MGCCC Bulldogs get ready for Itawamba

MGCCC’S Deveon Simmons (17) tries to block a punt against Northwest Aug. 28. Simmons had two interceptions in the Bulldogs’ 39-14 win over the Rangers.

A football team lives and dies by its routine…and when the routine gets interrupted, the team falls out of sync.

For Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Hurricane Gustav’s extended visit to South Mississippi certainly counts as a routine-buster. The 1-0 Bulldogs scattered all over the southeast during evacuations for Gustav and practiced everywhere from the Weathers/Wentzell Center on the college’s Perkinston Campus to the field turf at Biloxi High School. The team’s Sept. 4 road trip to 0-1 Itawamba was pushed back to Sept. 6 thanks to three days of heavy rain, wind, and the threat of tornadoes.

“We had players here in the area, and some as far away as Jacksonville and Baltimore,” said Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campbell. “It took two days just to get everybody back. We went five days without doing anything football related. It’s going to be tough to get into game shape before Saturday.”

Gulf Coast, ranked No. 3 in the latest NJCAA/ JC.Football.com poll, is coming off a 39-14 win over Northwest Aug. 28.

“You always want to make the most improvement between your first and second games,” Campbell said. “With the way this week has gone, who knows what to expect on Saturday.”

The Bulldogs take on an Itawamba squad that dropped a 38-7 decision to Jones last week. However, Campbell said that doesn’t mean the Indians won’t be ready to play the defending NJCAA Co-National Champions.

“Itawamba is a perennial playoff team,” he said. “If we’re not ready to play, it’s going to be a long bus ride home.”

Bulldog fans can listen to the game on 91.7 FM WAOY, and via streaming audio at www.mgccc.edu. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Fulton.