Hattiesburg’s playoff lost to Pascagoula last year still sits in head coach Tony Vance’s mind.
To recap, the Tigers lost a defensive battle on the road 7-6.
“I don’t remember the stats from that game, but we probably won everywhere but the scoreboard,” Vance said. “We’ve spent time looking at (the film). They won that game and so you go back and look at what they did well. We’ll look at what we can take advantage of, and see what we didn’t do so well at.”
Since that meeting, both teams have gotten better. This time Hattiesburg (11-0) will host Pascagoula (9-2), which is just 17 points away from having its own undefeated season. The Tigers opened the playoffs with a 48-14 win against Hancock, while the Panthers defeated Terry 41-0.
“You look at them and they don’t really have a weakness,” Vance said. “They are as talented of a team that they will play all year.”
Pascagoula features one of the most balanced offensive attacks as the Panthers average 37 points per game.
Led by a passing attack with quarterback Silas Corder, who has passed for 2,026, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions. Adding another dynamic to the offense is running back Amarie Jackson, who has racked up over 1,300 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns.
“The quarterback is a Southern Miss commit,” Vance said. “The running back is one of the most electric running backs that we have played all year. We have played plenty of downhill running backs, but we haven’t played anybody as elusive as he is. It’s going to be a challenge for our defense.”
The Panthers wide receiver trio of Christian Campbell (37 catches, 491 yards, five touchdowns), Darius Carter (29 catches, 609 yards, eight touchdowns) and D’Lass Nunnery (31 catches, 543 yards, six touchdowns) are equally as much of a problem for defenses.
“They have receivers that keep you up at night,” Vance said. “They have playmakers. The quarterback gets the ball to them and he lets them do the rest. They do a lot with those guys. It’s probably some of the fastest receivers that we have seen all year. Again, you can’t sell out to stop the pass because the running back is so good.”
On the defensive side, Pascagoula has held teams to 21.5 points per game and forced 28 turnovers.
Four star defensive back Tylan Wilson has a team-leading six interceptions and forced three fumbles along with 73 total tackles. Another key part of the defensive is Jarrad Loper Jr. as he posted 112 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, two blocked punts and a blocked fumble.
“He is an SEC football player, and is one of the top defensive backs in the state without a doubt,” Vance said. “The kid is really good. He looks the part and plays that way. They’ve got a couple of others guys that are capable of making plays on the back end too. Their front is really good and the linebackers are the difference for them.
“It starts with not giving up big plays whether it be in the passing game or the running game. We have to limit the big and explosive plays. We can’t give up cheap touchdowns. We have to make them earn all of it. We can’t beat ourselves. They are too good for us to help them. That’s what we can’t do. We have to play a clean game.”
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