Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens is not so much worried about Northwest Rankin as he is of his own Gator ball club falling to 0-3 in region play.

A loss tonight would put the Gators on playoff life support, at the bottom of the pack looking up at a wealth of talented football teams.

&#8220The biggest blow is we’re not making the big play. We’re not getting the big fumble or the big return to jump start our offense,” Stevens said.

&#8220Provine had a great punt return that changed that game around and Clinton had a good return on us. And then we dropped a ball on a punt that changed the field on us.”

Other than the 30-8 loss at the hands of Provine, the Gators’ other three losses have been by a touchdown.

&#8220There’s not a game we’ve had that we didn’t have a chance to win. We’ve dug ourselves a hole, but we’ve had a tremendous week of practice and I think we’re ready to start digging out.”

The Gators face a Northwest Rankin club that enters with a 5-1 record, including last week’s 28-27 win over previously unbeaten Provine. They are ranked No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Class 5A poll.

The Cougars feature a power running game led by tailback Josh Brumfield, who has totaled nearly 1,000 yards rushing through six games. Quarterback Robby Robinson directs the offense, which posted a 14-0 win two weeks ago against Warren Central.

Northwest Rankin also boasts an excellent kicking game paced by senior Parker Ware.

Vicksburg will try and counter with a team built on speed. Stevens said the Gators’ fleet set of wingbacks in Delmon Robinson and Michael Dulaney are the healthiest they’ve been all season.

&#8220Having Delmon healthy is a plus. And at this point in the season, we’re getting mentally better.

&#8220We’ve only got one significant injury and that’s Glen Hicks who’s out for the year with an ACL (tear). Tim Jones, who has been rotating in on the (offensive) line, will start at Hicks’ spot.”

Part of the Gators’ problem has been the lack of a consistent running game. Only two VHS players have rushed for more than 100 yards for the season and none are averaging more than 30 yards per game.

Quarterback Stanton Price, who splits time with Les Lemons, leads the team in offense with 586 yards passing and five touchdowns. Lemons has 273 yards in combined rushing and receiving while the play-making Robinson has 16 receptions for 135 yards.