Football Preview: Natchez Bulldogs vs. Jefferson County Tigers
Natchez is 8-2 against Jefferson County since August of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Natchez Bulldogs will be playing at home against the Jefferson County Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Jefferson County is facing Natchez at the wrong time: Natchez suffered their first home loss of the season on Friday and they're likely out for redemption. They were outmatched by the Greyhounds at home and fell 49-16. The loss was the Bulldogs' first of the season.
Although Natchez took the loss, they still got scores from Damarcus Blanton and Kaden Walton.
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. Jeremiah Tillery was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 13 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Jefferson County entered their matchup against Murrah on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Jefferson County fell 55-48 to Murrah. Despite 218 more yards than the Mustangs, the Tigers couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
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 was Shelvy's top target, picking up 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Even though they lost, Jefferson County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Murrah only rushed for 83.
Having lost for the first time this season, Natchez fell to 3-1. As for Jefferson County, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-2.
Natchez didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Jefferson County in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, but they still walked away with a 26-20 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Jefferson County's Jabari Watson, who threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes, and also rushed for 60 yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Natchez to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
