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Homecoming 2018
Action photos courtesy Jucoweekly.org

Football Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information

Bears host Pearl River for Homecoming

Two teams hungry for a win meet on the field Saturday as the Bears commemorate Homecoming 2018 with a 5:00 MACJC South Division contest against the Pearl River Wildcats.
 
The Bears enter the contest with a 1-5 mark (0-4 in the South) after a 56-7 home loss to Mississippi Gulf Coast. Pearl River is currently 0-6 (0-3) after  dropping a home game to Jones College, 48-7.
 
Despite their record, Bears head coach Tim Stowers is not overlooking the Wildcats. "Pearl River's a storied program," he said. "and they have a tremendous amount of pride."
 
"Anytime you play a team for homecoming, that's motivation for (that) team," Stowers continued, "because the schedule pickers may pick a team that may not be quite as strong. So, they'll be extremely motivated to come over here and get their first win of the season."
 
"On the other hand," Stowers went on, "we have a lot of distractions (because of homecoming). So, we have to do a better job this week of focusing on the game."
 
Stowers said one of the Bears' "biggest issues (this season) has been assignments; assignments on offense and defense. Our kids are in shape (and) they're ready to play; we haven't had a game where we weren't ready to play. But, we've got to do a better job with assignments."
 
Asked for the keys to a win for the Bears, Stowers again stressed the need for the Bears to limit turnovers. But, he also said, the Bears "have to play four quarters, you've got to be able to concentrate and focus, cut down on those missed assignments and play football the way we're capable of playing."
 
"Also," Stowers said, "We've got to do a better job of running the ball inside the tackle box. We did a very poor job of that last week. We've got to get back on track so we can run the fullback and keep them (Pearl River) honest on the defensive side of the ball."
 
Through six games, the Wildcats have struggled on offense. They have gained only 112.7 yards via the airways and just over 173 yards rushing per game. Sophomore running back Ron Thompson is gaining 103 yards per game.
 
So, will the Bears' defense focus on stopping Thompson and the Wildcats' run game and force them to throw the ball more?
"I think every week, the approach we have to take is we've got to stop the run game," said Bears' defensive coordinator Kelby Bowman. "Right now, we've got a few injuries (so) we've got some guys who are going to need to step up on the defensive line and try to stop the run."
 
"Every team in this league wants to try to establish a run game first," Bowman went on, "so we just have to make sure we're sound (against the run) and when the ball is in the air we're sound in that aspect of the game as well."
 
The game is set for a 5:00 kickoff in John I. Hurst Stadium. It will be broadcast on WAKH 105.7FM (k106), k106.net and the k106; it will also be livestreamed on southwestbearathletics.com.
 
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