LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Coming into Wednesday night’s National Junior College Athletic Association Division I national championship game, East Mississippi Community College was a perfect 5-for-5 in national title games.
One of those came against Iowa Western, the very same team the 2023 Lions would take on at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark.
While history favored EMCC as it had a chance to make history with its sixth national title, in its way was a Reivers team looking for back-to-back national titles, and they were on a mission early on.
A special teams touchdown from former Starkville Yellow Jacket Jaylon York was all the Lions got in the first half as Iowa Western piled it on, taking a 20-point lead into halftime and cruising to a 61-14 win and a third national title in program history.
For just the second time in the Buddy Stephens era, EMCC (10-3) allowed 60+ points in a game, last doing so on Oct. 12, 2017 against Northwest Mississippi CC.
For the second time in three games, the Lions failed to score an offensive touchdown in the first half, having just York’s 91-yard kickoff return touchdown to show for it..
At that point, EMCC took a 7-6 lead with 5:01 left in the first quarter thanks to a missed extra point after Iowa Western’s first touchdown of the game.
Any momentum the Lions had soon faded as the Reivers (12-1) capitalized on key defensive stops and consistent offensive plays.
Where the Lions stumbled offensively, having sporadic success on the ground but never getting the passing game untracked, Iowa Western excelled both rushing and passing and piled on the points in the second half, scoring at least two touchdowns in every quarter.
It took until the 3:01 mark of the third quarter for EMCC to score an offensive touchdown on Wednesday, a 42-yard pass from Ty Keyes to Raymon Blackmon, but at that point, the Lions trailed 41-7, and the game was all but over.
The stats were predictably lopsided considering the score, as EMCC finished with 317 yards of total offense in the loss – with a good chunk of that coming in garbage time – and allowed 553 yards of total offense and 7.9 yards per play to the Reivers, but it was the miscues where the Lions shot themselves in the foot.
A key facemask penalty on 3rd and long during Iowa Western’s first touchdown drive of the game directly contributed to the touchdown.
The Reivers’ second touchdown drive came after a lengthy kick return, and another touchdown was set up by a blocked punt, giving Iowa Western a short field to work with.
EMCC came into the contest with high hopes thanks to a string of wins over top-10 opponents, but couldn’t keep pace with Iowa Western in any phase of the game, and left Little Rock empty-handed on the heels of a shocking blowout.
Iowa Western 61, EMCC 14
EMCC (10-3) 7 0 7 0 – 14
Iowa Western (12-1) 13 14 14 21 – 61
First quarter
IW — Bryant Williams 19 pass from Hunter Watson (kick failed), clock 5:15
EMCC — Jaylon York 91 kickoff return (Cole Arthur kick), clock 5:01
IW — Watson 1 run (Lane Feierfeil kick), clock 0:24
Second quarter
IW — Williams 26 pass from Watson (Max Bartachek kick), clock 8:08
IW — Jonathan Humpal 4 run (Bartachek kick), clock 3:57
Third quarter
IW — Watson 45 run (Bartachek kick), clock 8:16
IW — LJ Fitzpatrick 10 pass from Watson (Bartachek kick), clock 5:01
EMCC — Raymon Blackmon 42 pass from Ty Keyes (Arthur kick), clock 3:01
Fourth quarter
IW — Latrell Bonner 14 pass from Chad Kearns (Bartachek kick), clock 14:06
IW — Humpal 45 run (kick failed), clock 9:58
IW — Trevor Burnett 26 run (Bartachek kick), clock 3:24
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