Reigning NJCAA Champion EMCC Lions blank division foe Itawamba 51-0 to extend win streak to 17 straight games

FULTON – The top-ranked and reigning NJCAA Champion Lions of East Mississippi Community College posted their 11^th shutout of the Buddy Stephens era by blanking Itawamba Community College, 51-0, in MACJC North Division football action Thursday evening at Eaton Field.

While breaking the 45-point barrier for the 18^th consecutive game dating back to the 2012 postseason, the EMCC Lions improved their winning streak to 17 straight victories.  In addition, their first shutout of the current campaign bettered EMCC's Stephens-era composite marks to 61-10 overall, 36-3 in division play and 19-1 in division road contests spanning back to 2008.

Looking to avenge their lone division road loss during the Stephens era, coming two years ago (24-23) in Fulton, the Lions opened Thursday's contest scoring the first two times they touched the ball.  After receiving the opening kickoff, EMCC proceeded to march 71 yards on nine plays.  Less than three minutes into the contest, Chad Kelly found Brandon Acker on a 10-yard touchdown toss just inside the right front pylon for their first of two scoring connections in the opening quarter.

Following Itawamba's first of 11 punts on the evening, freshman Camion Patrick fielded Jeb Millender's kick and sped 75 yards down the right sideline into the end zone to make the score 14-0 with 8:40 left in the period.  Patrick, a Knoxville, Tenn., native, then broke off a 52-yard return on ICC's subsequent punt, though the effort did not lead to any EMCC points.

Bolstered by a pair of sacks that forced a three-and-out Itawamba possession, the Lions increased their margin to 21-0 late in the first quarter when Kelly and Acker hooked up again on a 36-yard scoring strike at the 2:17 mark.     

A relatively uneventful second period came down to the final couple of minutes when the two teams traded field goal attempts.  The home-standing Indians couldn't capitalize on forcing Kelly's third pass interception of the year, as Tyler Jackson's 35-yard field attempt misfired with 1:57 remaining until intermission.  In contrast, the Lions made good on their three-point try by upping the score to 24-0 when Drew White's third field goal of the year split the uprights as the first-half horn sounded.

The visitors produced three more touchdowns in the third quarter, beginning with Kelly's 39-yard scoring pass to Patrick at the 11:19 mark.   Later in the period, Kelly began a short scoring drive with a 39-yard pass to Kameron Myers that set up an eventual 11-yard touchdown toss to the speedy receiver for his team-leading sixth TD reception of the year.

Leading 37-0 late in the third quarter, the Lions made amends of a fumbled punt return when sophomore cornerback Quan Latham returned a pass interception 95 yards for his second pick-six in as many weeks to stretch the lead to 44-0 and put the MACJC's 38-point mercy rule into play for the fourth time in EMCC's first five games of the year.  The Columbus High School product has now reached pay dirt three consecutive weeks with recent pass interceptions for scores against ICC and Northeast Mississippi as well as previously blocking and recovering a punt in the end zone at Coahoma on Sept. 11.  

Through the first half of the regular season, the Lions have now collectively outscored their opponents by a sizeable margin of 297-38.  On the year, EMCC is averaging 59.4 points per game while limiting the opposition to just 7.6 points an outing.          

With the running game clock in effect for the entire fourth quarter, the game's final points came on Todd Mays' 7-yard scoring scamper with 6:37 remaining in the contest.  A former all-state standout at Olive Branch High School, Mays' late-game tally marked his team-high fifth rushing touchdown of the year and 20^th of his EMCC career.

Statistically, EMCC's Kelly, a transfer from Clemson by way of Buffalo, N.Y., threw for a season-most 406 yards on 24-of-41 passing.  With four passing touchdowns for the fourth time this season, Kelly, along with Mays and reserve freshman quarterback Wyatt Roberts, connected with 11 different receivers on the night, including eight players with multiple catches.  Allenzae Staggers led the way with five grabs for 74 yards, followed by Acker, Myers and Patrick with four receptions apiece.

Winners of 37 of their last 39 contests dating back to the program's 2011 national championship season, the East Mississippi Lions, 5-0 overall and 3-0 within the MACJC's North Division, will step out of division play for the final time this regular season by playing host to sixth-ranked Jones County Junior College next Saturday (Oct. 4) afternoon.  A rematch of last year's MACJC State Championship Game, won by the Lions 61-24 in Scooba, Saturday's 2 p.m. matchup between EMCC and JCJC will cap Homecoming weekend activities on the Scooba campus.