No. 4 EMCC Lions return to NJCAA title game with 27-23 road win over No. 1 Hutchinson in national semis

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The fourth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College earned their sixth appearance in the NJCAA Division I Football Championship Game by claiming a 27-23 road win over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Hutchinson Community College during Saturday afternoon's national playoff semifinal played at HCC's Gowans Stadium.

Currently riding an eight-game winning streak after securing their eighth season with 10 or more victories during the Buddy Stephens coaching era, the 10-2 EMCC Lions will now meet the second-ranked and reigning national champion Reivers of Iowa Western Community College (11-1) in the 2023 NJCAA Division I Football Championship, presented by Zurich Insurance, to be played Wednesday, Dec. 13, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at historic War Memorial Stadium, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU. Tickets are available at njcaa.org/tickets. IWCC knocked off No. 3 Kilgore (TX) College, 47-7, during Sunday's national playoff semifinal contested in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

This year's NJCAA Division I Football Championship will feature a rematch of the 2014 national title game (Mississippi Bowl VII) between East Mississippi and Iowa Western in which the top-ranked EMCC Lions claimed a 34-17 win over the No. 2 IWCC Reivers at Biloxi (MS) High School's Indian Stadium. With that previous win over Iowa Western marking EMCC's third NJCAA title in four years (2011, '13-14), the Lions would also go on to earn back-to-back national championships during the 2017 and 2018 seasons to bring their total to five NJCAA football titles during an eight-year span. In Little Rock next week, EMCC will bid to match six-time NJCAA champions Butler (KS) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for the most all-time football team championships in NJCAA history.      

This past Saturday, in just their third football game played outside the state of Mississippi during the Stephens era, the Lions trailed home-standing Hutchinson, 3-0, after Nestus Burger booted a 39-yard field goal to cap an eight-play, 37-yard drive at the 10:45 mark of the opening quarter.

Following a second straight empty offensive possession to begin the game, EMCC's defense got things going for the visitors when Ashun Shepphard recovered quarterback Samari Collier's fumble at Hutchinson's 29-yard line. EMCC signal-caller Ty Keyes then found receiver Cam Wright on the next play from scrimmage for their first of three touchdown connections on the day to give the Lions a 7-3 lead with 6:33 remaining in the opening quarter.

After trading punts, the teams then took turns scoring touchdowns over the final minute-plus of the first quarter. Tyrell Reed Jr.'s 37-yard rushing touchdown at the 1:15 mark capped a four-play, 51-yard drive that put the Blue Dragons briefly back on top, 10-7. The Lions quickly struck again when running back Kiron Benjamin bolted 73 yards down the left sideline to set up Ty Crowell's 1-yard keeper into the end zone, closing out the first-quarter scoring with the visitors in front, 14-10.

Hutchinson opened the second 15 minutes of action with a 12-play, 77-yard drive that resulted in the only scoring of the quarter. EMCC's defense stepped up again to make the Blue Dragons settle for a 20-yard field goal by Burger at the 8:36 mark after limiting a first-and-goal HCC scoring opportunity from the 7-yard line.

There was no additional scoring from either team the rest of the quarter as the teams swapped pass interceptions and punts the remainder of the half to maintain EMCC's narrow one-point (14-13) edge heading into the locker room.

The Blue Dragons opened the second-half scoring by quickly jumping back in front, 20-14, less than a minute into the third quarter on Collier's 60-yard touchdown pass to Oran Singleton Jr.

The two-time reigning MACCC champions from Scooba impressively answered with a 16-play, 78-yard drive that took six minutes off the game clock as EMCC's Keyes-Wright tandem connected on a misdirection scoring pass play from 4 yards out. Cole Arthur's point-after-touchdown try was deflected to keep the score knotted at 20-20 with 7:59 remaining in the third quarter.

Hutchinson responded with a 15-play drive that featured two field goal attempts by Burger. Initially, his 48-yard try was blocked by EMCC's Tyrane Stewart but recovered by a Blue Dragon player behind the line of scrimmage to retain ball possession for the home team. The resulting first-and-10 opportunity from EMCC's 22-yard line was minimized, however, as the Lions' defense once again limited Burger to a 44-yard field goal at the 1:42 mark to give Hutchinson a 23-20 lead heading into the intense, decisive fourth quarter.

Mostly featuring a stalemate with multiple punts exchanged between the two teams, the semifinal contest primarily came down to a big defensive play by EMCC, a costly missed third-down conversion opportunity by Hutchinson, and ultimately a clutch, game-winning drive by the Lions. In the midst of the Blue Raiders' lone effective drive of the quarter, EMCC's defensive duo of Shepphard and linebacker Marcus Ross combined to bring down running back Brandon Epton Jr., in the backfield for a 7-yard loss to force a third-and-15 situation that led to an eventual punt.

On their next offensive possession after forcing an EMCC punt when Keyes was sacked for a loss of 8 yards on third down, the Blue Dragons had an opportunity to run some game clock after getting the ball back with 5:28 left in regulation. Following two unsuccessful plays, Collier eyed Rodrecas Gibbs on a swing pass, but the ball tipped off the intended receiver's hands to force a three-and-out.

The Lions took possession of the football on their own 12-yard line with just under four minutes remaining to play with their season possibly on the line. EMCC's eventual game-winning drive got rolling with Keyes' clutch 37-yard pass play over the middle to Wright to advance the ball to the Hutchinson 41-yard line. Later in the drive with less than a minute left to play and faced with a third-and-6 situation following a false start penalty, Keyes and Wright combined for their third touchdown connection of the game – an 8-yard scoring play that capped off an eight-play, 88-yard drive with only 52 seconds left in the contest.

Featuring two of the top offenses in the NJCAA Division I football ranks that entered the matchup combining for an average of nearly 80 points per contest between them, the game's final team stats were remarkably similar. With Hutchinson owning slim leads in first downs (18-17) and net rushing yards (208-190), East Mississippi held narrow advantages in net yards passing (134-114) and total offense yards (324-322).

Individually for EMCC in the winning effort, Benjamin led the way on the ground with 107 rushing yards on just eight carries, including the 73-yarder. Keyes was 14-of-32 through the air for 134 passing yards and three touchdowns, with five of those completions, 91 receiving yards and all three touchdown catches going to Wright.