Top-ranked EMCC Lions set to host No. 10 Hinds in MACCC Football Semifinals

SCOOBA – On the heels of completing a fifth unbeaten regular season since 2011, the top-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College are set to play host to the 10^th-ranked Hinds Eagles Saturday afternoon in the MACCC Football Semifinals.  Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus.

The winner of Saturday's EMCC-Hinds playoff contest will advance to the 2021 MACCC Championship Game and take on the winner of Saturday's other semifinal-round matchup between third-ranked Jones College and No. 5 Northwest Mississippi.  The conference championship game will be played the following Saturday (Nov. 13) at a site to be determined by the results of this week's conference semifinals.

In running the table during the MACCC regular season for the fifth time in 10 seasons played under Coach Buddy Stephens' guidance, the 9-0 EMCC Lions secured their 10^th MACCC North Division title dating back to the 2008 season.  All four of East Mississippi's previous undefeated regular seasons resulted in eventual conference titles and national championships (2011, 2013, 2014 & 2018). 

Having scored 30-plus points in every game along with holding seven of their nine opponents to single-digit scoring totals during the regular season, the EMCC Lions enter postseason play ranked fifth in NJCAA Division I football in scoring offense (40.8 ppg) and second nationally in scoring defense (9.6 ppg).  In addition, EMCC has scored 49 or more points four times this season, while having also surrendered but one lone score in six regular-season outings. 

Individually for East Mississippi, sophomore quarterback Jamari Jones continues to top all of NJCAA football with 24 passing touchdowns on the season.  In addition to having thrown multiple scoring passes in seven of EMCC's nine regular-season games, the Northwest Rankin High School product has completed 63.6 percent (152-of-239) of his passes and is averaging 208.9 passing yards per outing.  Jones also rates as the Lions' second-leading rusher this year with 451 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in 66 attempts.

Sophomore Zias Perryman leads the Lions with 529 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 109 carries, including back-to-back games with 100-plus rushing yards (129 at Northwest & 101 vs. Northeast).  The Laurel product has rushed for 1,018 yards and 14 touchdowns during his EMCC career.

Touting seven players with 10 or more catches on the season, the Lions are led in receiving by Joshua Aka (Starkville) with 33 receptions.  Jontarius Henderson (Laurel) follows with 27 grabs, while Zach Patterson (Corinth) tops EMCC's receiving corps with 334 yards and seven touchdowns on 24 catches. 

Freshman kicker/punter Peyton Rodgers (Starkville) ranks third among NJCAA Division I kickers with an MACCC-best 65 points scored on 44-of-47 PAT attempts and 7-of-9 accuracy on field goals.      

Defensively as a unit, East Mississippi has collectively recorded 63 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 24 quarterback sacks, and has a total of 10 pass interceptions for the year.  Defensive statistical leaders for the Lions include Syracuse transfer linebacker Lee Kpogba with 74 total tackles, defensive lineman Devonyal Lofton (Forest) with seven quarterback sacks, and defensive back Jeremy Mack Jr. (Clinton) with four pass interceptions.

Guided by fifth-year head coach Larry Williams, the Hinds Eagles went 7-2 overall and 5-1 in MACCC South Division play to earn the division's No. 2 seed in the playoffs.  After dropping a season-opening 21-14 decision at Coahoma, Hinds reeled off three straight wins before falling, 28-13, at No. 3 Jones on Sept. 30.  The Eagles then went undefeated during the month of October with victories over Copiah-Lincoln (23-14), Southwest Mississippi (50-3), East Central (52-14) and Pearl River (21-10).

Much of Hinds' success this season can be attributed to the running game with two-time NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week Jeffrey Pittman on display.  The Taylorsville product leads NJCAA Division I football with 15 rushing touchdowns and is ranked third nationally with 886 rushing yards.  Pittman has rushed for 100-plus yards and multiple touchdowns in five of his last six games, including a season-high 210 yards and three scores (for the third straight game) on 29 carries in Hinds' regular-season finale at Pearl River.

EMCC's Stephens owns a 5-2 career mark against Hinds (3-1 in Scooba & 2-1 in Raymond), including a 55-24 home win over the Eagles during the 2011 conference semifinals played in Scooba.  Most recently, Hinds claimed a 24-16 home victory over EMCC during the 2019 season opener contested in Raymond.

While having reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the NJCAA's all-time list for career winning percentage among football coaches with 100 or more career games coached, Stephens enters 2021 postseason play sporting a 13-season head coaching record of 125-17 (.880).  Bidding for their eighth double-digit win season under Stephens' direction, the Lions have claimed five NJCAA championships, seven MACCC titles and 10 MACCC North Division crowns.  Along with owning a 62-7 (.899) composite home record dating back to the 2008 season, EMCC's home mark at the current site of Sullivan-Windham Field stands at 51-2 (.962) heading into 2021 postseason play.  The Lions' only home losses since 2011 have come against Copiah-Lincoln (47-46 in 2012 conference semifinals) and Northwest Mississippi (56-36 during 2019 regular season).

Making their 12^th postseason appearance in 13 seasons played under Stephens' leadership, the Lions are 14-4 (.778) during conference playoff action, with all four prior losses coming during the semifinals (2008, 2010, 2012 & 2019).  Dating back to 2009, EMCC is unbeaten in seven conference championship games (2009, '11, '13-14 & '16-18) as well as in five national title contests (2011, '13-14 & '17-18).   

Additionally, Stephens' EMCC Lions are 42-11 (.793) against nationally ranked opponents, including a 30-21 road win over Northwest Mississippi (Sept. 30) and a 52-6 home triumph over Coahoma (Oct. 14) during this year's regular season.

Saturday's EMCC-Hinds MACCC football playoff contest will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM, out of French Camp, via the internet at wfca.fm as well as livestreamed online at EMCCAthletics.com/live.  Jason Crowder and Glen Beard are slated to provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively, with Chris Coleman handling sideline reporting duties.