POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The challenges keep coming for the Pearl River football team as the Wildcats will hit the road Thursday to square off against No. 10 Copiah-Lincoln, marking the third consecutive week that PRCC takes on a Top-10 team.
Kickoff in Wesson is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
"You can't control how good somebody else is, and you can't control the amount of injuries you have. All you can control is how you prepare for the game," Smith said. "Last week, there was no doubt in my mind we'd have a chance if we protected the football, but we had three turnovers — that ultimately was the difference in the game.
"It'll be no different this week. If we protect the football, we will have a chance in the fourth quarter. If we turn it over, you won't beat a team like this."
ABOUT THE WOLVES
Copiah-Lincoln (5-1 overall; 2-1 MACCC South) enters Thursday's contest after a massive 28-23 victory over then-No. 4 Gulf Coast. CLCC also took down No. 8 East Mississippi earlier this season.
"They've beat Gulf Coast and East Mississippi," Smith said. "They're another really good team that's really well-coached. It's absolutely possible to beat them, but you won't beat teams turning the ball over. We're going to harp all week on execution and not turning the ball over. Our kids are going to fight. It's just going to be about not beating ourselves."
Quarterback DeVon Tott has completed 90 of 154 passes for 1022 yards and eight touchdowns through five games. He's only been intercepted three times.
"Last year, we did a great job of containing him because he can run and throw," Smith said. "You have to go in with the same approach. He's got good receivers. We were fortunate last year, but they have a little more skill out there this year. We will have to do a good job of containing him and keeping them in check on the back end."
Johnnie Daniels leads the round game for CLCC, rushing 89 times for 535 yards and four scores. Tray Minor is the second-leading rusher with 236 yards and four touchdowns on 43 attempts.
Jaylen Smith has hauled in 28 catches for 323 yards and two scores. Carlos Martin is second with 20 catches for 264 yards and one touchdown.
Billy Pullen has been one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the country this season, tallying 31 tackles, 8.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks throughout the first six games of the season. Jahron Manning leads the Wolves in tackles with 43.
ABOUT PEARL RIVER
Through the air, Ty Hullette (Senatobia) is 35-for-63 for 442 yards and one touchdown. He's also rushed for one touchdown this season.
"We didn't want to play Ty because he was banged up, but we felt like the game was still close enough to where if he offered a spark, then maybe we could get on a run," Smith said. "We almost did, but we had the bad snap that kind of sealed the deal."
Kayvon Barnes (Pascagoula) has become the bell cow running back for the Wildcats, carrying the ball 75 times for 362 yards and a score.
Marquis McCoy (Crestview, Fla.) continues to lead the way at receiver with 26 catches on the season. He's second in receiving yards with 244. Jordan Coleman (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) is second in catches (18) and first in receiving yards (260).
Caleb Williams (D'Iberville) leads PRCC in tackles with 46. He also has three TFLs and two pass breakups. Linebackers Eli Hackbarth (Birmingham, Ala.; Oak Mountain) and Dalton Lee (Carriere; Pearl River Central) are tied for second on the team in tackles with 45. Lee leads the team in TFLs with six, while Hackbarth is second with 5.5.
"They're great kids and great leaders — obviously, they're great football players," Smith said about his defensive leaders. "This is one thing that I don't want to get overlooked. This season has not been fun, but that does not reflect the type of players we have. We have very good players. I don't want to lose sight of the fact that we have really good players, especially on defense."
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 will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).