The Gazebo Gazette

SENATOBIA (GG) — Win No. 600 in Mississippi Gulf Coast football history was especially sweet. The No. 5 Bulldogs erased a fourth-quarter deficit to knock off No. 3 Northwest Mississippi 36-34.

Josh Flowers had 353 total yards, including a go-ahead 66-yard QB keeper, to lead the Bulldogs to the historic milestone.

“Every time you come to Northwest and play them at their place, you know it’s going to be tough,” Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. “They have a bunch of good players and good coaches, so I’m really proud of our team, the way they’ve prepared. We came in Sunday night after the Coahoma game and really locked in, and I think that paid off for tonight.”

Gulf Coast (2-0) outgained Northwest Mississippi 513-398, including 277 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs averaged 7.3 yards per rush, with Elijah Jones-Crosby joining Flowers across the century mark.

The Bulldogs were down 24-20 after Northwest scored midway through the third quarter. Gulf Coast unleashed an eight-play, 82-yard drive to go back in front, punctuated by a 17-yard touchdown run by Jailen Wheeler. The PAT failed, but the Regulators forced a three-and-out to get the ball back.

Two plays later, Flowers faked a toss to the left and saw the seas part.

“You read the end, and he widened out with the toss,” he said. “I shot it right up the middle, and nobody was there.”

That gave the Bulldogs a 33-24 lead, and Northwest drove back down but had to settle for a field. The Bulldogs were trying to run some time off the clock but fumbled near midfield.

The Rangers drove it back into Gulf Coast territory, but Tristan Anderson made a critical interception to help seal the victory.

“The quarterback got sloppy, and I was able to get my eyes on him,” he said. “I read him right and got the pick.”

Anderson had five tackles and another pass breakup. Tyler Jenkins led the Bulldogs with eight tackles and 2.5 for losses, including a sack.

Gulf Coast got across midfield again, but the drive stalled. Wright sent out Eli Adams to try a 51-yard field goal on the first play after the two-minute timeout.

“He’s hit them in practice,” Wright said. “He’s got that kind of leg, but he is a true freshman, so there’s a lot of question marks there. But Eli came through at the end.”

Adams also had a 41-yarder in the first quarter to tie the game at 3. After Northwest took a 10-3 lead, Elijah Jones-Crosby had a 62-yard touchdown burst. Flowers hit Michael Moore on a touch pass that led to a 59-yard score. After another Rangers touchdown, Adams had a 22-yard field goal just before halftime for a 20-17 lead.

Flowers completed 22-of-30 passes for 229 yards and the touchdown. He had 124 yards rushing on just 11 attempts, and Jones-Crosby ran 15 times for 101 yards. Jailen Wheeler ran 11 times for 54 yards.

Moore had three catches for 75 yards, and Royale Shelvy had six catches for 57 yards.

“All three sides of the ball — offense, defense, special teams — played tremendous today,” Flowers said. “I’m just happy we got to win.”

Gulf Coast is back at home next week when Itawamba visits A.L. May Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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

(Photo by MGCCC Communications via social media)