It’s not every season a football team gets to play three straight conference games at home in front of its fans, but it’s been an opportunity afforded to Starkville this season and the Yellow Jackets have been making the most of their homestand.
First was Clinton, Jacket head coach John Carr’s previous coaching stop before Starkville – a 28-7 win. Murrah was next and exited Yellow Jacket Stadium last week with a 55-14 loss. Now it’s Madison Central coming to town today for a conference tilt with the soaring Jackets (6-2, 2-1), who are roaring to punctuate their final regular season home game with another region triumph in The Dispatch’s Game of the Week.
“Well, I think everyone is excited about another opportunity. We talked about how this three-game homestretch was as far as the district goes, so we won those two games and when you’re playing in this region each game becomes more and more important as you win. Our guys have really understood the importance of every game. They understand that you’re only guaranteed 10 games and you have to go earn more. That mindset is hopefully where our guys are and the importance of each week.”
The team has been balling the last two weeks since a region-opening 45-28 loss at Germantown on Oct. 10 snapped a three-game win streak. Starkville is coming off a night in which its offense produced 28 points in the first quarter, 23 first downs and 436 total yards. On defense, the team snagged an interception and had 16 tackles for loss in keeping Murrah to just 197 yards of offense on the night.
“Defense is playing better and playing well. Guys have been making plays and creating turnovers, and we’ve been a little bit more efficient on offense, as well, to help,” he said. “This time of year you’re hoping that you’re starting to kind of play better football and finding out a lot about your team, and we’re doing that.”
Each week has brought different teams that provide different challenges and Madison Central (4-4, 1-2) is no deviation in the trend. The Jaguars are in the midst of a season full of narrow losses and are a team thirsty for the draught of a big-time win, something Carr has acknowledged with his team. All four of the Jags’ losses have been by an average of just four points, including a 21-17 setback at Germantown last week.
“We understand the type of team coming in here (today),” Carr said.
Region-leading Oxford barely got the best of Madison Central by a 16-14 margin, Brookhaven squeaked out a 21-17 win over the Jags and Brandon’s 17-7 victory was Madison Central’s largest point differential in a loss all year. The team’s lone region win was a 45-12 romp of Murrah two weeks ago, but the Jags also have wins over Pearl (20-6), Warren Central (32-24) and Northwest Rankin (31-24).
“They are really well-coached. They are going to be in here (as) a hungry football team that needs a win, so we’ve got to make sure we give our best effort because there is no doubt they are going to come in here and pose problems with us,” Carr explained. “They are going to come in here a hungry football team and we better respond.”
Offensively the Jags are no pushovers, putting up an average of 22.8 points per game and their defense relinquishes just 17.5 points this season, eight fewer points than Starkville’s defensive average.
“Well, I think they’re just physical up front on both sides of the ball. They’re offensive line is playing really well and they run the football and are physical,” Carr said. “(It’s) the same thing on defense. They fly around and (their) linebackers are really active, and they just play good team football. They have a real good kicker and those two sides of the ball have kept them in front in games and they just haven’t punched a win in the column the last couple of weeks. But they’re definitely a good football team and one that is extremely well-coached.”
The Jackets have the edge in offensive production, producing 35.6 points a game with quarterback Kingston Johnson under center and A’braylen Jenkins and Torian Knox operating out of the backfield. Against Murrah last week, both Jenkins and Knox ran in two touchdowns each, and Kingston was 13-of-15 for 217 yards and two touchdown throws to Davis Harrelson. LaCorey Moffite had one catch for a 26-yard score from Jacory Ruffin. When the ball gets into the hands of their playmakers, points tend to follow, Carr said.
“That’s the recipe,” he said. “Now, sometimes it doesn’t ever go that way, but when you look at good football teams those are the things that when you look back at games and go, ‘That’s why we won. We were able to create some type of rhythm.’ So, that’s our challenge every week to try and create that rhythm and opportunities like that.”
It helps to have full stands of your own fans raining down their cheers for their team in some important matchups. Carr expects to experience the same thing tonight.
“It’s been a tough place to play for people coming in as visitors and for that to happen you have to win home games and take care of the homefield advantage and embrace it,” he said. “Our guys have done that and they know how important (the) three-game homestretch (is), and we get an opportunity to finish off what we wanted to do – and that was to go 3-0 at home.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
