PERKINSTON — Four-time defending MACCC South champion Mississippi Gulf Coast will play five home regular-season football games this fall for the first time since 2018.

 

Bulldogs coach Jack Wright didn’t know that fact, but he felt it in his gut.

 

“I didn’t realize that, but it seems like we’ve played on the road a lot more,” he said. “Especially last year, those two tough road trips took a toll on the energy level of the team. We love to play here. I don’t know if there’s much of an advantage, but the coaching staff and the kids love to play here. This is a cool place to play football.

 

Because of COVID and the conference’s schedule rotation, the Bulldogs haven’t played a majority of their games at A.L. May Memorial Stadium in five years. They’ll kick off the season on Sept. 7 when Northwest Mississippi visits.

 

All games at Perk other than Homecoming start at 7 a.m.

 

The 2023 opponents are the same as last year with the home teams swapped, which means Itawamba visits Perk for Week 2.

 

Archrival Pearl River makes the short trip east on Oct. 5, followed the next week by Copiah-Lincoln.

 

Homecoming will be played Oct. 28 when Hinds visits for the only Saturday game on the schedule. Kickoff will be a 3:30 p.m.

 

Gulf Coast’s MACCC North opponents include East Mississippi, which won the conference last year, and Northwest, which won the North. Gulf Coast travels to Scooba on Sept. 28. ICC is the other crossover opponent.

 

“Every year, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to have nine tough ballgames,” Wright said. “That’s the way this conference is made. There are no cupcakes, there’s no school you schedule for a win. That doesn’t happen in this conference. Every week is a game against a team you compete against in recruiting, and you compete against the South teams every year. That just ups the ante a little bit.”

 

Season ticket information, including opportunities to buy 50-yard-line chairback seats, will be released soon.

 

2023 GULF COAST FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date        Opponent                      Location               Time

Sept. 7     Northwest Mississippi   Perkinston           7 pm

Sept. 14   Itawamba                      Perkinston           7 pm

Sept. 21   Southwest Mississippi     Summit                 7 pm

Sept. 28   East Mississippi              Scooba                  7 pm

Oct. 5      Pearl River                    Perkinston           7 pm

Oct. 12    Copiah-Lincoln             Perkinston           7 pm

Oct. 19     East Central                    Decatur                 6:30 pm

Oct. 28    Hinds (Homecoming)    Perkinston           3:30 pm

Nov. 2     Jones                              Ellisville               7 pm

 

For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.