Bears host Mississippi Gulf Coast

The Bears gave their best performance of the season last week at Pearl River, putting up over 400 yards of offense, in a 31-21 win. The team has a tough road ahead of them if they want to pull off the same feat this week against the visiting Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs.

The Bears enter the game at 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the MACJC South Division.

What will it take for the Bears to repeat their performance from last week? "I think we'll have to play even better," said head coach Tucker Peavey, "because Gulf Coast is a really good football team. We moved the ball offensively throwing it (against Pearl River), we didn't have turnovers and I think the turnover issue if the biggest difference."

Peavey said his team played hard at Pearl River "like they (do) every week" and did not make a lot of the mistakes they had made in past games.

The Bulldogs come to Summit experience what, for them, could be considered a down season. They are 3-3 overall (2-1 in the South) after last week's 42-0 win over Mississippi Delta and are giving up 336 yards of offense per game.

Peavey said in order for his team to be successful against the Bulldogs, they cannot "turn the ball over, (they have to) make the plays that are there and be patient. They're (the Bulldogs) are a very aggressive defense and whenever that happens, it creates big plays for one side or the other and we've just got to get our share of them."

Peavey said the Bulldogs have "played some really good football teams that were playing really well at the time on offense and I think that's what it's going to take" and, for the Bears to win, they will have to do likewise.

Bears' defensive coordinator Kelby Bowman said he would not consider the Bulldogs to be having a down year despite the fact that they are totaling only 122.3 yards through the air and 166.3 on the ground.

"They're still making yards in other places," Bowman said, "and they still have some good players and they're always going to be good at what they do offensively and defensively. Although the numbers (on paper) may show one thing, when you look at them on film they're still a very talented and explosive team."

Bowman said his defensive approach will not change this week. "We're facing a good opponent this week as we do week in and week out and we just have to make sure we're ready for the task at hand."

While the Bulldogs are averaging slightly more yardage on the ground than in the air, their leading running back (T'Rod Daniels-5' 9", 190) is recording only 61.8 yards per game. On the other hand, they have four receivers with 11 or more catches on the season. Will Bowman focus ever so slightly more on the pass this week?

"I think with some of these new offensive systems," Bowman said, "you can't put emphasis on one (aspect of the game) over the other. Teams like Gulf Coast have talent at running back and also have talent at quarterback and receiver so I think you just have to prepare and try to minimize what they do best."

Bowman concluded his comments on the Bulldogs' offense by saying "I think they have the ability to always go to the pass if the run's not working and our kids just have to adjust during the game according to what they're trying to do to us."

Kickoff Thursday night is set for 7:00 at John I. Hurst Stadium. The game can be heard on the radio on WAKH 105.7FM (K106) on the internet at southwestbearathletics.com and k106.net and on smartphones (download the k106 app).

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Southwest Mississippi Community College

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Bears host Mississippi Gulf Coast