MOORHEAD — Quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. realized he wouldn’t have to do it all when he arrived at East Mississippi Community College.
“After about a week of practice, I figured out how powerful a running game this team had,” Scott said. “I also found out that we had an elite group of receivers. I figured out if I just stayed within myself and played to the best of my ability around all these other parts, we could be special.”
EMCC has been special enough to earn the nation’s No. 1 ranking from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) the last two weeks.
EMCC backed that ranking Thursday night with a 45-7 win against Mississippi Delta C.C. in a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division matchup at Jim Randall Stadium.
“A lot of people feel like we are a pass-first, pass-only type of team,” EMCC sophomore running back Tyrell Price said. “We have the four best running backs in the state (Price, Ja’Mori Mark, Reginald Hunter Jr. and Justin Connor). Once we get things really going, nobody can contain us. When we have this kind of balance, we are nearly unstoppable.”
EMCC improved to 5-0 and 3-0 in division play with a 27th-straight division win. Mississippi Delta C.C. fell to 0-5 and 0-3. The Lions can wrap up a seventh-straight division title by beating No. 3 Holmes C.C. in Scooba and Northwest Mississippi C.C. in Senatobia on the next two Thursdays.
EMCC and Mississippi Delta C.C. played in this stadium for the first time since a benches-clearing brawl in the final game of the 2015 regular season. EMCC was banned from the state playoffs as a result of the altercation. A revenge message was sent a year later in EMCC ‘s 73-7 victory in Scooba.
Thursday’s game hardly resembled the tempers of the brawl or the anger of the rematch. A much larger police presence was on hand, but the game was uneventful for the most part.
EMCC scored on three of the game’s first four possessions and coasted. The Lions didn’t use timeouts late in the first half to extend a lead and took knees in the fourth quarter to run out the proceedings.
After the game, EMCC skipped the traditional meeting on the field and exited the field quickly with heavy security and met in the visitors’ locker room.
“It is very difficult to generate any energy on the road,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “We were playing far away from home. The band was not here. They had very few fans on their side. It’s hard to be fired up. You don’t want to go through the motions. I thought we did a great job of overcoming those obstacles and having a fine start.
“This game is difficult. We have made it difficult in the past. It was good to have the quick start and handle our business the way we did.”
Scott had his most complete game as a Lion. The LSU transfer was 25-for-35 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 45 yards and another score.
Tyrell Price started the scoring on a 9-yard run. Scott then hit Mike Williams for a 71-yard score and Kirk Merritt for an 11-yard score.
Price ripped off a 70-yard run and Grayson Pontius hit a 31-yard field goal for a 31-0 halftime lead.
“The coaches talked about a fast start,” Scott said. “It was important we establish our identity early. We got a lot of receivers going early, and it led to a big night.”
Price had his third 100-yard night with a team-high 104 yards on eight tries.
EMCC had 620 yards of offense (345 passing, 275 rushing). The Lions had one turnover (a Scott interception on a batted ball) and two penalties.
“We are beginning to do some excellent things on offense,” Price said. “We just had to get everybody together and define some roles. Whenever everybody contributes, everybody feels good. We got a team that’s feeling good.”
It was slightly better than four weeks ago that Scott decided EMCC would be his new football home after leaving LSU during fall drills. In that time, he has guided EMCC to the nation’s top ranking and to the doorstep of championships.
“We are about 90 percent there in relation to our goals,” Scott said. “That is exciting. Everybody knows how hard we have worked. Now if you can do just a little more the rest of the way, we can reach all of our goals.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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