Anderson’s 6 TDs beats EMCC

PHOTO BY DUANE OLSEN/MGCCC

SCOOBA — Eli Anderson returned to haunt his old team Thursday night, leading No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast to a 42-17 win over No. 6 East Mississippi. He threw for five touchdowns and ran for another as the Bulldogs made a statement in their last non-division game of the year.

"Our message to Eli was that this wasn't Eli versus anybody," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "It's not Jack Wright versus anybody. It's Mississippi Gulf Coast versus East Mississippi, our team versus their team. Eli has some great teammates, a great offensive line and skill guys around him. We were able to lean on our defense. It was a team effort. Eli played his part for sure, but this was about Mississippi Gulf Coast."

Gulf Coast (4-0) held the fourth-highest scoring team in the country 27 points under their average, while the Bulldogs set a school record for points through four games. Gulf Coast has outscored opponents 196-64.

Anderson (So., Philadelphia/Neshoba Central), who led EMCC to an MACCC title last year, finished the night 18-of-32 for 273 yards. He connected three times for scores to former high school teammate Jay Dupree (So., Philadelphia, Miss./Neshoba Central), who caught five passes for 130 yards. He had scores from 53 and 61 yards.

"Sometimes you just call a play to Jay to get a first down, get him to the stick because he's going to have some separation," Wright said. "Then you look up, and he's running away from people down the field. A couple of those plays he did some stuff after the catch."

Dupree's first touchdown catch made it 14-0 less than eight minutes into the game. Aydan Morgan (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) had scored the first on a 16-yard reception.

Dupree took a 17-yard touch pass while sweeping through the backfield for another score with less than four minutes to go in the half for a 21-7 lead at the break.

The Regulators held off a golden opportunity for EMCC (2-2) coming out of the locker room. The Lions forced a fumble on the opening kickoff but had to settle for a field goal.

Gulf Coast held EMCC to 352 total yards, 120 under their average. The explosive offense had a 41-yard touchdown pass as its biggest play, and an experienced secondary tackles well all night.

Kionte Curry (So., Mims, Fla./Cocoa) had two interceptions, and Keshawn Thomas (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) had another. The Regulators only managed one sack of elusive quarterback Ty Keyes, but the defensive front made their presence known.

"We definitely affected the rhythm of the quarterback and hurried him," Wright said. "That takes a lot of energy and effort to chase the quarterback every play. The thing that impresses me the most about our defensive line is their motor and how hard they play for four quarters."

Dupree streaked past a stunned East Mississippi defensive back on a 61-yard catch and run to push the lead to 28-10.

Anderson ran for a 9-yard fourth-quarter touchdown, then closed out the scoring with a 13-yard pass to Dayan Bilbo (So., Vancleave/Vancleave).

"It's a great feeling," Wright said. "So much work goes into the season. You look at the schedule and know there's going to be some big games. The first one (Northwest Mississippi) was a big one, this one was circled. It feels good to go on the road and get a win against a quality opponent."

Gulf Coast now shifts its focus to archrival Pearl River. The Wildcats may be winless making the short trip to A.L. May Memorial Stadium next week, but the long-running series is full of surprises. Kickoff on Thursday will be a 7 p.m.

"Pearl River has been Gulf Coast's rival since before I was born, and it' sonly intensified since I got here," Wright said. "We respect every opponent on our schedule. We'll have a long week to prepare for what they do. We'll give ourselves a few hours on the way home to celebrate this. This was an earned victory trip home." 

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