No. 5 Gulf Coast faces well-known foe in home opener

PERKINSTON — There won't be many surprises when No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast finally plays its first home football game of the 2024 season. The opponent is No. 10 Jones, which makes the short trip down from Ellisville for what's always a pivotal game in the season. 

The results always set the course for the MACCC South title race, and the first division game will certainly do that this year. Both teams won their first two contest against North opponents.

"It's a typical Jones team," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They're big, a bunch of good-looking guys. They do a very good job of evaluating, recruiting and getting the right people in there. We're familiar with a lot of their roster, and I'm sure they're familiar with ours. There's a lot of good players."

Kickoff at A.L. May Memorial Stadium is set for 7 p.m. Buy your tickets ahead of time to save money. It costs $10 for adults or $7 for youth online, or $15 and $10 at the gate. Single-game chairbacks cost $30 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

Gulf Coast has won the last five games in the series, and it's no coincidence the Bulldogs have won or shared part of the last five MACCC South titles. Jones has shared the last three, and the established coaching staffs at each school know the ins and out of what's on the opposite sideline.

The Bulldogs rank fourth in the country in total offense (460.5 yards per game), and the Regulators give up 255.5 yards. Jones has the 22nd-ranked offense (306.0) and gives up 247.5 yards.

Gerald Modest leads the Bobcats with 152 yards rushing, averaging 5.1 yards per rush. The 6-1, 200-pound freshman from Miami, Fla., has scored a touchdown on the ground in each game, and got one in the air in a 41-9 win against Mississippi Delta.

"He's just really big and strong," Wright said. "He always falls forward. He's a physical presence and he's got explosiveness in tight areas. He gets a lot of hard yards behind a big strong offensive line."

Al Sandifer (So., Greenwood/Greenville Christian) is the anchor for the defensive line tasked with slowing down Modest. He had a big game in last year's 23-0 win at Ellisville with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks among his four tackles. Sandifer had four tackles and a sack in last week's 43-7 win at Mississippi Delta.

"He does a good job pressuring the quarterback, and he's a leader for our defensive front," Wright said. "He's a very active guy. He always seems to be in the backfield making plays, being disruptive. That helps the other 10 guys make plays, makes them better. He brings a lot of energy to practice and the building. We need his continued leadership."

Game #3

WHO: No. 10 Jones (2-0) vs. No. 5 Gulf Coast (2-0)

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.

WHERE: A.L. May Memorial Stadium, Perkinston

WATCH: https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch

LISTEN: SuperTalk Mississippi 103.1 FM

The Series

Series record: Gulf Coast leads 48-46-6

First Meeting: 1929

Last Meeting: Nov. 2, 2023, Gulf Coast 23, Jones 0

Notes: Gulf Coast has a five-game winning streak in the series … Last year's shutout of Jones was Gulf Coast's 10^th in its 48 victories … Jones has registered 13 shutouts in its 46 wins … Gulf Coast won eight straight in the series between 2005 and 2011 … Gulf Coast beat Jones 42-3 in 2014, the most-lopsided result in the series.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.