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Too many critical mistakes proved too much for Pearl River Community College, as the Wildcats went down to a 17-14 defeat at the hands of Northeast Mississippi in their season opener Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Wildcats hurt themselves with 12 penalties for 114 yards, and a muffed punt late in the third quarter gave the Tigers chance for an easy 17-yard touchdown pass from Mason Cunningham to L.J. Hawkins for what proved to be the game-winning score.
“I didn’t have them prepared, and that’s on me,” said PRCC head coach David Saunders. “Any time you have that many penalties, it’s obvious we didn’t prepare well enough, and that’s my responsibility.”
PRCC (0-1) finished with 339 yards of offense, led by sophomore Darious Leggett (Hattiesburg), who had 59 yards on 13 carries, including a 5-yard scoring run early in the third quarter.
Quarterback D.J. Gillins (Jacksonville, Florida) completed 17 of 28 passes for 165 yards, and ran eight times for 55 yards. The Wildcats were able to sustain drives, but had trouble in the red zone.
“We didn’t convert when we got the ball in the red zone, and that hurt us,” said Gillins. “My performance needs to be better. I have to be more efficient.”
The Wildcats also missed a pair of field goals in the first half, and a bad snap on another field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter cost them a chance to tie the score late in the game
The Wildcats took a 14-10 lead on Joseph Williams’ 59-yard interception return, one of three picks against Cunningham. Sophomore cornerback Tyler Jack (Lucedale) had another interception, and a blocked field goal.
Sophomore linebacker Randy Hogan Jr. (Pascagoula) was credited with 13 tackles and a sack for the Wildcats.
“We executed in the first half, and I thought we played very well on defense, especially in the first half,” said Jack. “We did some good things tonight; now we just have to work harder this week to get a little better.”
PRCC will be back in action next Thursday, when the Wildcats travel to Senatobia to take on defending national champion Northwest Mississippi. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Too many critical mistakes proved too much for Pearl River Community College, as the Wildcats went down to a 17-14 defeat at the hands of Northeast Mississippi in their season opener Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Wildcats hurt themselves with 12 penalties for 114 yards, and a muffed punt late in the third quarter gave the Tigers chance for an easy 17-yard touchdown pass from Mason Cunningham to L.J. Hawkins for what proved to be the game-winning score.
“I didn’t have them prepared, and that’s on me,” said PRCC head coach David Saunders. “Any time you have that many penalties, it’s obvious we didn’t prepare well enough, and that’s my responsibility.”
PRCC (0-1) finished with 339 yards of offense, led by sophomore Darious Leggett (Hattiesburg), who had 59 yards on 13 carries, including a 5-yard scoring run early in the third quarter.
Quarterback D.J. Gillins (Jacksonville, Florida) completed 17 of 28 passes for 165 yards, and ran eight times for 55 yards. The Wildcats were able to sustain drives, but had trouble in the red zone.
“We didn’t convert when we got the ball in the red zone, and that hurt us,” said Gillins. “My performance needs to be better. I have to be more efficient.”
The Wildcats also missed a pair of field goals in the first half, and a bad snap on another field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter cost them a chance to tie the score late in the game
The Wildcats took a 14-10 lead on Joseph Williams’ 59-yard interception return, one of three picks against Cunningham. Sophomore cornerback Tyler Jack (Lucedale) had another interception, and a blocked field goal.
Sophomore linebacker Randy Hogan Jr. (Pascagoula) was credited with 13 tackles and a sack for the Wildcats.
“We executed in the first half, and I thought we played very well on defense, especially in the first half,” said Jack. “We did some good things tonight; now we just have to work harder this week to get a little better.”
PRCC will be back in action next Thursday, when the Wildcats travel to Senatobia to take on defending national champion Northwest Mississippi. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
