Defensive stand highlights Pearl River's upset victory over No. 7 Northwest

Dylan Dunaway - PRCC Sports Information Director

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Clinging to a 1-point 24-23 lead, the Pearl River football team had its back against the wall on the road against No. 7 Northwest in Thursday's season opener. 

With nearly three minutes left on the clock, the Rangers had a first and goal from the Wildcat 2-yard line. Following an incomplete pass and a rush for no gain, the Rangers attempted another run play. A.J. Prim (Tylertown; Foley) broke through the offensive line and tackled the running back for a 2-yard loss, setting up what looked to be a chip-shot field goal. The snap was good, the hold was good, but the Ranger kicker sent his attempt wide right to hand PRCC the ball back.

The Wildcats moved down the field and iced the game to secure a massive season-opening upset victory, 24-23.

"This was a product of a tremendous amount of hard work by our players and coaches," head coach Seth Smith said. "There's so much love in that room. When you have love like that, there's a bond that's unbreakable, and they fight for each other. Tonight was a product of them fighting for each other."

HOW IT HAPPENED

The new-look Pearl River (1-0 overall) offense looked the part on the opening drive. Akeem Stokes (Pensacola, Fla.; Escambia) started things off with a great return, which put PRCC on its own 45-yard line. The Wildcats' initial first down on the drive came courtesy of quarterback Kabe Barnett (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove). The sophomore dropped back, scanned the field, tucked the ball and scampered up the field for a 12-yard rush. A few plays later, the Wildcats polished off the drive with a 30-yard passing touchdown. Barnett dropped back, saw Henry Lee Jr. (Kenner, La.; East Jefferson) streaking down the left side of the field and dropped a perfect pass just over his shoulder for the score, 7-0.

The Rangers (0-1) evened things up at the 7:54-mark, rushing for a 23-yard score, 7-7.

Kabe Barnett (2) on a run against Northwest MS

A few drives later, the Wildcats forced what looked to be a three-and-out as Travis Bendolph Jr. (Mobile, Ala.; Theodore) ripped through the offensive line for a tackle-for-loss, but a muffed punt gave the Rangers the ball at Pearl River's 16-yard line. The bend-don't-break attitude came into play for the Wildcats, holding NWCC to a field goal, 10-7.

Northwest extended its advantage on the fifth drive of the night. PRCC managed to get the Rangers into a fourth down situation, but a scramble drill continued the drive, and a 1-yard rushing touchdown capped the drive, 17-7.

Trailing by 10 points before the half, PRCC needed its defense to make a big play. That's when Ja'Quaylen Love (Brandon) stepped up. On a quarterback scramble, the safety flew up from his position and put his helmet on the ball to force a fumble. Charles Atkins Jr. (Metairie, La.; East Jefferson) reacted quickly to jump on the loose ball to give PRCC possession.

The maroon and gold made the turnover count, methodically moving the ball down the field before being forced to kick a field goal. The snap and hold were good, and Morgan Craft (Picayune) booted a 32-yarder through the uprights, 17-10.

The Wildcats were aided by a Ranger miscue with just under two minutes left in the first half as the snap was mishandled and jumped on by Trace Carter (Ocean Springs) for the fumble recovery. Starting the drive at its own 27-yard line, PRCC needed just three plays to get int the endzone as Jacobi Jefferson (Slidell, La.; Salmen) carried the ball around the left side of his offensive line for a 14-yard touchdown run, 17-17.

When the third quarter began, Northwest wasted no time taking the lead back, pushing down the field and drilling a 42-yard go-ahead field goal, 20-17.

Following a missed Ranger field goal a while later, Pearl River got the ball back with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter and embarked on a 14-play, 73-yard drive. After working its way down to the NWCC 23-yard line, Pearl River turned in the play of the night. The Ranger defense exploded off the line of scrimmage and had Barnett all but bottled up. The redshirt sophomore scrambled out to his right, saw Jefferson in the flat and dished a pass off to the freshman. He threw one would-be tackler off him, caught a perfect block from a nearby receiver and juked one more defender for a 23-yard touchdown reception and a PRCC lead, 24-20.

PRCC punted the ball back to the Rangers with 8:18 remaining in the fourth quarter and NWCC drove down the field and nailed a 52-yard field goal to cut the Wildcat advantage to one point at 24-23. 

Pearl River attempted to chew the clock following the boot but was forced to punt the ball back to the Rangers with 4:29 left in the game. The Rangers lost a yard on the first play of their drive before completing a 42-yard bomb down the left sideline.

That's when the decisive defensive stand came into play.

"So much work went in to get to this point," Smith said. "Nobody gave us a chance but us. If there was one piece of that link that wasn't strong, then we wouldn't have stood a chance."

Needing one first down to secure the victory, Pearl River opted to pound the rock. Jefferson carried the ball three times to set PRCC up for a fourth and one from its own 29-yard line. The Wildcat coaching staff called a timeout, talked it over and sent the offense back out to try and ice the game. Jefferson took one final handoff, rushed to the left side, and was tackled for the first down. 

Two quick kneels by the Wildcat offense, and PRCC was victorious 24-23. 

BY THE NUMBERS

Barnett finished 11-for-25 for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He was also PRCC's leading rusher, running nine times for 65 yards.

"So many times in crucial situations, this guy got to come back to where he was doubted and prove the doubters wrong," Smith said of Barnett.

Jefferson tallied 65 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He also caught one pass for 24 yards and a touchdown.

Lee Jr. caught three passes for 38 yards and one touchdown.

Amarion Tyson (Picayune) and Bendolph Jr. tied for the team lead in tackles with eight apiece. Carter and Prim finished with six tackles each. Carter also recovered a fumble. 

NEXT UP

Pearl River continues its season-opening road trip on Thursday, making the trip to Fulton to square off with Itawamba. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

TUNE IN

All Pearl River football games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.

Games can also be heard at WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM and WRJWRadio.com.

TICKETS

Tickets for Pearl River home games are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets. General admission football season passes are $38, while chairback reserved seating is $75. All-sport passes are also on sale and are $123. The pass grants entry to all PRCC regular season competitions. 

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).