EMCC Lions to kick off two-game football home stand by playing host to Itawamba

SCOOBA – Finding themselves in bounce-back mode for the second time this football season, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College return home to begin a two-game home stand by playing host to the Itawamba Indians in this week's MACCC North Division action. Thursday's EMCC-ICC kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus. 

After falling for the second time this season with last Saturday's 33-14 road setback to now-No. 14 Northwest Mississippi, the 1-2 EMCC Lions also find themselves unranked in the current NJCAA Division I football poll for the first time since the first two weeks of the 2021 season (Sept. 2 & 9) when they were coming off their opt-out 2020 COVID season. With two defeats through the season's first three games for the first time since starting 0-3 during their 5-5 season in 2010, the 2024 Lions initially responded from a season-opening 34-28 home loss to now-No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast with a 43-3 road victory over Hinds the following week.

Statistically as a team for the season, East Mississippi is ranked sixth in the MACCC in scoring offense by averaging 28.3 points per game and sits third in total offense with an average of 393.3 total yards per contest. The Lions are fourth among conference team leaders with an average of 176.7 rushing yards per game and fifth in passing with 216.7 yards an outing through the air. Defensively as a team, EMCC stands ninth in scoring defense (23.3 ppg), fourth in total defense (243.0 ypg), second in passing defense (115.0 ypg), and eighth in rushing defense (128.0 ypg). Individually on offense for the Lions, sophomore wide receiver Jaylon York leads the MACCC and ranks fourth in NJCAA Division I with 19 catches on the year. 

Guided by second-year head coach Travis Macon, Itawamba is 2-1 on the season after winning at Hinds (10-7) and shutting out Pearl River (10-0) in Fulton before dropping last week's 20-9 home decision to East Central to close out the team's season-opening, non-division slate. Through the season's first three games, the Indians currently rank second among MACCC team leaders in scoring defense (9.0 ppg) as well as total yards allowed per game (210.3 ypg) and rushing yards allowed per game (47.0 ypg). ICC also presently ranks third nationally with 18 quarterback sacks along with being tied for second with six fumble recoveries and tied for fourth with five pass interceptions on the year.

EMCC's Buddy Stephens, now in his 17^th year as head coach of the Lions, owns a 14-1 career record (6-0 in Scooba, 7-1 in Fulton & 1-0 in West Point) versus Itawamba dating back to his first season (2008) at the EMCC football helm, including a current streak of 10 consecutive wins over the Indians spanning back to the 2013 season. The Lions' lone loss to ICC during the Stephens era was a 24-23 road setback in 2012. Most recently, EMCC closed out its 2023 regular-season road slate and clinched the program's 11^th MACCC North Division football title of the Stephens era by claiming a 31-17 win at ICC's Eaton Field (Oct. 26). Two years ago in Scooba (Oct. 22, 2022), the Lions broke open a tight contest by scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to close out their regular-season home schedule with a 38-10 Homecoming triumph over the Indians.

Thursday's EMCC-ICC contest will be broadcast live by WFCA-FM (107.9), out of French Camp, with Jason Crowder and Jay Perry slated to provide the play-by-play and color commentary, respectively. Anthony Craven is set to handle sideline reporting duties. The game's live-streamed audio will also be carried by EMCC's campus radio station, WGTC-FM (92.7), originating from the Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew. Along with EMCC's weekly live video-streamed football broadcasts being available in HD at emcclive.com, alternate audio streams of the Lions' radio broadcasts throughout the football season will also be accessible via wfca.fm.

The EMCC Lions will remain at home next week to play host to the Coahoma Tigers during Homecoming 2024 on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field on the Scooba campus.