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. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
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 dealt a 49-16 defeat at the hands of the Greyhounds. 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. Natchez got some further help from Jeremiah Tillery: he picked up a sack and made 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 took a 55-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Murrah. Despite 218 more yards than the Mustangs, the Tigers couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Jefferson County might have lost, but man, Royale Shelvy was a machine: he 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. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 241 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
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.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Natchez has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Jefferson County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 319.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Natchez didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Jefferson County when the teams last played 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? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
