Football Preview: Jefferson County Tigers vs. Natchez Bulldogs
Jefferson County hasn't had much luck against Natchez recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Jefferson County Tigers are taking a road trip to take on the Natchez Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Jefferson County will head out to face Natchez after giving up their first home loss of the season on Friday. Jefferson County fell 55-48 to Murrah. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game two weeks ago (42), the Tigers still had to take the loss.
Despite the defeat, Jefferson County got top-tier performance from Royale Shelvy, who rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 15.0 yards per attempt. Shelvy's longest rush was for an impressive 50 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Jaylin Brown also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Even though they lost, Jefferson County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 241 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Natchez's undefeated season came to an end after three games on Friday. They were dealt a 49-16 loss at the hands of Ocean Springs. The Bulldogs were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-0.
Natchez wouldn't let Ocean Springs keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Natchez can thank Kentrell Washington and Micah Moore for forcing both of them. Moore also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 15. Another thorn in Ocean Springs' side was Jeremiah Tillery, who picked up a sack and made 13 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Jefferson County's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-2. As for Natchez, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Jefferson County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 319.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Natchez struggles in that department as they've been averaging 165. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Jefferson County came up short against Natchez when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 26-20. Can Jefferson County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
