No. 8 EMCC Lions fall to No. 4 Northwest in top-10 MACCC showdown

SCOOBA – In a top-10 gridiron battle with possible postseason playoff implications, the eighth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College fell victim to fourth-ranked Northwest Mississippi's balanced offensive attack in dropping a 38-21 decision to the visiting Rangers during Thursday's MACCC North Division action played at Sullivan-Windham Field.

In falling at home for just the fourth time in 56 games played since their current football facility opened in advance of the program's first national championship season (2011), the home-standing Lions were outgained, 519-289, in total offense yards by Northwest. Along with totaling 301 net rushing yards, including a pair of 100-yard rushers in Jamarien Bracey (159) and Cayden Betts (102), the Rangers also had for 218 passing yards on the night.

Following a scoreless opening quarter of play, the visitors got on the scoreboard first by capping an 11-play, 85-yard drive with Bracey's 3-yard scoring run at the 12:39 mark of the second quarter.

After the point-after-touchdown kick was missed, the Lions answered on their next possession. Mike McGowan finished off a seven-play, 78-yard scoring drive with a 41-yard touchdown run on a third-and-one play, while Cole Arthur's made PAT put EMCC on top, 7-6, with 10:03 remaining in the half.

Northwest then took advantage of an interception thrown late in the half within the red zone by two-time reigning NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week Eli Anderson to head into intermission with the lead. Following Rontavious Person's pick and subsequent 28-yard interception return and with the aid of a pair of costly penalties called on EMCC, the Rangers reclaimed the lead (13-7) with 34 seconds left in the half on Ren Hefley's 2-yard touchdown toss to Kevin Diaz.

The high-scoring third quarter featured two touchdowns by both teams. Northwest got things started with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that culminated with Hefley's 31-yard scoring strike to D.T. Sheffield at the 11:45 mark to make it a 20-7 contest.

On the heels of last week's stunning 48-45 comeback victory at Mississippi Gulf Coast from a 31-7 deficit midway through the third quarter, the Lions responded against the Rangers by reaching the end zone twice within a four-minute span to take a one-point lead late in the third quarter. EMCC began the temporary momentum swing with a pair of big plays after facing a third-and-18 predicament on its own 38-yard line. After Anderson connected with Duke Miller on a 16-yard pass play, the Lions' freshman quarterback kept the ball on a fourth-and-two call that gained 21 yards plus an additional 13 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Northwest. Three plays later on a third-and-seven play, Anderson and Miller capped a nine-play, 67-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown connection at the 8:02 mark that narrowed the margin to 20-14.

The Lions' defensive unit then stepped up to seemingly turn the tide in favor of the home team. First, EMCC's Laurence Sullivan Jr. stepped in front of a Hefley pass and returned it 58 yards to the end zone for his second interception of the year. Arthur's successful PAT put the Lions on top, 21-20, with 4:19 left in the quarter.

Perhaps the defining moment of the contest came during Northwest's next possession. Hefley was picked off by EMCC linebacker Rodney Groce, Jr., who returned the interception to around midfield before getting stripped of the ball by the Northwest defense with the Rangers recovering. The visitors promptly went 45 yards on five plays to score on a 9-yard touchdown run by Betts. They promptly added a two-point conversion through the air at the 1:27 mark to grab back the lead (28-21) and regain the game's momentum.

Northwest's defense then contributed two big plays during the early stages of the fourth quarter to help preserve the lead for the two-time reigning MACCC champions. After stopping EMCC's Ethan Conner for a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-one play from the Northwest 26-yard line, the Rangers' Jay Adams then picked off Anderson on the Lions' next possession. That turnover later resulted in a touchdown when Betts gained 33 total yards on four straight rushes before Bracey finished the work with an 8-yard scoring run at the 10:17 mark to extend the lead to 35-21.

Following a turnover on downs by the Lions, Northwest proceeded to take seven minutes off the game clock by keeping the ball on the ground for 11 consecutive running plays before settling for Eli Hamlin's 19-yard field goal at the 1:52 mark for the game's final score.

Statistically for the Lions against Northwest, Anderson finished the game with 19-of-26 passing for 173 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions after totaling 793 passing and eight touchdowns over the previous two weeks combined. His top target on the night was Miller with seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.

On the ground for EMCC, McGowan, a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast, ran for a season-high 76 yards on seven attempts, including his first touchdown of the year.

Coach Buddy Stephens' EMCC Lions (3-2 overall and 1-1 in MACCC North) will look to bounce back this coming Thursday (Oct. 6) by welcoming the Coahoma Tigers to the Scooba campus. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field.