ELLISVILLE — East Mississippi Community College sophomore Dario Robinson admitted he had nerves before his first plays on defense in a junior college game.
“My teammates were getting me hyped,” Robinson said. “My guys on the defense even told me I was going to intercept a pass. I didn’t believe them.”
Robinson started the night with what he does best — catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Wyatt Roberts. Then, on the team’s second defensive possession, he proved he could help on the other side of the line by intercepting a pass.
It was the kind of night where the formations looked different, the personnel looked different, and even the coaching staff looked different.
None of the newness mattered, though, as No. 7 EMCC blew past Jones County Junior College 49-7 Thursday night at Bobcat Stadium.
“This may be the most proud I have ever been of a football team,” EMCC acting head coach and offensive coordinator Marcus Wood said. “We have had more adversity in the last week than most teams have in an entire season. To be able to come out here and put this kind of display on says a lot of about the character of this team.”
EMCC won its fourth-straight game to improve to 5-1. It will hop back into Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges North Division play Thursday at Holmes C.C. EMCC can clinch the North Division title by beating Holmes and No. 5 Northwest Mississippi C.C. the following week.
Wood took over the head coaching duties Thursday night as EMCC coach Buddy Stephens served the first of a two-game suspension for an on-field incident with an official in Saturday in a home victory against Itawamba C.C. Stephens remained home and wasn’t in the stadium Thursday night.
EMCC played without starters wide receiver Damion Willis and linebacker Javarius Taylor, who were ejected from the game against ICC for personal foul penalties. The Lions also were without leading rusher D.J. Law and reserve running back Jacquez Horsley, who missed the game with injuries.
To offset the lost personnel, the Lions had four players go both ways in the game — sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Davis, sophomore wide receiver Desmond Goss, and Robinson came over to the defense for the week, while freshman linebacker Diamante Pounds played some running back.
“We set up that plan in practice on Monday,” Wood said. “We knew coming out of the Itawamba game, we were going to be down a serious number of players. It was a strange week. (The coaches) were asking one another can we have this player at this time and when do you want this player?”
Robinson received the news before Monday’s practice session that he would draw the start at cornerback Thursday. All four two-way players played an ample amount on both sides of the ball. However, Wood estimated Robinson played in “about 95 percent of the snaps.”
“It was really odd because you don’t think of that happening,” Robinson said. “I got to thinking about it and I got a little nervous. A bunch of us played both ways in high school, so it’s not like it is something totally new. But you don’t expect to do it in college. You kind of leave that time behind.
“The coaches told me we were going to do it, so I worked really hard in practice. After that interception, it was like it all came natural again. I just wanted to go out and make some plays to help my team. It was more fun than I thought it would be. Fortunately, my teammates had my back. They had me ready to go.”
Wood said scoring a touchdown and intercepting a pass is common in high school. He said to be able to do that in a college game means you are looking at a “freakish athlete.”
“I am so proud of Dario,” Wood said. “We asked him to give more than usual. He responded. He was out there making play after play in just about every series of the game. He never asked to come out. He never dropped his intensity. He is special all right.”
With Law and Horsley out, the bulk of the rushing load fell to Isaiah Wright. The freshman from Florence High School responded with 83 rushing yards and his first three-touchdown night with EMCC.
“I knew I had to go next level with (Law) and (Horsley) out,” Wright said. “My teammates really needed me, so I had to have a big game.”
EMCC also threw in a few new wrinkles on offense. Starting quarterback Wyatt Roberts and reserve quarterback John Franklin III ran a handful of plays with both players on the field at the same time. A staple of EMCC offenses in the past, Wood had wanted to do a formation with both quarterbacks all season but finally found the timing right.
“John Franklin is finally finding that comfort level,” Wood said. “I thought he played with a lot of confidence. His job on the two-minute drill to end the half was fantastic.”
EMCC scored on three of the game’s first four possessions and built a 21-0 lead. The Lions led 42-0 at halftime.
The second half included Roberts hitting Corey Davis for a 14-yard touchdown and the teams playing with a running clock. EMCC collected 438 of its 518 total yards in the first half.
Roberts hit Davis for two scores and Robinson for another. Franklin III added a 1-yard touchdown run to go with Wright’s three trips to the end zone.
“We got staggered early in the year (with a loss to Copiah-Lincoln Community College),” Robinson said. “It took us a little longer than we would have liked to get back up. But we are up now and we are going to be fighting back for the rest of the season.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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