Fulton, Miss. - Everything that Northeast Mississippi Community College's football team has worked for since practices began in early August comes down to one rivalry game.
The Tigers make the one-hour trek to Eaton Field for a 7 p.m. kickoff versus Itawamba Community College. The victor remains in the hunt for a spot in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Playoffs with only two games left following the 55th encounter between the longtime foes.
Those that cannot attend the matchup 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.
The stakes are once again high when Northeast visits the Indians for the second consecutive campaign. Ricky Smither believes that his seventh time to face Itawamba as head coach of the Tigers should be just as exciting as it has been during the previous six years.
"People that's coming to watch it are in for a treat," said Smither. "It's an evenly matched game. They're pretty good up front and do a lot of good things. We're going to have to take care of the football and win the kicking game."
Northeast relies on Jacob Meeks to shift the field position when necessary. The Kossuth High School graduate has landed nine punts inside the 20-yard line, which is fifth best in the league and second in the MACJC North Division.
Brett Thompson is in the middle of a tremendous freshman campaign for the Tigers. He became the first Northeast quarterback to throw for over 1,000 yards in a single season since Emanuel Francis accomplished the feat in 2007.
Thompson has a handful of dangerous wideouts on the Tigers' roster, including Donta Armstrong. The Pittsboro native tops Northeast with 336 receiving yards and 56 yards per outing.
Corbin White had an incredible night in Fulton last season with 221 yards on 27 carries with two scores. The Nettleton product hopes to repeat that performance and is averaging 4.1 yards per touch as a sophomore.
Itawamba tries to run the pigskin and is 12th in the country and third in the state with 262 rushing attempts. Richard McQuarley heads its efforts on the ground with 743 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Two athletes see the majority of the action behind center for the Indians (2-4, 2-2), including Kwadra Griggs and D'Andre Belton. Griggs has 435 yards through the air while Griggs is a dual threat with four rushing touchdowns.
Both squads focus on their defense as well. Itawamba leads the MACJC with 19 forced turnovers and the Tigers (2-4, 2-2) are second with 18.
Sophomores Devan Gilleylen, Chance McNulty and Sharone Wright have each recovered three miscues to pace the Indians. Gilleylen is also Itawamba's top tackler with 40 and four stops for loss.
Jamel Dennis and Marcus Robinson continue to pour in outstanding performances during their final season at Northeast. The duo has combined for 81 takedowns, 17 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and two interceptions.
Justin Williams and Jalen Hadley are dominant on the Tigers' defensive line. Williams, who is the reigning MACJC Defensive Player of the Week, has 38 tackles while Saltillo's Hadley is third on the team with six tackles for loss.
"When you look at the film and stats, those guys have really been playing hard the last three weeks," Smither said. "They've bought into our system. They're both freshmen that are playing well."
Dennis guides Northeast's efforts at creating turnovers with four recovered errors while Tadarious Clinton has grabbed three fumbles on special teams.
The Indians extended their winning streak over the Tigers to four games with a 36-33 comeback triumph one year ago. Itawamba holds the advantage in the all-time series as well 35-16-3.