Sixth-ranked EMCC Lions resume division play Thursday by taking on the Holmes Bulldogs in Goodman

SCOOBA – The sixth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College are set to begin the second half of their regular-season division slate by hitting the road for the second straight week to take on the Bulldogs of Holmes Community College Thursday evening.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Ras Branch Field in Goodman.

Thursday will be Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night and High School Night on the Holmes campus, as any high school student wearing his or her school shirt will be admitted into the game free of charge.

Currently on a four-game win streak since dropping a 31-24 overtime decision at former-No. 1 Copiah-Lincoln back on Sept. 3, head coach Buddy Stephens' 5-1 EMCC Lions resume division play this week at Holmes after closing out their regular-season, non-division schedule with last Thursday's 49-7 victory at Jones County Junior College.  Prior to that, EMCC opened MACJC North Division action with successive victories over Coahoma (69-0), Northeast Mississippi (56-7) and Itawamba (48-24).  

Now 73-11 (.869) overall and 42-3 (.933) against MACJC North Division competition since 2008, Stephens' EMCC clubs are 21-1 collectively in division road contests during that span, including this year's 56-7 win at Northeast.  With six division titles in the last seven seasons, including a current string of four consecutive division crowns, the Lions' lone division road setback under Stephens' guidance was a 24-23 loss at Itawamba during the 2012 regular-season finale.

Statistically on the season, East Mississippi is ranked second nationally in total offense (behind Trinity Valley) with an average of 610.5 yards per outing.  Along with standing third among NJCAA team ranks in passing yards (375.7 yds/gm) and ninth in rushing yards (234.8), the three-time national champions rank third nationally with an average of 27.3 first downs per outing.  With 15 different players having scored at least one touchdown this season, EMCC also rates sixth nationally in both scoring offense (52.5 ppg) and scoring defense (14.8 ppg).

Individually, EMCC's quarterbacking triumvirate of Wyatt Roberts, John Franklin III and Joseph Willis has collectively thrown for 2,254 yards on the year with 24 touchdowns and only two interceptions.  On the receiving end, 10 different Lion players have caught 10 or more passes for the season with seven of those having hauled in multiple touchdown tosses.  EMCC has been equally effective running the ball through the first six games, as the talented trio of DJ Law, Jacquez Horsley and Isaiah Wright has combined for 1,079 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.                        

Guided by fifth-year head coach Jeff Koonz, the Holmes Bulldogs are 2-4 overall and 1-2 within the division after dropping a last-second 42-40 decision to now-No. 3 Northwest Mississippi this past Saturday in Senatobia.  On the heels of Saturday's 454-yard team rushing effort against the Rangers, Holmes presently ranks second nationally (behind Tyler) with an average of 298.5 rushing yards per outing on the year.  The Bulldogs' pair of victories thus far this season have come against division foe Mississippi Delta (45-21) and Pearl River (34-14), while their other setbacks have been to non-division opponents Hinds (32-28) and East Central (29-14).  

The Lions, now 49-3 overall during the past five seasons, have prevailed during each of the last nine gridiron meetings with Holmes spanning back to the 2006 campaign.  EMCC is 7-0 versus the Bulldogs during the Stephens era, including a current string of three consecutive shutout victories over Holmes.  Most recently in the series history, the two-time reigning NJCAA champions won in Scooba both last year (49-0) and in 2012 (35-0) during homecoming as well as two years ago (55-0) in Goodman.              

Thursday's EMCC-Holmes contest will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, with Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield slated to call the play-by-play action and Glen Beard set to serve as the Lions' sideline reporter.  EMCC's 2015 football radio broadcasts will also be carried live by SuperTalk Mississippi (WZKR-FM 103.3) out of Meridian as well as through EMCC's new radio station, WGTC-FM (92.7), originating from the Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew.

In addition, EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts are available in HD at www.EMCCathletics.com/live.  Alternate audio streams of the radio broadcasts are also available at www.wfcafm108.com.  Fans are also encouraged to follow EMCC Athletics through the college's athletics website, www.EMCCathletics.com, and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@EMCCathletics) via the school's social media hub at www.EMCCathletics.com/Social-Media-Hub.