Preview: Columbia Wildcats vs. Morton Panthers
The Columbia Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Morton Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Columbia will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Last Thursday, Columbia was able to grind out a solid win over Purvis, taking the game 34-21. Given Columbia's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 18th, while Purvis is ranked 117th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Morton had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 35-28 win over Forest on Thursday. The score was all tied up 21-21 at the break, but Morton was the better team in the second half.
Zach Ealy had an outrageously good game as he threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns on only 17 passes, and also rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.4 yards per carry. Ealy was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 59 yards. Another player making a difference was Xavier McDonald, who picked up 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Columbia's win was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 10-0. As for Morton, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6.
Everything came up roses for Columbia against Morton in their previous matchup back in November of 2018 as the team secured a 42-7 win. Will Columbia repeat their success, or does Morton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
