Booneville, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football team is seeking a quick turnaround in its final tune up before Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) divisional play begins next week.
Northeast flips the switch to the lights of Tiger Stadium for the initial time this season on Thursday when it welcomes Hinds Community College for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
Those that cannot attend the game can watch it 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 6:15 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com.
Fans can also keep up during the contest with in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.
Both squads enter the matchup in search of a victory following losses in their season openers. The Tigers have kept their poise after last Thursday's clash at then-No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College according to head coach Ricky Smither, who was anxious to see the reaction of his unit as they prepared for the Eagles.
"The offense and defense both have had a really good week of practice," he said. "I think our kids are still focused and are looking forward to playing another big school."
Northeast hopes to establish the tempo early by giving the ball to Corbin White. The Nettleton native scored the Tigers' first touchdown of the campaign on a two-yard run in which he broke a tackle and raced around the Bulldogs' defensive line.
Six different wideouts hauled in at least one pass for Northeast in its lid lifter. Joe Horn, Jr., made three catches while LaVontis Smith and Rashad Turner each snagged first down receptions.
James Summers paces the Hinds (0-1) offense from the quarterback position. The dual-threat signal caller accounted for 260 all-purpose yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns in the Eagles' loss at Holmes Community College one week ago.
De'Andrea Harris is the favorite target for Harris at wide receiver. Harris caught six passes and averaged 8.3 yards per reception.
Jamel Dennis picked up where he left off as a freshman in the Tigers' trip to Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Lafayette County High School product is currently third among all National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) athletes with 13 tackles per contest.
"I'm proud to see him starting it off the same way this year," said Smither. "He's got a nose for the football and has just been a steady player since the first day he walked on campus."
One of the surprises for Northeast's coaching staff last week was defensive back Jacoby Smith. Starkville's Smith tallied three solo tackles and grabbed the Tigers' initial fumble recovery since October 2012 as well.
"We brought him in about midway through the first quarter and he did a great job," Smither said. "I'm really proud of his efforts."
Javarius Taylor is tied with Dennis for the most tackles in the conference with 13. Keith Turner and Peter Bailey had solid starts to their sophomore campaigns at Hinds also with 11 and 10 tackles at Holmes, respectively.
Cesar Resendiz of Horn Lake High School was highly effective during his inaugural game in a Northeast (0-1) uniform. He had a tremendous hangtime and currently leads the NJCAA with four punts that returners signaled for a fair catch.
The Tigers and Eagles have not met on the gridiron since August 2009. Hinds, which has the advantage in the overall series 25-7-1, won the most recent matchup between the two schools 16-7 in overtime.