Playing in just their third game outside of Mississippi since 2008, East Mississippi Community College found some postseason magic, defeating No. 1 Hutchinson Community College, 27-23, to secure a berth in the NJCAA football championship game, the Lions’ first since 2018.
EMCC, the five-time juco national champs, now have a chance to play for a sixth national title after upsetting top-seeded and previously undefeated Hutchinson, in Hutchinson, Kansas, on Saturday afternoon.
Lions quarterback Ty Keyes found teammate Cam Wright over the middle for an 8-yard touchdown with 52 seconds left that proved to be the game-winning score.
Keyes would find Wright three times in the end zone in the win, as Wright finished with 91 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns and Keyes threw for 134 yards and three TDs on 43.8 percent passing (14-of-32) on the day.
Both teams were evenly matched offensively, with EMCC gaining just two more yards of total offense. Both had one interception, but the Lions won the turnover battle, 2-1.
On the ground, Kiron Benjamin led the Lions with 107 rushing yards, averaging 13.4 yards per carry. Jaylen Jennings wasn’t far behind, finishing with 79 yards on the ground.
The win sends EMCC to Little Rock, Arkansas, and War Memorial Stadium for the NJCAA Division I national championship game on Dec. 13 against Iowa Western, a rematch of the 2014 juco title game, which the Lions won, 34-17.
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