PICAYUNE - On paper, the Hattiesburg Tigers were supposed to dominate Picayune on the Maroon Tide's field.
Picayune had something to say about that.
The Tide defense did a good job containing star running back Jonathan Kirksey in the first half but wore down
in the second as Hattiesburg pulled away to a 35-21 victory at Memorial Stadium.
In a game where Picayune (0-2) dominated statistically, turnovers - including four fumbles in the first half -
kept the Tigers alive.
A hungry Picayune defensive front also made things difficult for Hattiesburg quarterback Marcus Barnes,
who spent the majority of the game on his back or running for his life.
But despite their inspired defense, offensive mishaps led to 14 Tiger points.
"In the third quarter we just got tired a little bit," Picayune coach Dodd Lee said. "But we kept playing at
a high level. We definitely weren't trying to lose. We gave a great effort."
Hattiesburg took advantage of good field position all night, including a midfield start on its first possession.
Barnes capped that drive when he found Chris Reed on a 35-yard strike for the first of two touchdown
connections.
Picayune immediately answered, riding the legs of Corderis Brown and Justin Berry before Alex Riser's
1-yard sneak for a touchdown.
Picayune's turnover woes haunted the Tide in the second quarter. Justin Griffith missed catching a low,
line-drive punt inside his 5, allowing the Tigers' Josh Chapman to pounce on the ball in the end zone.
Brown helped the Tide tie it a second time, bolting 55 yards on the next possession before his 3-yard
scoring trot untouched up the middle.
The Tigers pulled away for good with just over four minutes to go in the half, capitalizing on another
Picayune fumble. Kirksey ran 36 yards before capping the drive with a 7-yard score.
Hattiesburg is now 3-0.