Perkinston, Miss. – Corbin White embraced his role of being the workhorse for Northeast Mississippi Community College on Thursday night.
White toted the football 12 times and accounted for the Tigers' first offensive score of the year, but Northeast fell to No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College 41-8 in the season opener for both squads at A.L. May Memorial Stadium.
"I'm just trying to help my team out as much as I can," White said. "I try to make plays and set up my wide receivers where they can make catches and get in the end zone as well. When the coaches call my number I try to do my best."
White, who was named to JCGridiron's Preseason Watch List for the running back position, took a handoff from Brett Thompson, broke one tackle and raced around the Bulldog defensive line for a two-yard touchdown run with 10:09 remaining in the contest.
The short sprint by White capped a tremendous 13-play, 77-yard drive that started in the third quarter. The Tigers were successful on a pair of fourth down conversions during that series, including once on a beautiful diving catch by LaVontis Smith.
Nettleton's White has crossed the goal line on four separate occasions in Northeast's last three games dating back to October 2013.
"It was good. He deserves everything he can get," said Tigers headman Ricky Smither. "Corbin's a hard worker, but we have to get 21 other guys around him ready to play."
Mississippi Gulf Coast jumped ahead quickly with touchdowns in each of its initial three possessions. Jason Smith scored on a quarterback sneak less than one minute into the matchup to give the Bulldogs (1-0) a 7-0 advantage.
Preston Dedeaux added a touchdown scamper and Smith connected with Tyrone Williams for a 46-yard score to extend Mississippi Gulf Coast's lead to 21-0 after the first.
Dedeaux and Williams registered their second touchdowns of the contest early in the next period before Tony Bridges returned a Northeast punt 55 yards to the end zone to conclude the Bulldogs' evening.
Smith topped Mississippi Gulf Coast's rushing and passing efforts with 233 all-purpose yards. Williams had four receptions for 144 yards as well to guide the Bulldog offense.
The Tigers (0-1) stepped up following the break and held Mississippi Gulf Coast to only 76 yards in the final two quarters of competition.
Northeast also kept the Bulldogs from scoring after the intermission thanks to a goal line stand in the fourth. Jamel Dennis and Justin Williams tackled Chris Robinson in the backfield for a loss on fourth down to give the Tigers possession once again.
The defense recorded Northeast's inaugural points of the campaign as well. Antonio Ryland sacked Thad Miller in the end zone for a safety to cut the Tigers' deficit to 41-2 midway through the third.
"It feels pretty good," Ryland said. "We went inside at halftime and tried to correct our mistakes. We came back out and executed our plays correctly."
Freshmen Jacoby Smith and Darius Whitty made impressive debuts in which they both snagged fumbles during the first and third periods, respectively. Smith's recovery was the first for Northeast since Chris Wolfe snatched a loose ball at Mississippi Delta Community College in October 2012.
Dennis, who finished 10th among all athletes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) last season with 10.7 tackles per outing, tallied a game-high 13 stops to begin his sophomore year. The Lafayette County High School product was one takedown shy of matching his personal best.
Johnny Smith followed Dennis with 11 tackles while Mario Virges paced the Tigers with six solo stops.
Thompson completed 8 of 18 passes for 76 yards in his first start as Northeast's signal caller. Joe Horn, Jr., collected the initial first down for the Tigers, who compiled 143 yards of total offense, on a short reception from Thompson.
"There's always stuff you can build on," said Smither. "We need to get back and find out who wants to play and find out who we are. We've just got to get better."
Northeast hopes to rebound on Thursday, September 4 when Hinds Community College visits Tiger Stadium in the final test for both teams before the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) divisional schedule begins. Kickoff between the Tigers and Eagles (0-1) is slated for 6:30 p.m. in the City of Hospitality.