Each season, the East Mississippi Community College passing game finds a rhythm.
When that happens, it is usually lethal for the opposition.
Big numbers through the air have been the norm as EMCC has established itself as one of the premier National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) teams in the nation.
This season, the passing game is still looking to take full flight.
The next opportunity is Thursday night when No. 11 EMCC plays arch rival No. 15 Itawamba Community College.
EMCC looks for its fourth straight win in the series at 7 p.m. at Eaton Field in Fulton.
“We are close to having something special here,” EMCC red shirt freshman quarterback De’Andre Johnson said. “I think the guys on the team are having fun playing together. We just now scratching the surface on how special we can become as a team.”
Johnson earned Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) offensive player of week honors after throwing for 275 yards in a 54-10 win over Northeast Mississippi Community College Thursday in Scooba. Johnson had two rushing touchdowns.
Ironically, it was the first time in 90 games under Buddy Stephens that EMCC did not have a passing touchdown.
“You are not going to be at your best to start the season,” EMCC offensive coordinator Marcus Wood said. “We have some talented receivers and quarterbacks that give different looks. We are working towards that finished product. De’Andre has not played in some time, so there is a little bit of rust to be knocked off. The kids have a great attitude. We have made a lot of strides since the first of the season and we will look even better next month.”
Through three games, Johnson is fifth in the state with 521 passing yards. He stands 120 yards behind leading the state, even after missing the season-opening loss at Jones Junior College.
After that setback, EMCC (2-1) has roared back strong with back-to-back mercy-rule wins over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (45-7) and Northeast.
The win over Northeast extended EMCC’s four-season North Division win streak to 19 games. Ironically, the last EMCC division loss was a 24-23 setback to Itawamba at Eaton Field in 2012.
“Certainly, we are now getting into the grind of the North Division schedule, so you want to see how your kids respond,” Stephens said. “There are lot of little things we need to clean up. However, we have been working to make those corrections.”
Johnson and reserve quarterback Vijay Miller have combined to hit 14 receivers this season. Former Starkville High standout Raphael Leonard leads the team with three touchdowns.
Itawamba (2-1) will play the final of four straight games against ranked opponents to start the season. After beating Gulf Coast and Hinds Community College, ICC fell 27-13 to Northwest Mississippi Community College in its North Division opener.
“The schedule is what the computer gave us,” ICC third-year coach Sean Cannon said. “The kids have really responded. We knew we could have to come out of the gates playing well and we have done that. This game is really big for us because you don’t want to lose the first two in the division.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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