No. 3 MGCCC routs Itawamba 36-0

MGCCC’S Demond Washington (5) finds room on a punt return against Itawamba Sept. 6. Washington also scored a TD on an interception later in the game.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and cruised to a 36-0 shellacking of Itawamba Saturday night on the road in Fulton.

On the first play from scrimmage, running back Jamal Young took a reverse and went 53 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead right out of the gate. Young finished the game with 95 yards rushing.

“As soon as Jamal got the ball, I knew he was gone,” said Gulf Coast quarterback Greg Jenkins. “We’ve been working on that play all week.”

A few minutes later, a Demond Washington 40-yard punt return set up the Bulldogs next score, a 9-yard TD pass from Jenkins to Brandon Johnson.

“It always helps when you set the tempo early in a game,” said Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campbell. “Tonight our offense showed it has some big play capability.”

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs got a gift from the Indians when a bad snap on a punt led to a safety and a 16-0 cushion.

Later in the quarter, Gulf Coast went up 22-0 as Jenkins fired his second TD pass, a 25-yard strike to Kevin Barkley.

“We’ve still got a long way to go, but we’re making big plays,” Jenkins said.

Just before halftime, Demond Washington picked off an Itawamba pass and raced 43 yards to make it 29-0 at halftime.

The second half featured a Bulldog defense that stymied any offense threat Itawamba could muster. The Indians committed three turnovers, and Gulf Coast chalked up 5 sacks on Itawamba quarterbacks.

“Getting a shutout was a goal we set last week,” said Gulf Coast linebacker Santino Davis. “We all had the right mindset during practice, and in this game. Coach Campbell always tells us to ‘stay in the blue,’ which means practice perfect and try to stay perfect. It all goes back to our coaching.”

The Bulldogs got one last score in the fourth quarter, as freshman Johnathan DeFlanders punched it in from 2 yards out to make it 36-0.

For the third year in a row, Gulf Coast has started the season 2-0. The win also extends the Bulldog winning streak to 14 in a row, and it makes the team 13-0 against MACJC North Division teams dating back to 2004. Gulf Coast, the defending 2008 NJCAA Co-National Champs, is also ranked No. 3 in the latest NJCAA/ JC.Football.com poll.

“We’ve got a short week again this week, and we’ve got a long way to go, but coming to Itawamba and getting a shut out on their field is great,” Campbell said.

Gulf Coast takes on Southwest Sept. 11 in the home opener for the 2008 season. Bulldog fans can catch all the action on 91.7 FM WAOY, and via streaming audio at www.mgccc.edu. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at A.L. May Stadium on the college’s Perkinston Campus.