The Ricky Woods era didn’t begin exactly as scripted for the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers.

 

Some early miscues proved to be costly for Northwest in Woods’ debut as head coach as the No. 3 ranked Gulf Coast Bulldogs handed the Rangers a 39-14 defeat Aug. 28 at Bobby Franklin Field in Senatobia.

 

“We just made too many mistakes, and that will cost you against a good team like Gulf Coast,” said Woods. “We gave up too many big plays, and we had some breakdowns in the kicking game. We’ll have to evaluate the film and fix some problems.”

 

Northwest committed three turnovers as freshman quarterback Casey Weston of Prattville, Ala., was intercepted three times. The Rangers also had two punts blocked, which led to 15 Gulf Coast points.

 

Weston completed 32 of 50 passes for 248 yards and one touchdown. Twelve different Northwest receivers caught at least one pass to set a new school record.

 

Gulf Coast, which has won the last four meetings with the Rangers, showed why they are the defending co-National Champions. The Bulldogs capitalized on almost every Northwest mistake to earn the victory.

 

Gulf Coast jumped to 15-0 lead in the first quarter when quarterback Greg Jenkins scored on a 13-yard run. Less than three minutes later, the Bulldogs took advantage of some good field position after blocking a Northwest punt when Jenkins hooked up with tight end Kevin Helms on an 18-yard touchdown pass.

 

The Bulldogs stretched their margin to 22-0 in the second quarter when Jenkins tossed a 51-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brett Moncrief.

 

Northwest got on the board with 1:42 left in the first half when freshman tailback Tijuan Green (pictured left) of Warner Robins, Ga., scored on a four-yard run to trim Gulf Coast’s lead to 22-7 at halftime.

 

The Bulldogs put the game away by scoring 14 unanswered points in the third period.

 

Gulf Coast tailback Vic Ballard ran 44 yards for a touchdown, while Jenkins threw a six-yard scoring toss to Brandon Johnson.

 

The Rangers added a late touchdown when Weston found sophomore receiver Travis Sanford of Batesville in the end zone to complete a 21-yard scoring play.

 

Gulf Coast added a field goal with 2:23 remaining on a 37-yarder by Sean Brauchle.

 

Northwest out-gained the Bulldogs in total yardage 313 to 292.

 

Green was the Rangers’ top rusher with 10 carries for 49 yards, while Northwest freshman receiver Lynn Williams of Southaven hauled in a game-high five receptions for 56 yards.

 

“I believe we have a better team than we showed tonight,” added Woods. “We started eight freshmen on offense and gave up too many big plays on defense. A lot of our younger guys will improve and help us down the road.”

 

Northwest travels to Raymond Thursday, Sept. 4 to face Hinds. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.