MGCCC Football Season Preview: Offense

PERKINSTON — The 2020 Mississippi Gulf Coast football team certainly has some big shoes to fill, a season after the Bulldogs won the fifth national championship in school history.

The challenge of repeating as state champions will be even greater thanks to the mountain of obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Spring practices were shut down midstream, and there was no summer camp.

The offense has had a lot to process to get ready for the season-opener Thursday at Pearl River. Kickoff in Poplarville is set for 7 p.m.

"They've progressed well," said Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright, who became only the second coach in NJCAA history to win a national title at two different schools. "We've thrown a lot at them in a short amount of time, about half the time they normally get. Give credit to the players for being able to come this far, this fast. I'm just worried about how physical are we, how durable are we, will we be able to finish games in the fourth quarter." 

A lot of that time lost would have been spent in the weight room and doing conditioning work, something that all 13 teams competing in the newly-renamed MACCC are facing.

The Bulldogs will also face the daunting task of replacing All-American quarterback Chance Lovertich, who didn't lose a start in Perkinston. He's quickly earned the starting job at South Alabama, but there are two strong candidates to replace him.

Philip Short (Fr., Madison-Ridgeland Academy/Flowood) and DeCarlos Nicholson (Fr., Petal/Petal) were both high school stars.

"We've got two talented quarterbacks, and I'm anxious to see them both play," said Wright.

Deondre House (So., Senatobia/Senatobia) returns after leading all NJCAA running backs with 7.2 yards per carry. He ran 103 times for 744 yards and four touchdowns while splitting time with three other talented backs.

New running mates include Cam Thomas (Fr., Picayune/Picayune) who led the country as a high school senior with 3,517 yards to set a Mississippi record; Kylan Cooper (Fr., Lawrence County/Arm), who ran for 2,234 yards; Micah McGowan (Fr., Petal/Petal), who ran for 1,819 yards; and Q.J. Skipper (Fr., Clarksdale/Clarksdale), who scored 13 touchdowns.

"House had a fantastic season as a freshman," Wright said. "These freshmen need to get their hands on the ball and have the same opportunities he had to prove themselves. They've done good things in practice. We know they were really good players in high school, and they need the opportunity to play at this level."

Fullback Oliver Moreman (So., Lawrence County/Monticello) is also back to help pave the way.

The receiving corps is led by returners Jymetre Hester (So., Glades Central/Belle Glade, Fla.) and Jalen Bracey (So., Murrah/Jackson). Hester tied for third in the country with 10 touchdown receptions, and Bracey caught passes for 447 yards and three scores.

"They do a fantastic job leading that group every day, Wright said. "That group has a great work ethic. When I say that, the receiver position can be very frustrating to go all day or all night and only get to catch a limited number of balls. They've bought into the fact that the ball's coming into their hands at the right time."

Gulf Coast recently cut the ribbon on a new cafeteria, and the Bulldogs' offensive linemen have even given that spacious facility a run for its caloric output capabilities.

Returners include 6-foot-7, 350-pound tackle Keshawn Moore (So., Cleveland Central/Cleveland), 6-foot-4, 315-pound guard Hayden Shook (So., Germantown/Starkville), 6-foot-2, 320-pound center Jimmy Bennett Jr. (So., Clinton/Clinton) and 6-foot-4, 325-pound guard Quincy McGee (So., Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg).

Three freshmen top out at 6-foot-7 or taller.

"You don't have to look at them long and figure out they're big people," Wright said. "That's probably the biggest question mark with the coronavirus, because that group more than any other on the field requires more work and more attention and more repeating of things to learn to do things together. They've done a fantastic job of closing the gap of coming in as a talented individual and being able to work together faster than I thought they would."

Coming Wednesday: The Regulators.

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