NEMCC quarterback Clint Wilson from Olive Branch drops back to pass against PRCC in Poplarville on Thursday, September 3, 2009.

September 8, 2009

NORTHEAST LOOKS TO ‘BLACKOUT’ ICC IN RIVALRY GAME

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College battles its closest rival on Thursday, Sept. 10 at Keenum Stadium in Booneville.

Northeast (0-2) entertains Itawamba Community College (1-1) in the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges’ (MACJC) North Division opener for both schools.

Only 50 miles separate the two schools, which both opened in 1948, and have a football series dating back to 1949 when a Woody Johnson led Tiger squad knocked off Itawamba in the first meeting 41-0.

Northeast will be looking for its first win in 12 games – dating back to a 36-6 thumping of Coahoma in 2007 – while Itawamba is coming off an embarrassing 63-9 setback to the nation’s second ranked team Mississippi Gulf Coast last week.

Northeast took the nation’s eleventh-ranked team to the brink last Thursday (Sept. 3) in a game that featured the state’s top two defenses.

But the offenses took over in the Poplarville match-up with Northeast and Pearl River combining for 936 yards of total offense and 65 points.

After a scare in the second quarter (21-20), Pearl River expanded its lead in the second half and handed Northeast its second loss of the season 42-23.

Northeast freshman quarterback Clint Wilson (Olive Branch) found Dominique King (Tuscumbia, Ala.) on a 27-yard scoring strike with 8:40 left in the first half cutting the Wildcats lead to 21-20 but special teams let the Tigers down again as NE failed to convert on the extra point try and tie the contest at 21-all.

Pearl River (2-0) took advantage of the momentum from the missed kick and put the Tigers at an eight-point disadvantage at half when Rashod Henry found paydirt from three yards out with 46 seconds left in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Tigers mustered just three points after posting 20 points and over 250 yards of total offense in the first two quarters. Northeast cut the lead to five when Turner booted home a 29-yard field goal on the Tigers opening drive of the final half capping an 11-play, 38-yard drive for the Tigers.

Northeast enters its match up with ICC with the state’s third best running back on the roster. Jeremy Cannon (New Albany) has racked up 286 yards on the ground during the Tigers’ two games this year and averages 8.2 yards a carry on just 35 totes going into Thursday’s matchup.

Northeast’s running game will pair up against the ICC aerial attack led by University of Southern Mississippi transfer Bret Jefcoat. Jefcoat is tied for second in the state with a passing efficiency of 167.9 while completing 27-of-48 attempts for 481 yards and four scores during the Indians two games thus far.

Jefcoat will look to connect with his two favorite targets when ICC takes to the air.  Demarcus Watts and Ty Ferrell have hauled in 18 of Jefcoat’s 27 completions on the year for just over 300 yards. Watts comes into Thursday night’s matchup averaging 109.5 yards per game on just eight catches while Ferrell has been Jefcoat’s favorite target with 10 catches on the year.

Northeast’s Student Government Association is asking all Northeast fans to come to the game dressed in Black and Gold as a way of ‘Blacking out ICC’ on Thursday. The blackout theme comes from last year’s game at ICC that was delayed for 31 minutes after a power failure.

The Northeast-ICC rivalry has been close the last three years with only 15 points separating the two teams. ICC has taken all three contests by a 29-24 count in 2006, 20-13 in 2007 and a 12-9 in last year’s matchup. Northeast’s last win in the series came in 2005 when the Tigers slaughtered the Indians in front of a home crowd 41-0.

Northeast’s kickoff will be back at its regular time of 7 p.m. after starting 30 minutes earlier than normal in Poplarville. The game will be broadcast on The Shark 102.3 FM and is also available as a live stream on the NEMCC athletic webpage or at http://www.classicradiofm.com/

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