By Shawn Wansley
Jones College Sports Information
SUMMIT – Jones College ran off 27 unanswered points and defeated Southwest Mississippi 40-27 here Thursday night at John I. Hurst Stadium.
The game was knotted 13-13 in the second quarter when the Bobcats began their surge. Jones would lead 40-13 entering the fourth quarter.
Jones was quite balanced on offense, piling up 258 yards rushing and 295 yards through the air for 553 yards of total offense.
Sophomore quarterback Quaterius Hawkins (Bastrop, Louisiana) accounted for 335 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. He was 21-of-29 through the air for 299 yards and two touchdowns and rushed four times for 36 yards and one score.
Freshman running back Romal Webb (Memphis, Tennessee) had 23 carries for 167 yards and two scores and Paul Hughes II (Forest) had 14 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore wide receiver Markel McLaurin (Collins) had six catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Kendarian Dixon (Yazoo County) had eight tackles, Jalen Williams (Tylertown) had six stops and Tylan Glass (Nanih Waiya) and Brodarius Lewis (Prattville, Alabama) had five each. Lewis had two tackles for loss and a sack, while Jordyn Mahaffey (West Marion) had a sack. Dixon, Williams, Glass, Mahaffey and Zach Causey (Madison Central) each had a TFL. Mike Cockream (Ray Brooks) had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Dixon had a forced fumble and Rawls and Javeon Jones (Heidelberg) each had a fumble recovery.
The Bears got on the board first when quarterback Brandon Edmonson found Dalyn McDonald for a 79-yard touchdown pass. Josh Massa's extra point made it 7-0 with 10:16 to play in the first quarter.
Later in the quarter, Dixon forced a fumble and Jones recovered at the Bear 29.
Six plays later, Hughes scored from two yards out and Gavin Gaudin's (Northwest Rankin) extra point made it 7-7 with 4:17 left in the opening quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Hawkins hit McLaurin for a 43-yard scoring strike to end a 57-yard, five-play drive. The extra point attempt failed and Jones led 13-7 with 14:52 left in the first half.
JC's next drive went 77 yards in 11 plays, but Gaudin's 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
On the very next play, Edmonson ran 62 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good and the game was tied 13-13 with 9:29 to play in the second quarter.
Jones then moved 51 yards in four plays to take the lead for good. Hawkins raced 28 yards for a touchdown and Gaudin's PAT gave the Bobcats a 20-13 lead with 6:46 remaining in the first half.
Cockream's fumble recovery at his own 49 set up JC's next score.
Webb did the honors from a yard out to end the 51-yard, eight-play drive. Gaudin's extra point gave the Bobcats a 27-13 lead with 58 seconds left in the first half.
The Bobcats took the second half kickoff and put together a 73-yard, 14-play drive.
Webb scored again on a 1-yard run, but the extra point attempt failed and the Bobcats led 33-13 with 8:49 left in the third quarter.
Two possessions later, the Bobcats drove 74 yards in six plays. Hawkins connected with Kendarius Feazell (Lawrence County) on a 32-yard touchdown pass and Gaudin's conversion gave Jones a 40-13 lead with 1:54 to play in the third quarter.
Southwest made it interesting in the final quarter.
Lyric Hall's 31-yard touchdown pass to Vakeilon Campbell ended a 69-yard, six-play drive. Hall passed to Ortez Head Jr. for the two-point conversion and the Bobcats led 40-21 with 12:48 to play.
The Bears then recovered an onside kick at their own 48.
Hall would find Campbell for a 7-yard scoring pass, concluding the 52-yard, six-play march. Hall's pass for the two-point conversion failed, but the Bears were down only 40-27 with 10:08 remaining.
But the Bobcat defense forced a 3-and-out on the next Southwest series and the Bears turned the ball over on downs with 1:00 remaining to clinch the game for Jones.
The Bobcats, 2-1, will host Pearl River in the 90th annual "Catfight" at 7 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Bobcat Stadium/Sim Cooley Field. It will also be the annual Hall of Fame game. The contest will air on JCJC.TV, SuperTalk WLAU-FM, 99.3, and SuperTalkLaurel.com with Mark Easley and Luke Johnson on the call.
Southwest, 0-3, goes to Hinds on Oct. 29.