The North Georgia Bulldogs had one team standing in the way of an undefeated home record on Saturday night, but they weren’t letting the Alabama Trojans come in and ruin the party on their home field.

The Bulldogs played another stellar game on both sides of the ball en route to a big 38-0 victory to move them to 7-0 overall and finish off a 4-0 home slate.

“I thought for the most part we played very well,” said Bulldogs head coach Mark Bramblett. “We had a few series on offense and defense where we seemed to lose our focus but otherwise we controlled the game.”

Mike Emerson came up big for the Bulldogs on two separate plays on special teams. The first was an 87-yard touchdown return on a blocked field goal right before halftime. He then took back a punt for a touchdown in the second half. He also finished with five catches for 34 yards at receiver.

The defense pitched a shutout and is playing at an extremely high level at this point in the season as they’ve allowed only 18 points in the past four games.

Darius McDonald led the way with six tackles, including a sack and a safety. Corey Boykin had six tackles and a sack, Richard Hendricks added a sack and former Gordon Central standout Dayton Luther had four tackles and a blocked field goal.

In the secondary, Kwamaine Winters and Tyler Waters each had an interception

“Those two plays (from Mike) gave us a lot of momentum,” said Bramblett. “And defensively, we our defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and got excellent pressure on their quarterback all night.

“We had multiple negative yardage plays with four sacks and a safety, and our linebackers and defensive backs kept their receivers from getting anything going when they did have time to throw.”

The defense preserved the shutout by holding the Trojans to a field goal attempt inside the Bulldogs’ two-yard line. They then blocked the field goal.

Over on the offensive side, the Bulldogs were solid in both the passing and running game. Quarterback Brisco Bingham was 18-for-22 passing for 194 yards and two touchdowns. CJ Dial was his leading receiver with six catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. Russell Hedges also had a 13-yard TD reception.

Patrick Dupree had 74 yards rushing on 10 carries, and Clarence Goines had 64 yards on nine carries and a touchdown.

“Our offensive line set the tone for us by really controlling the trenches,” said Bramblett. “We were able to run the ball effectively, and our passing game was outstanding once again. Brisco was very efficient and our receivers ran good routes and caught the ball well.”

The Bulldogs were also solid in the kicking game as Steven Walters went 3-for-3 on extra points, and Jay Tyre made a 36-yard field goal.

The Bulldogs will wrap up the regular season and look to secure the conference championship this Saturday when they visit the Georgia Canes at 7 p.m. at Osborne High School in Marietta.

“Our confidence is high, and we are playing as a team on a mission,” said Bramblett. “Now it’s time to go avenge our only loss last season (to the Canes).”

With a win, the Bulldogs would be assured of the conference title and at least one home playoff game.