SCOOBA – No. 2 ranked East Mississippi Community College football lost its season opener on Thursday night, falling 34-28 in a close contest against rivals Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
It marks the second year in a row that the Lions dropped their opening game of the season and the second regular season loss in a row to the Bulldogs, who came into the game ranked No. 10 in the nation.
Quarterback Ty Keyes got the start for the Lions, which wasn’t much of a surprise given he was the NJCAA DI Offensive Player of the Year for the Lions in 2023, but his late return to the team left time for competition in practice.
The late return appeared to have some impact early on with mistimed passes and offensive penalties showing a lack of cohesion early on for the Lions offense.
Things weren’t much better on the defensive side as penalties helped the Bulldogs down the field to open the scoring and set the tone. The Lions would answer to each of the scores in the first three quarters, but the momentum was with the visitors as the Lions struggled with turnovers and penalties.
The Lions took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring on a run by Cole McCarter. They had been chasing the game all night until that point, having to tie things up three times. The defense stepped up in the second half, getting a couple of quick stops to help swing the momentum, and the offense took advantage of the help.
Things took a turn after that however, with penalties popping up again as the Bulldogs levelled the score with a long touchdown drive. The Lions failed to move the chains, and a high snap on the ensuing punt led to a botched kick to set the Bulldogs up in the red zone again. With three minutes left they took a 34-28 lead, missing the extra point after a touchdown run.
The Lions failed to move the ball again after that, turning the ball over on downs at their own 25 and sealing their fate. The Bulldogs ran out the clock on a big win to start the 2024 season.
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