Gulf Coast's JoJo Snell (22) had a 47-yard TD run against Coahoma Sept. 1.
In the first two games of the season, the young but talented Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Bulldogs ran away from both the Coahama Tigers and the Holmes Bulldogs. In Clarkesdale on Saturday, Sept. 1, the Bulldogs erupted for 50 first-half points en route to a 64-14 hammering of Coahoma Saturday night.
The Bulldogs (1-0), ranked No. 4 in the 2012 NJCAA preseason poll, served up 29 points in the first quarter including a picture-perfect 75-yard touchdown pass from Clint Hatten to Dhaquille Williams on the game’s first play from scrimmage.
Hatten, a sophomore from Wiggins, also connected on TD passes with Tyrone Williams (25 yards) and Cade Amacker (three yards), while running back Anton Thornton scored on TD runs of 53 and three yards. Gulf Coast running backs Byron Nettles, Detrick Goff, and JoJo Snell also had touchdown runs in the season opening victory.
Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast defense, which only returns three starters from 2011, forced five Coahoma turnovers, including a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by freshman linebacker Cavellis Luckett.
The 64 points scored by Gulf Coast is the most by a Bulldog team since a 68-0 win over Holmes in the 2006 season opener.
In Goodman on Thursday, Sept. 6, the Bulldogs again ran away with the win in a MACJC dogfight against Holmes. Holmes had some bark, but Gulf Coast had the bite.
Gulf Coast blew open a game that was 14-12 midway through the second quarter and chalked up 32 unanswered points to blow out Holmes 46-12 and go 2-0 on the young season.
Gulf Coast quarterback Clint Hatten threw two touchdown passes, while Bulldog running backs ran roughshod through the Holmes defense to the tune of 323 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Bulldog defense heisted three more turnovers and recorded a safety late in the game.
After a 1-yard TD plunge from Byron Nettles and a 53-yard flea-flicker TD pass from Hatten toTyrone Williams made it 14-0 Gulf Coast in the first quarter, Holmes (0-2) responded with two quick scores to cut the lead to 14-12 with 5:54 to go in the first half.
That’s when the Gulf Coast offense kicked it into another gear.
Nettles capped off a drive with a 27-yard touchdown scamper, making it 21-12 at halftime. The sophomore from Moss Point rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries to go along with his two scores.
In the third quarter, Anton Thornton got in on the action with his third TD of the season, a six-yard blast up the middle making it 28-12 Gulf Coast. Then speedy tailbackJoJo Snell broke loose for the second week in a row with a 74-yard touchdown sprint to up the lead to 35-12.
The fourth quarter featured a 41-yard touchdown pass from Hatten to DeAdrian Terry, a sack by Whitney Richardson and Sherman Boyd in the end zone for a safety, and a 28-yard field goal by Stephen Brauchle to cap the scoring.
Hatten was 12 of 22 passing for 232 yards, 2 TD’S, and one interception while Tyrone Williams caught 5 balls for 128 yards and a score.