No. 8 Hinds falls to No. 5 Hutchinson in Salt City Bowl

(Photo Courtesy of Matthew Alford/Hinds Athletics)

By Datti Jinkiri

The Hinds Eagles’ football season came to a close on Saturday with a 66-34 loss to Hutchinson Community College in the Salt City Bowl. The Eagles amassed 398 yards of total offense in the game, but it was not enough to defeat the the fifth-ranked Blue Dragons. Hutchinson scored 31 unanswered points to break a 28-28 tie and pull out the victory.

Hinds quarterback Ruben Lee completed 14 of 22 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He also did not throw an interception. His 85-yard bomb to receiver Tabashi Thomas tied the game at 28 in the second quarter.

Eagles’ All-Conference running back Jeffrey Pittman rushed 26 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the game. He finished his impressive season with 1,214 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Jaiden Burns tallied 209 all-purpose yards (158 return yards, 51 receiving) in the game. His 21-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter tied the game at seven.

Defensively, the Eagles were led by linebacker Anthony Bullock. The sophomore tallied nine tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Artavious Washington, Ta’Darrius Williams, Peyton Pickens, and Ryan Davis made six tackles apiece.

The Eagles ended the season with an 8-4 record and a 5-1 mark in conference play. They defeated top-ranked East Mississippi in the playoffs and appeared in a conference championship game for the first time since 2004. The Eagles also appeared in a bowl game for the first time since 2019. On top of that, ten Eagles earned all-conference honors at the conclusion of the regular season. The season didn’t end on the highest of notes, but the Eagles will be one of the teams to beat in Mississippi in 2022.