No. 1 East Mississippi aims to clinch fourth straight division football title Thursday at Northwest Mississippi

SCOOBA – Looking to clinch their fourth consecutive MACJC North Division football championship and sixth division title in seven years, the top-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College travel to Senatobia to take on Northwest Mississippi Community College Thursday evening.  Kickoff at Bobby Franklin Field is set for 6:30 p.m.

With a seven-year overall record of 63-10 (.863) and division mark of 37-3 (.925), EMCC head football coach Buddy Stephens has guided the EMCC Lions to five MACJC North Division regular-season championships, including a current streak of three straight division crowns.  East Mississippi is bidding to become the first school to claim four consecutive MACJC North Division football titles since Northwest Mississippi accomplished the feat during a four-year span (1989-92) in which the Rangers earned three state championships as well as a national title in 1992.

Winners of 39 of their last 41 contests, including a current winning streak of 19 straight games, spanning back to their 2011 NJCAA national championship season, the 7-0 EMCC Lions have shut out each of their last three opponents (49-0 over Holmes, 55-0 vs. Jones County & 51-0 at Itawamba) and have outscored their 2014 opposition by a collective margin of 401-38.  While having also previously earned three straight shutouts last season (East Central, Southwest Mississippi & Mississippi Delta), EMCC owns eight shutout victories over the past two seasons.

Furthermore, this year's stingy EMCC stopper squad has surrendered just five touchdowns all season, including none on the ground.  In contrast, the Lions' defense and special teams units have accounted for seven touchdowns this year with five pick-six pass interceptions, one fumble recovery for a score and a blocked punt recovered in the end zone.  Additionally on defense, EMCC leads the NJCAA with 40 total quarterback sacks on the year along with ranking among the top-five teams nationally in team total defense and rushing defense.

For East Mississippi's prolific scoring attack, transfer quarterback Chad Kelly ranks among the NJCAA's top-five statistical leaders in every passing category.  Along with leading the nation in pass completion percentage (67.7%), the Buffalo, N.Y., native stands fourth nationally in passing yards per game (332.7 yds/gm) as well as with 27 touchdowns thrown.

On the receiving end, the Lions feature 10 different pass-catchers with 10 or more receptions on the season, highlighted by Hattiesburg product Brandon Acker's team-high 37 grabs.  Complementing EMCC's efficient aerial display, Starkville's Preston Baker and native Floridian DJ Law are the team's leading ground-gainers with 360 and 321 rushing yards, respectively, for the year.

In their second season of a three-year sanction period assigned by the MACJC and with 41 of their 49 players new to the program this season, the Northwest Rangers are guided by first-year head football coach Jack Wright, who returns to the Senatobia campus after spending last season as the offensive line coach at Holmes.  Wright, a Batesville native, previously served as Northwest's offensive coordinator from 2008-12.  This year's NWCC squad owns a 3-4 overall record but is currently in sole possession of second place in the MACJC North Division standings with a 3-1 mark.  After dropping a 25-19 decision at Northeast Mississippi back on Sept. 11, the Rangers have since responded with division triumphs over Itawamba (45-31), Holmes (28-14) and Delta (23-14).

Individually, Northwest Mississippi currently features the NJCAA's second-leading rusher in freshman Justin Crawford.  The two-time MACJC Offensive Player of the Week enters Thursday's EMCC contest needing just 42 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season on the heels of single-game efforts of 257 rushing yards last week against Mississippi Delta and 259 yards the week prior at Holmes. 

In the recent series rivalry between the two teams, East Mississippi owns a 5-1 advantage over Northwest dating back to Stephens' first season (2008) at the Scooba helm.  Prior to last year's 79-7 rout in Senatobia, including a 51-point third quarter by the Lions, the previous five EMCC-NWCC gridiron meetings were all decided by single digits and by a composite total of only 31 points.           

EMCC's football games are broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, with Jason Crowder and Glen Beard calling the play-by-play action and John Lyle Briggs serving as the Lions' sideline reporter.  EMCC's 2014 football radio broadcasts are also carried live by SuperTalk Mississippi (WZKR-FM 103.3) and WMOX-AM (1010) out of Meridian. 

In addition, EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emcc-football) are available in HD by accessing EMCC's athletics website, www.EMCCAthletics.com.  Alternate audio streams of the radio broadcasts are also be available at www.wfcafm108.com.