Moorhead, Miss. - Northeast Mississippi Community College's football program hopes to keep its positive momentum by extending an unprecedented streak against its next conference foe.
The Tigers face Mississippi Delta Community College on Thursday in the first of two consecutive critical Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division matchups on the road. The squads are set for a 7 p.m. start at Jim Randall Stadium.
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 6:45 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com.
Fans can also keep up during the contest with live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.
Playoff implications are becoming much clearer for both Northeast and the Trojans as they enter the latter half of the 2014 season. The Tigers are in sole possession of second place in the MACJC North Division while Mississippi Delta is in a three-way tie for third with Holmes Community College and Northwest Mississippi Community College.
"Every game from here on out is huge," said Northeast head coach Ricky Smither. "We control our own destiny. We've just got to take care of our own selves."
The Tigers notched a near record-breaking performance in their previous outing versus Coahoma Community College in which they came one touchdown shy of breaking the school mark for most points scored in a single contest.
Northeast's quarterbacks led the effort with 368 yards through the air, which is the most in one matchup by the Tigers (2-3, 2-1) in over 10 years. Brett Thompson threw three touchdowns while Trace Lee and LaVontis Smith each added a scoring pass.
"I'm excited about the next weeks to come," Smither said. "Brett played a pretty good game again and he's growing still. Now that we've got Trace back, we're really going to be strong."
Northeast fields a trio of wideouts that have notched at least 200 yards at the halfway point of the campaign, including Donta Armstrong, Joe Horn, Jr., and Smith. Horn, Jr., paces the receiving core with five touchdowns while Smith has the most touches with 21.
Mississippi Delta has multiple options at quarterback with Devin Adams, Jaylon Daniels and Devonte McPherson each seeing action behind center at Holmes one week ago. The tandem combined for 105 yards on 15 completions.
The Trojans (2-2, 1-1) try to make their living on the ground, however, with dangerous running backs Quadre Butler and Roshard Burney. Both men ran for 100-plus yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Coahoma on September 18.
Defensively, the Tigers have been consistent in their tackling so far this season. Seven student-athletes have tallied 25 stops or greater through five contests.
Jamel Dennis guides Northeast with 37 total takedowns and 9.5 tackles for loss, which is second best in the conference. The 2013 MACJC All-North Division selection from Oxford has also accounted for a team-high four turnovers, including three fumble recoveries.
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) commitment Marcus Robinson follows Dennis with 34 stops. Justin Williams leads all Tiger defensive linemen with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks for a loss of 20 yards.
Northeast defeated the Trojans 30-9 last year to claim its fourth straight matchup between the two institutions. It is the first time in program history that the Tigers have accomplished that feat.
Mississippi Delta has scored less than 10 points in each of the previous three games against Northeast. The Tigers won the last meeting in Moorhead 24-3, but the Trojans hold the advantage in the all-time series 29-20.