No. 7 Bulldogs roll on Homecoming

PERKINSTON — A record-breaking Homecoming saw No. 7 Mississippi Gulf Coast roll to a 63-0 win over Coahoma on Saturday at A.L. May Memorial Stadium. 

The Bulldogs set a record for margin of victory over a Homecoming opponent, piling up 635 yards of total offense while holding the Tigers to just 64.

"We played well and got off to a fast start and kept going," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "That's very pleasing. We had a really good week of prep and took this game extremely seriously. We had a good plan on both sides of the football, and the kids went out there and executed that."

The Bulldogs improved to 7-1, and they had already clinched a spot in the playoffs after Thursday's results around the MACCC. They are tied with East Central at 4-1 in the South and can clinch a share of the division title by beating Hinds on Thursday at Perk. If ECCC stumbles against Southwest Mississippi, the Bulldogs could claim the crown outright and earn a home playoff game.

Gulf Coast improved to 59-34 in Homecoming games. The previous record for margin of victory was a pair of 62-7 wins in 1971 and 1973. It's the third-biggest shutout in school history behind a 69-0 win over Chamberlain Hunt Military Academy in 1926 and a 68-0 victory over Holmes in 2006. It was the fourth-largest margin of victory.

Gulf Coast tied for the eighth-highest scoring output in school history by reaching the end zone on seven of its first eight possessions, and the other came up just three yards short of paydirt. The Bulldogs led 49-0 at halftime and added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The second half was played with a running clock because of MACCC rules. 

Both Bulldog quarterbacks threw for 200 yards. Starter Landon Varnes (Fr., Brandon/Brandon) was 14-of-22 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and backup Peyton Floyd (Fr., Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville) was 14-of-20 for 276 yards and two more scores.

"We have a ton of confidence in Peyton," Wright said. "He's a great player who had a ton of production in high school, and he's done everything right since he's been here. Landon's been playing really well through the course of the year, and it's tough to play two quarterbacks. Tonight, Peyton got to show how he can produce."

Jeremiah Foxworth (Fr., Columbia/Columbia) needed just five receptions to total 173 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown. Mason Beverly (Fr., Purvis/Purvis), JP Coulter (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) and Tyler Henderson (Fr., Vicksburg/Vicksburg) also had scoring receptions. Twelve different Bulldogs caught passes, and five had 50 or more receiving yards.

Trey Hall (So., Vicksburg/Warren Central) had three touchdowns on just 10 carries, finishing with 65 yards. Brandon Hines (So., New Orleans, La./Northshore) and Chandler Chapman (So., Bay St. Louis/St. Stanislaus) had touchdown runs.

"The starters didn't get a lot of playing time, and the young guys were phenomenal," Gulf Coast offensive lineman Fulton Ascherl (So., Bay St. Louis/St. Stanislaus) said. "Passing the ball, running the ball, everybody did a great job tonight. It feels good to play a game like that and put up yards and points."

The Regulators were not outdone, holding Coahoma (0-8) to 1.4 yards per play. Coahoma failed to convert on 11 third downs and a fourth down. The Tigers had more return yards (65) and yards from scrimmage (64). 

"They kind of had some tendencies offensively, and we played to that," Wright said. "Our kids did a great job of recognizing the formations Coahoma was in and adjusting to what we thought we might do out of those."

Damani Dent (Fr., Jacksonville, Fla./Terry Parker) had a pair of interceptions for the game's only turnovers. Keshawn Thomas had six tackles, including 2.5 for losses and 1.5 sacks. 

The Bulldogs had 10 tackles for loss, setting Coahoma back 43 yards. Montrell Chapman (So., Batesville/South Panola) had seven tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

"The extra days of prep really got us right," Thomas said. "We were able to get a little more preparation in, and I think we found ourselves. We got a little team bonding in, and it made us ready to go."

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