Bulldogs blow out No. 3 Northwest

PERKINSTON — In the end, the wait was worth it. A crazy 48 hours ended in the best way possible, with Mississippi Gulf Coast knocking off No. 3 Northwest Mississippi 49-14 on Saturday.

Jay Dupree (So., Philadelphia, Miss./Neshoba Central) tied a school record with four receiving touchdowns, and Kevin Larkins (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Fort Lauderdale) had two interceptions to lead The Regulators.

The game was initially canceled after lightning kept the teams from playing Thursday, but they were forced to return to A.L. May Memorial Stadium. The Bulldogs put it to the Rangers, breaking a three-game losing streak to that school. It was the season opener for both teams.

"I'm very proud of our kids. They've put in a lot of hard work," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "The first game in junior college, there's always a lot of anxiety because you just have no clue how things are going to go. You don't know exactly what you have, what your weaknesses are, what your strengths are. We got a little more comfortable throughout the game and figured out who we are."

Larkins set up the first Gulf Coast score with his first pick.

"Coach (Brett Shufelt) kept us motivated," he said. "We just focused on the next pay, the next play, and kept going."

Kason Lincke (So., Mobile, Ala./Mobile Christian) ended a short drive with a 13-yard quarterback keeper for a 7-0 lead with 4:34 in the first quarter.

Gulf Coast's defense made a huge goal-line stand at the end of the first quarter and blocked a field goal to keep the Rangers off the board. Northwest would capitalize on a second-quarter turnover by the Bulldogs to even things up.

Dupree caught his first touchdown after Kionte Curry (So., Mims, Fla./Cocoa) picked off an NWCC pass for another short field. The Bulldogs led 14-7, and would hold that after the Rangers banged a field goal off the upright with no time on the clock at the end of the quarter.

The second half was all Gulf Coast, and the Bulldogs got their passing game going. The other Bulldogs quarterback, Eli Anderson (So., Philadelphia/Neshoba Central), would finish 14-of-20 for 328 yards and five touchdowns. That's tied for second-most in school history. 

Dayan Bilbo (So., Vancleave/Vancleave) set up the first score after halftime with a punt return to the 20, and JP Coulter (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) scored on the next play for a 21-7 lead with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

Dupree caught his second TD on a fourth-down play just over two minutes later for a 28-7 lead. Dupree caught a 16-yarder to score less than a minute into the final quarter.

"We didn't have film of them this year, and the played a different defense this year," he said. "They mostly ran cover-3 and man. We just executed the plays Coach Wright called, and he called some great plays." 

Aydan Morgan (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) had a 39-yard yard reception on a fourth-down freeze play, and Gulf Coast closed out the scoring in the final two minutes. They answered a Northwest score when Anderson threw a 79-yarder to Dupree.

"There were some explosions out of him, especially that last one," Wright said. "When the ball is in his hands, he was just moving at a different speed. We've seen that in practice, but you never know if that will translate into the game, but it did."

Jamari Thompson (So., Pearl/Pearl) ran 12 times for 73 yards. Lincke had 53 yards on 10 rushes but suffered cramps in the second half that limited his action.

As a result of the Saturday contest, the Bulldogs don't have much time to get ready for their second game. They'll surely be ranked nationally when Itawamba (0-1) visits Perk. The Indians played No. 6 Jones tough in Fulton on Thursday, falling 27-13.

"We've got a short week," Wright said. "We've got to get in here tomorrow and watch some film. We have to learn from this. It's got to be a learning experience. I've coached junior college a long time. Every team in this league is going to improve."

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