

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KEY STATS
  - The Choctaws put up 363 total yards on the night, rushing for 177 with 186 passing yards and averaging 6.4 yards per snap.
  - The Crusaders put up 466 total yards but on 85 plays with 5.5 yards per play.
  - NGU tallied 28 total first downs on the night and held the Choctaws to 0-of-7 on third downs, but the MC defense came up with big plays and turnovers to get the win.
  - Detric Hawthorn passed for 186 yards on just six completions, finding five different receivers on the night.
  - Rotenberry caught a pair of passes for 88 yards, while Doss had a 46-yard reception and Mark caught a 31-yard pass.
  - Wright rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries, while Jones had nine carries for 39 yards and three touchdowns.
  - Miller led the MC defense with 10 tackles, racking up a pair of tackles for loss with a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
  - Junior Jonathan Jones also had 10 tackles on the night, tallying 1.5 tackles for loss with a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
  - London Johnson led the NGU offense with 259 passing yards and three touchdowns.
  - EJ Humphrey ran for 72 yards on 12 carries, while Lakin had 15 carries for 69 yards and a score.
  - Kyle Belack caught a team-high seven passes for 91 yards and a score, while Jordan Helms also had a touchdown reception.
 

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GAME NOTES
  - The Choctaws won their first Gulf South Conference game for the first time since 1995 when they defeated Southern Arkansas (23-14) on September 9th.
  - It was MC's first GSC win over any team besides Shorter since a 30-7 victory over West Alabama on September 21, 1995.
 

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NEXT UP
  - The Choctaws will hit the road to face West Florida next Saturday (Sep. 28) at 6:00 p.m. in Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla.
 

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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 began 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.