East Mississippi eyes fourth state football title in six years with Saturday visit to No. 10 Copiah-Lincoln

SCOOBA – Seeking their fourth MACJC state football championship in six years, the reigning national and state champion Lions of East Mississippi Community College travel to Wesson to meet the 10^th-ranked Wolfpack of Copiah-Lincoln Community College Saturday afternoon for the 2014 football title of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.  Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Stone Stadium on the Co-Lin campus.

Having captured recent MACJC state football titles during prior odd-numbered years (2009, 2011 & 2013) and all on the Scooba campus, head coach Buddy Stephens' 10-0 and second-ranked EMCC Lions are aiming to collect their first state championship away from home.  With Co-Lin and Mississippi Gulf Coast having most recently claimed state football crowns in 2012 and 2010, respectively, East Mississippi is eyeing to become the first MACJC member to earn back-to-back state championships on the gridiron since Gulf Coast did so in 2007 and 2008.

Currently sporting a 22-game winning streak and winners of 42 of their last 44 contests, including NJCAA national championships last year and in 2011, the Lions are back in the state championship contest after registering a 42-21 home victory over then-No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast during last Saturday's state semifinals held in Scooba.  Previously, East Mississippi knocked off MGCCC during prior MACJC state title bouts in 2009 (75-71) and 2011 (42-17).  Most recently, EMCC earned a third MACJC football championship in five years by claiming a 61-24 victory over Jones County last year on the Scooba campus.

With an overall record of 66-10 (.868) during his seven seasons as head football coach at East Mississippi Community College, Stephens was previously associated with four consecutive state championship teams (2003-06) as an assistant football coach at Pearl River Community College.  Along with touting composite EMCC records of 29-4 (.879) in road games and 20-7 (.741) against ranked opponents dating back to the 2008 season, Stephens owns a 7-3 head coaching mark in MACJC postseason contests with all but one of those 10 previous state playoff games having been contested in Scooba.

Including this year's 46-10 home triumph over then-No. 3 Copiah-Lincoln during Week 2, Stephens owns a 3-2 head coaching record against the Wolfpack.  Both of those prior losses to Co-Lin came during semifinal-round state playoff action in 2012 and 2010.  In fact, the most recent defeat (47-46 two years ago in Scooba) presently stands as the Lions' last loss prior to going on their current 22-game winning streak.  During Stephens' first two seasons at the EMCC helm, the Lions kicked off their 2008 (28-9 in Scooba) and 2009 (27-13) campaigns with season-opening victories over Copiah-Lincoln.

Two months ago (Sept. 4) on the Scooba campus during an early-season MACJC showdown between then-No. 1 EMCC and No. 3 Co-Lin, the home-standing Lions took advantage of a pair of first-quarter special teams miscues by the visitors to jump out to an early 14-0 lead seven minutes into the contest.  After the Wolfpack cut the deficit in half, EMCC scored 17 unanswered points in the second period to lead 31-7 at the half en route to cruising to a 46-10 victory.     

Statistically, East Mississippi continues to collectively outscore its 2014 opposition by nearly 50 points per game despite allowing points last week against Gulf Coast for the first time since Sept. 18.  The Lions are presently ranked third among NJCAA teams in scoring offense with an average of 55.7 points an outing, while easily maintaining their national lead defensively by surrendering just 5.9 points per contest.  EMCC's dominant defensive unit turned in five consecutive shutout performances prior to last week's playoff outing against MGCCC and has now recorded 10 total shutouts over the past two seasons.

On the offensive side of the ball, the EMCC Lions have scored 42 or more points in 23 consecutive games dating back to the 2012 postseason.  Featuring sophomore transfer quarterback Chad Kelly at the controls, East Mississippi rates fourth nationally with an average of 354.2 passing yards per game.  On the year, Kelly has combined with fellow signal-callers Todd Mays and Wyatt Roberts to complete 66 percent of their passes, including 42 touchdowns through the air.

Guided by 11^th-year head football coach Glenn Davis, the Wolfpack of Copiah-Lincoln is 8-2 on the year after earning a 44-30 home triumph over MACJC North Division runner-up Northwest Mississippi during last week's state semifinals.  State champions two years ago, Co-Lin has won six straight games since getting off to a slow 2-2 start this season.  Two weeks after losing to EMCC, the Wolfpack fell, 45-35, at Southwest Mississippi on Sept. 18.  Co-Lin clinched this year's MACJC South Division regular-season title by claiming a 29-26 victory over then-No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast during Homecoming Weekend in Perkinston back on Oct. 18.   

Saturday's state football championship between EMCC and Co-Lin will be broadcast live by WMXU-FM (Mix 106.1) out of Columbus.  Jason Crowder and Glen Beard are set to describe the play-by-play action with John Lyle Briggs serving as the Lions' sideline reporter.  An alternate audio stream of the radio broadcast will also be available at www.wfcafm108.com, courtesy of WFCA-FM Radio out of French Camp, as well as www.wmox.net (WMOX-AM Radio out of Meridian).

In addition, EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts are available in HD by accessing EMCC's athletics website, www.EMCCAthletics.com.