No. 13 EMCC Lions take down No. 10 Northwest, 35-17, in rematch of 2022 MACCC title tilt

SENATOBIA – The rematch of last year's MACCC Football Championship Game resulted in the same outcome, as the visiting 13^th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College claimed a 35-17 road victory over No. 10 Northwest Mississippi during Thursday's MACCC North Division matchup played at Bobby Franklin Field.

Along with bouncing back from the previous week's home setback to fourth-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast and improving to 9-1 against Northwest in games played in Senatobia during the Buddy Stephens coaching era (since 2008), this year's EMCC squad stayed unbeaten (2-0) in division play and improved to 3-2 overall on the year with Thursday's 18-point road win over the Rangers.

Following three combined empty offensive possessions between the teams to begin Thursday's contest, the home-standing Rangers got on the scoreboard first during a drizzly opening half of play with Jackson Uselton's 29-yard field goal that capped a six-play, 75-yard drive at the 5:29 mark.

Northwest's only lead of the night lasted just two minutes on a game clock, however, as EMCC's Lee Wade bolted 44 yards up the middle for the visitors' first of five touchdowns. Cole Arthur's perfect night on PAT kicks gave the Lions a 7-3 lead with 3:24 remaining in the opening quarter.

Another big scoring play during their first offensive possession of the second quarter quickly increased the Lions' lead to 14-3 four minutes into the quarter. Quarterback Ty Keyes found receiver Raymon Blackmon for an initial short gain that turned into a 69-yard catch and run after the Dothan, Alabama native broke free down the right sideline on the way to the end zone.    

The score remained the same until the final moments of the first half. On the heels of a six-play, 69-yard drive by EMCC that was halted when JyKeon Cunningham picked off Keyes' pass within the red zone, the Rangers proceeded to take five-plus minutes off the game clock to create a first-and-goal opportunity at EMCC's 5-yard line. The Lions' goal-line defense then forced and subsequently held on a fourth-and-goal pass play from the 2-yard line to gain back ball possession with just under a minute to play in the half. EMCC's hard work on defense basically went for naught after a fumble on the next play from scrimmage was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Northwest's D.J. Burgess to cut the visitors' lead to 14-10 heading to intermission.

Following the halftime break, the teams traded touchdowns during the early portion of the second half with both scores having been set up by big plays. EMCC's quick four-play scoring drive was initiated by a 44-yard, Keyes-to-Blackmon connection and capped with Keyes' 24-yard scoring pass to Cam Wright at the 11:26 mark. Aided by a 60-yard pass play from quarterback Keegan Patterson to Cam Harris, the Rangers answered with a seven-play, 87-yard drive that resulted in a 3-yard scoring burst by D'mariun Perteet on a fourth-and-one play. With the touchdown exchange, the game's margin remained at four points (21-17) with 8:18 remaining in the third quarter.

The Lions responded by again making it a two-score contest on their next offensive possession. Once again, a chunk play paid big dividends for the visitors. Kiron Benjamin's 43-yard power run set the table for Keyes' 3-yard touchdown toss to Marcus Harris at the 4:02 mark of the third quarter that extended EMCC's lead to 28-17.

With an 11-point lead in hand, EMCC's defense held Northwest scoreless throughout the fourth quarter. Quarterback sacks by Colin Crowder, Rashod Bradley and Mikel Hines during the Rangers' first three offensive possessions of the final quarter helped set the stage for the Lions' game-clinching touchdown late in the contest. Hines' 7-yard sack of Patterson gave EMCC ball possession deep within NWCC territory with five minutes left in the game. Three plays later, Keyes found Benjamin over the middle for a 27-yard scoring pass play at the 3:17 mark.

The Rangers used the final 3:12 of the contest to attempt to get back on the scoreboard. However, their game-ending, 16-play drive was thwarted by Rosco Malloy's 6-yard tackle for loss on running back Cam Young during a first-and-goal play from EMCC's 1-yard line.

Statistically for the EMCC Lions in the road win over Northwest, Keyes finished the night with 31-of-46 passing for 346 yards and four touchdowns. Four different EMCC receivers had five catches or more on the evening. Harris led the way with eight grabs, while Blackmon (131 yds), Wright (86) and Benjamin (43) each had five receptions and one touchdown apiece. Wade was the game's leading rusher with 70 yards on the ground in eight attempts, including his 44-yard touchdown scamper for the Lions' first touchdown of the night.

The EMCC Lions (3-2, 2-0 MACCC North) will continue their remaining division slate on the road by traveling to Clarksdale to take on the Coahoma Tigers on Thursday, Oct. 12. Kickoff at CCC's James E. Miller Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m.