This could be the night the Southwest Mississippi Community College Bears make football history — at least as far as recent memory is concerned.
The Bears will look to improve to 3-0 for the first time in recent years tonight when they host the Pearl River Wildcats at John I. Hurst Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 6:30.
The game will be the Bears’ Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges South Division opener.
Southwest also will seek its first win over Pearl River since the Bears beat the Wildcats 24-17 in 2007.
The Bears come into Thursday’s game off their thrilling 20-16 win over Northeast last week.
Pearl River, meanwhile, defeated Itawamba 34-14 in its previous contest.
Although the Pearl River running game is “better than you would think,” Southwest head coach Charles Anthony said the focus of the game is seemingly on the matchup of the Southwest pass defense versus the Wildcats’ passing game.
Pearl River enters the contest with the 13th-best passing attack in the nation, averaging 243.5 yards per game through the air.
The Bears own the 24th-best pass defense in the country, giving up just 164 passing yards per game.
Southwest has held its previous two opponents to a 46 percent pass completion rate. Pearl River quarterback Melvin German has completed 64 percent of his throws (54-of-83 for 496 yards and four touchdowns).
Overall, Pearl River averages 312 yards per game on offense — 69 yards on the ground — while the Bears have allowed only 233 yards per game — (69 on the ground and 164 via the pass — in the season’s first two weeks.
Anthony said the Wildcats have “four good receivers. There’s no one guy to focus on.”
German’s top receiver thus far has been freshman Steve McNair Jr., who leads the nation with 16 receptions for 127 yards.
Also in German’s sights have been Seth Roberts (nine receptions, 114 yards, two touchdowns), Steve Simon (nine receptions, 84 yards) and Snoop Rollins (eight receptions, 74 yards).
Simon is also the leading ball carrier for the Wildcats with 21 rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Anthony said his offense will have to face the typical Pearl River defensive front.
“They are big, athletic and can run,” Anthony said.
He also said the Wildcats “like to play a lot of pressure defense.”
Pearl River has allowed 644 total yards offense in the opening two games — 500 of those against the pass.
The Bears have registered 697 yards offense to date, with 377 coming via the pass.
The Southwest offense will have to contend with defensive back Daniel Hayden (6-3, 235) and linebacker Chris Bermond (6- 1, 230). The pair leads Pearl River with 15 and 12 tackles, respectively.
Hayden had 11 of his tackles, three for loss, against Itawamba.
