NJCAA Football Game of the Week Features No.1 Pearl River vs. No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 12, 2006) - NJCAA football fans have been handed an early holiday gift courtesy of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College Athletics (MACJC). This week's NJCAA Football Game of the Week features one of the oldest rivalries in two-year college football when top-ranked Pearl River Community College (Miss.) hosts third-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Thursday, Sept. 14 at Dobie Holden Stadium in Poplarville, Miss. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CST).

The 82nd meeting between the two powers proves to be as crucial as in past seasons. Last year's regular season battle saw Mississippi Gulf Coast defeat Pearl River 55-47, which helped the Bulldogs secure the MACJC South Division title and berth to the 2005 Dalton Defenders Bowl. The Pearl River loss snapped a school record 23-game winning streak.

The two teams then met in the MACJC Championship. Pearl River got their revenge with a 25-19 win in the state title game winning their third-straight MACJC title in the process. The Wildcats finished the 2005 season with an 8-1 overall record and No. 3 national ranking.

Pearl River leads the all-time series between the two schools 52-29-1.

How they fared last week ÿ

#1 Pearl River Community College has gotten off to a great start this season outscoring their first two opponents, Mississippi Delta (43-6) and Coahoma (58-10), 101-16. The Wildcats are boasting the fourth-best passing attack in the NJCAA averaging 245.5 yards a contest. Freshman quarter back Michael Greco has completed 62.5 percent of his passes and has thrown for 382 yards and four touchdowns thus far.

However, Pearl River's 58-10 victory over Coahoma last week was primarily due to PRCC's strong ground attack. The Wildcats rushed for 278 yards as sophomore Seth Hayden (pictured right) and freshman Bubba Kirksey both carried 15 times for career-high totals of 140 and 109 yards, respectively. Hayden finished the game with 172 yards of offense and two touchdowns.

Hayden is currently the NJCAA leader with five rushing touchdowns. His 32 total points ranks second in the NJCAA and his 134.5 rushing yards per game ranks tenth. The Wildcat offense ranks second in the NJCAA averaging 473.5 total offensive yards per contest.

The Wildcat defense has been fierce this season forcing eight turnovers (six interceptions, two fumbles) in their first two contests, which ranks second in the MACJC to their rival - Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Wildcat secondary has yielded six interceptions as defensive backs Gene Anderson (Pre-Season NJCAA All-American), Brandon Burns and Josh Wiley have each picked-off two passes. Anderson and Burns have both returned an interception for a touchdown as well. Pre-season All-American linebacker Donte Spires leads the squad with 13 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles.

In his fifth season at the helm, Wildcat head coach Tim Hatten is 39-5 during his tenure at Pearl River.

#3 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has also posted two early season victories in dominating fashion. The Gulf Coast defense has yet to give up an offensive touchdown this season and their offense has scored a combined 110 points in their first two games, which is the highest point total in the NJCAA.

Last week, Gulf Coast cruised to a 42-7 victory over Northeast Mississippi Community College. Running back Larry Warner (pictured left) rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns, quarterbacks Andrew Carcich and Genario McNealy both threw TD passes, and the Gulf Coast special teams and defense both chipped in for scores.

The Bulldogs have the third-best rushing offense in the country gaining 292.5 yards per game and the third-best total offense producing 435 total yards a game. Warner has rushed for 283 yards and three touchdowns and boasts the NJCAA's ninth-best rushing average of 141.5 yards per game.

The Gulf Coast defense has been a wall this season allowing just 56 rushing yards per contest and 124.5 passing yards, which also leads the MACJC. The Bulldogs have forced 11 turnovers (six fumbles and five interceptions) to lead the MACJC. Safety Marquis Powell has been the highlight of the Gulf Coast defense and special teams. In just two games, Powell has recovered two fumbles for touchdowns, recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown for the Bulldog offense. Powell has also tallied five solo tackles.

Cornerback Alec Banks leads the Bulldogs with ten solo tackles. Linebackers Billy Alexander and Jeremy Evans both have six solo tackles this year, while defensive end Nick Jones has also collected six solo takedowns. Safety Jason Fairley leads the team in interceptions with two.

Head coach Steven Campbell is 14-7 in three seasons at MGCCC and has a career coaching record of 53-22. ÿ

The Coaches Say

Mississippi Gulf Coast head coach Steven Campbell: "For us, every game is the biggest because it's the next game on the schedule. We're playing a great team this week. We need to make a lot of improvements. We try not to read the papers and get involved in the hype."

Important Notes about the match-up

Pearl River is looking to continue its recent dominance among Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges as they have claimed the last three conference titles. Pearl River won the 2004 NJCAA National Championship with a 35-14 victory over Butler County Community College (Kan.) in the Dalton Defenders Bowl. The Wildcat program has risen to national prominence recently as reflected by being voted the 6th-best juco football program of the 2000's. According to PRCC records, the Wildcat football program has won 484 games, lost 235, and tied 24 over the span of 80 years. For 22 straight seasons, Pearl River has recorded eight victories or more, had five runner-up titles, and five South Division MACJC championships. Their have been 15 Pearl River football players that have recently transferred to NCAA schools and a total of eight Wildcats have been selected first-team All-NJCAA. Currently there are two PRCC alumni playing in the NFL: Cornelius Griffen, DT, Washington Redskins; and Jeff Posey, LB, Buffalo Bills. Current Wildcat head coach Tim Hatten was a two-year letterman with the Wildcats during the 1983 and 1984 seasons.

Mississippi Gulf Coast has appeared in four NJCAA bowl games in its history the most recent being the 2005 Dalton Defenders Bowl where they were defeated 21-19 by Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. The Bulldogs claimed the 1971 NJCAA National Championship and did so again in 1984. According to final NJCAA football polls, Gulf Coast was voted the 9th-best program of the 1980's, the 19th-best of the 90's and the 27th-best program of the 2000's. Former MGCCC head coach George Sekul boasts the fourth-best career coaching record in NJCAA history. Sekul amassed a 204-77-5 record over a 26 year career. Recently, 11 Gulf Coast football players have transferred to NCAA schools the last two years. Oakland Raiders wide receiver Doug Gabriel is MGCCC's lone alum in the NFL.

Photo Credits: Mitch Deaver, PRCC Sports Information Director and Bill Snyder, MGCCC