Biloxi collects signature win over one of South Mississippi’s traditional powers
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Biloxi secured a 21-18 win over Pascagoula despite second-half struggles.
- Pascagoula committed multiple costly penalties and turnovers throughout the game.
- Coach DuBose called the victory a signature win aimed at reshaping team identity.
A win is a win, says Jamie DuBose.
Out of a hailstorm of penalty flags and turnovers came a stunning 21-18 win Friday by DuBose’s Biloxi Indians over the vaunted Pascagoula Panthers.
It’s a signature win, the second-year coach told his players after the game, and one the program has sorely needed.
“We just needed a win like this to show and prove that we can get it done,” DuBose told the Sun Herald. “And we did. We finally found a way at the end to pull it out. So I hope this propels us into more.”
The Indians have been haunted by the ghosts of second-half struggles since last season, which included squandering a halftime lead over a Gulfport team the program has just one win against in 13 years.
And the Biloxi sideline could feel those ghosts returning again on its home turf. The Indians’ offense built a 21-3 halftime lead thanks to two rushing touchdowns by Dylan Dixson and another from quarterback Jordan Ramsey, before sputtering coming out of the break.
Biloxi’s first two possessions were three plays each, and came between long, clock-eating drives by the Panthers. One of those drives was preceded by a shanked punt and ended with Amarie Jackson slicing both the Indians’ defense and their lead with a 10-yard score.
Ramsey then threw his second interception on the third possession, setting Pascagoula up in plus territory.
“Last year, we’d go into halftime and we’d be ahead and that third-quarter jinx would hit us,” DuBose said. “And it’s still there. We snapped it six times in the third quarter. We have an explosive first half and the second half was non-existent. Our punter has hit the ball good and then in the second half he just found the shanks. It’s kind of like we’ve got to get over a jinx in the second half.”
Working in Biloxi’s favor was Pascagoula’s other opponent: itself.
The Panthers easily cleared double-digit penalties in the first half. They lost a fumble inside their own 20-yard line in the first quarter. On the following possession, Jason Glaude was picked off by Gianni Mulgado, only for Mulgado to fumble the ball right back to the Panthers. Granted with new life, Glaude threw another interception.
The sophomore was picked off three times in the first half. The first to Texas A&M commit Tylan Wilson and the third to William Lai.
Lewis Sims’ squad didn’t fare much better in the second half. The Panthers were two yards from the goal line early in the fourth quarter when they were flagged for a false start on two consecutive plays.
Facing fourth and goal from the 10, Pascagoula then attempted a fake field goal to no avail.
Defensive back Ireyion Harvey gave the Panthers another chance just minutes later with a flying one-handed interception on the Indians’ sideline.
At a juncture where it seemed the gears of momentum were turning in Pascagoula’s favor, it found yet another way to disastrously impede its own progress.
The offense was knocking on the door of the red zone and threatening again to dig into Biloxi’s 21-10 lead, this time with just under six minutes remaining in the game.
Then came a false start. It responded with a seemingly successful screen to the near side, but the Panthers were flagged for an ineligible receiver downfield resulting in another five-yard loss. The next play was another screen, this time dropped.
Pascagoula then backed up farther when it was hit was another flag for an ineligible receiver downfield. The Panthers would turn the ball over on downs after two tries after 3rd-and-25.
Biloxi had its own inner battles. Pascagoula’s lone first-half score was pulled along by the Indians. Sims attempted a fake punt from his own 15-yard line, a deep pass down the sideline from the arm of linebacker Jarrad Loper Jr. It fell incomplete, but a defensive pass interference kept the Panthers’ offense on the field.
It was a brief stay, however. Biloxi forced out the Panther punt unit again within three plays. This time Pascagoula followed through and sent the ball away. This was also a brief exchange. Biloxi’s returned muffed the return and the Panthers fell on top of it. They would hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired on the half.
Biloxi’s offense had its own issues. Multiple touchdowns were wiped away by penalties to go along with its own turnovers.
“We left two touchdowns on the board,” DuBose said. “We score down there, we got linemen down the field. We score over here, we don’t have enough on the line of scrimmage. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot on some big plays.”
Pascagoula would pop a 50-yard touchdown in the final seconds through DJ Nunnery’s catch and run. The onside kick failed and the score was etched into the record book.
And only the score. DuBose stressed to his players the importance of taking the win any way it comes. He’s hoping it will lead to much more down the road.
“We haven’t had a playoff win in a long time,” DuBose said. “We haven’t finished first or second in I don’t know when. We’ve had good coaches here. We’ve had good players here. We want to change it. And it ain’t so much me, but (the players) talked to me before the season, and they want to change the personality. They want to change what’s said about them. They kind of play with a chip on their shoulder, and hopefully we can get that done this year.
Biloxi packs its bags for a three game road trip envied by none. It begins with Picayune next week, followed by Hattiesburg and then the district opener against Ocean Springs.
Pascagoula was held to its lowest regular season scoring output since an Oct. 6, 2023 loss to Picayune. It will look to recover quickly with Ocean Springs rolling into town next week.
This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM.
