11th-ranked EMCC Lions outlast No. 15 Itawamba, 44-42, in MACJC North Division gridiron slugfest

FULTON – During an offensive MACJC North Division showdown between two nationally ranked top 15 teams that featured more than 1,400 combined yards of total offense and 86 points, the visiting 11^th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College outlasted No. 15 Itawamba Community College, 44-42, Thursday evening at Eaton Field on the ICC campus.

Following an explosive third quarter that produced 35 points scored alternately between the two teams, the final margin of the high-scoring contest ultimately came down to the five-time reigning MACJC North Division champions making one more play than their division rivals down the stretch.  Though the Lions trailed only one time during the slugfest, the game featured five ties en route to the decisive fourth quarter.  

After the visitors reclaimed the advantage, 21-14, heading into halftime, ICC struck first to open the second half.  Aided by Octavious Matthews' 57-yard run on the second play from scrimmage, the Indians deadlocked the game for the third time when Roger Thomas scored his second touchdown of the game by barreling in from three yards out just two minutes into the third quarter. 

As both teams did frequently throughout the entertaining evening, EMCC answered on its next possession with reigning MACJC Offensive Player of the Week De'Andre Johnson connecting with Starkville's Raphael Leonard on a 7-yard scoring strike to put the Lions back on top, 28-21, with nine minutes remaining in the quarter.  On a night dominated by offense, it was Que Lott's interception of a Johnson pass that set the stage for a thrilling two-minute span to close out the quarter.

The game's fourth tie followed three plays later when Washington State transfer quarterback Peyton Bender found Matthews coming out of the backfield for a 74-yard catch-and-run to the end zone with 3:43 left in the quarter.  EMCC's Johnson answered immediately by hooking up with Southeast Lauderdale product Damion Willis on a 62-yard pass play that set up Jacquez Horsley's second 3-yard scoring run of the night at the 2:07 mark.  However, the offensive fireworks were not over by any means, as Bender found a wide-open Dorian Gaston for a 70-yard scoring pass on the next play from scrimmage to knot the contest for a fifth time at 35-all.

To their credit in front of an excellent crowd during ICC's Military Appreciation Night, the Lions responded once again by going on an 11-play, 67-yard scoring drive that was capped by Johnson's 4-yard touchdown toss to Calvin Keys Jr. one minute into the fourth quarter.  Taylor Crabtree's subsequent point-after-touchdown attempt was blocked by Deon Knox to keep the score at 41-35 in favor of the visitors.

The Indians promptly answered with a long drive of their own that went 11 plays and advanced to the 9-yard line before stalling out.  A loss of 15 yards on a high snap from center during a second-and-goal play preceded Zach Ellis' missed 27-yard field goal try at the 9:46 mark that would have cut the six-point deficit in half.               

EMCC's defense then rose to the occasion later in the quarter when Itawamba reached the red zone but was stopped short on a fourth-and-long pass play.  As the Lions got the ball back with six minutes remaining, Johnson's crucial 49 rushing yards during a 14-play drive helped eat up five minutes of clock time.  A key moment in the game's eventual outcome came late in the drive when local product Vijay Miller replaced Johnson for a critical fourth-and-seven play from the 34-yard line after EMCC's starter was forced to the sideline when his helmet came off during the previous play.  Miller, from Itawamba AHS, calmly rolled to the right and found Mario Lanier for a drive-saving, 16-yard conversion.  Four plays later, Crabtree's clutch 27-yard field goal made it a two-possession game with under a minute remaining.  

Trailing by nine points and needing the ball twice with less than a minute left, Itawamba quickly moved 68 yards on just six plays to pull to within two points on Bender's 30-yard scoring pass to Gaston with just 24 ticks remaining on the game clock.  Relegated to attempting an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, Ellis' squib kick was recovered by Willis to seal the victory for the three-time national champions from Scooba.

The game's scoring kicked off with the home-standing Indians taking their only lead of the game on Thomas' 9-yard burst up the middle at the 6:36 mark of the first quarter.  The Lions responded in the opening period with scoring runs of three and four yards by Horsley and Miller, respectively, to move ahead, 14-7, following the first 15 minutes of the contest.

The teams traded solo touchdown passes to account for the second-quarter scoring.  A minute into the period, ICC's Dan Ellington hit Gaston for a 5-yard scoring strike, while Johnson answered by finding Lanier from 12 yards out with 2:35 remaining in the half to pave the way for an eventful second half of action.

Credited with 433 passing yards and 369 yards on the ground as a team, East Mississippi's 802 yards of total offense against Itawamba established a new single-game standard for a Buddy Stephens-coached EMCC football team.  The previous mark was 786 yards in the Lions' 59-6 win at Southwest Mississippi in 2012.

Individually for the Lions, Johnson accounted for 588 yards of total offense for the second-highest school mark during the Stephens era.  Former Ole Miss standout Randall Mackey was credited with 607 yards of total offense during EMCC's memorable 75-71 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 2009 MACJC state championship game played in Scooba.  Johnson, a Florida State transfer from Jacksonville, Florida, was 34-of-49 through the air for 417 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception versus the Indians.  He also ran for 171 yards on 23 rushing attempts.

EMCC's leading receivers during Thursday's instant classic were Lanier with 10 catches for 134 yards, including a 65-yarder, and Willis with eight grabs for 144 yards, including a 64-yarder.

The EMCC Lions, now 3-1 overall and 2-0 within the MACJC North Division, will return home to play host to the Trojans of Mississippi Delta Community College this coming Thursday (Sept. 29).  Kickoff time at EMCC's Sullivan-Windham Field is set for 7 p.m. on the Scooba campus.