Page 163 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2018

presence of new head coach Joe Moorhead. He served the last two seasons as Penn State offensive coordinator. Moorhead is confident MSU can make a run at the SEC West division title.
Nick Fitzgerald — 6-foot-5, 230-pound dual-threat quarterback — totaled 2,823 yards of offense with 29 touchdowns last season. He’s a game changer.
Aeris Williams is back. He rushed for 1,135 yards with six touchdowns and All-SEC defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons highlights one of the strongest defensive lines in college football.
At SEC Media Days in Atlanta, Moorhead acknowledged his Bulldogs can make waves. “Hopefully when things go well
we’ll be back here in Atlanta the first weekend of December competing for the conference championship and certainly the opportunity to head into the College Football Playoff.” University of Southern Mississippi
While Mississippi State has high expectations, Southern Miss is projected to finish fourth out
of six teams in the
Conference USA Western division.
The Golden Eagles return five starters on offense and four on defense.
Head coach Jay
won’t lose any sleep over the media prediction. However, he suspended returning starting quarterback Kwadra Griggs indefinitely “pending resolution of a student contact matter.”
Junior college transfer Jack Abraham is qualified to replace Griggs
along with two freshmen, Marcelo Rodriguez and Tate Whatley. Who is going to replace 2017 running back Ito Smith? Keep an eye on 6-foot-
2, 242-pound Steven Anderson. He’s making a strong case after transitioning from quarterback to running back. Defensive lineman Jacquez Turner of D’Iberville made 21 tackles last season and 6-foot-3 offensive lineman Paul Gainer of Gautier are two Coast products vying for more playing time in 2018.
University of Mississippi Dreams do come true. Just ask Gulfport native Matt Luke. The
former Gulfport Admiral and Ole Miss standout became the 38th Ole Miss head coach on November 27, 2017. He gained valuable experience as interim head coach in 2017, posting a 6-6 record. The Rebels Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State was a major factor in Luke losing the interim tag.
If the Ole Miss defense can
step up, the Rebels
could become
a surprise team in the SEC,
despite being ineligible for post-season play.
“Thunder & Lightning in the Sky” can best describe the Ole Miss offense. Quarterback Jordan Ta’Amu will let the ball fly, lighting up the scoreboard behind game-breaking wide receivers. A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and DeMarkus Lodge combined for 155 receptions, 2,597
yards and 25 touchdowns in 2017. Luke said, “Those guys are very competitive. They push each other
every day to be better, but they’re also unselfish. We’re really fortunate to have them.”
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
On December 7, 2017, Jack Wright
story by A.J. Giardina photo courtesy of The New Orleans Saints
THUNDER & LIGHTNING IN THE SKY
Hopson
was hired to
rebuild Mississippi
Gulf Coast into a
national contender
in the junior college football ranks. In 2015 he coached Northwest Community College to the NJCAA Championship. Wright jumped at the opportunity to lead the MGCCC program after serving the last two seasons coaching the Southern Miss offensive line.
Expect Wright to rely mostly on returning Bulldog players. After a practice session he said, “In junior college football you’re talking about a two-year cycle. If you have a majority of freshmen that is a tough thing to overcome. You can win some games, but to go all the way is tough to do.”
LSU transfer Lowell Narcisse, North Carolina Tar Heels transfer Logan Byrd and Chance Lovertich, who passed for 5,433 yards and 72 touchdowns at Jackson Prep, are vying for the Bulldogs starting
job at quarterback.
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