Perkinston, Miss. - For the second straight year, Northeast Mississippi Community College is slated to face the 9th-ranked team in the entire country to begin its football season.
The Tigers open their 56th campaign on the gridiron this Thursday evening at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at A.L. May Memorial Stadium.
Those not in attendance can watch the game live on NEMCCTV, which is the new broadcast home of all nine Northeast intercollegiate athletic programs. Join Jeremy Kennedy, the Voice of the Tigers, at 6:45 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting nemcctv.com.
Fans can also keep up with the contest with live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.
Both Northeast and the Bulldogs finished as the runner-up in their respective Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) divisions one year ago. The Tigers hope to build on that momentum and prove themselves as contenders with a strong showing during their longest road trip of the season.
"The expectations are really high," said Tigers head coach Ricky Smither. "I could not have asked for a better offseason than what we've had. The guys have gotten a lot stronger and we've got some leaders coming out of this group. We feel like we're a lot better than we've been."
Northeast brings back 13 starters on both sides of the ball from a 2013 campaign in which the Tigers compiled a 4-2 record versus MACJC North Division competition. Six sophomores, including the South Panola High School trio of Justin Barksdale, Damien Rayford and Sean Rogers, return on the line to guide a veteran offense.
Nettleton native Corbin White caught the attention of Smither following an impressive fall camp. He rushed for 551 yards and three touchdowns during his inaugural year at Northeast.
"Corbin is a tremendous talent," Smither said. "He's really dedicated himself to getting better both in the classroom as well as on the field. I'm proud that he's come on and worked as hard as he's done."
LaVontis Smith also plans to register a breakout season. The West Oktibbeha High School product caught 16 passes for 288 yards and three scores during his first campaign in a Tiger uniform to pace a talented core of receivers.
Running back Rod Williams is the best skill player returning for the Bulldogs. He carried the ball 59 times and notched 563 yards with four touchdowns.
The Tigers boast two of the most elite athletes in the nation from last year in Jamel Dennis and Marcus Robinson. The tandem of linebackers combined to account for nearly 200 tackles to earn MACJC All-North Division honors as freshmen.
University of Tennessee transfer Jason Carr and Griffin, Ga., standout Nhigel Phillips are ready to anchor a talented defensive front.
Mississippi Gulf Coast brings back seven starters on defense that helped their squad compile an 8-2 overall mark in 2013. Justin Evans is the Bulldogs' top returning tackler with 47 takedowns at safety.
The lid lifter also serves as the first appearance at Northeast for defensive coordinator Kenny Jackson, defensive backs coach Kareem Moore and wide receivers instructor Joe Horn.
"I couldn't be any more proud of a staff," said Smither. "They've got a wealth of experience coming in. Every one of them was successful as players so I'm excited about them as coaches."
The Tigers fought back from a four-touchdown deficit, but could not complete its comeback effort and lost 28-14 to Mississippi Gulf Coast inside Tiger Stadium last season. The Bulldogs also lead the overall series 23-9-2.