Booneville, Miss. - A group of 20 young men will step onto the playing surface of Tiger Stadium on Thursday for the final time of their outstanding careers at Northeast Mississippi Community College.
The Tigers welcome Holmes Community College for the last game of the 2014 campaign for both squads. A 6:30 p.m. kickoff is set for the battle between the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division 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 6:15 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.
Two teams with separate identities on offense will attempt to establish their brand of football early in the contest. The visiting Bulldogs (3-5, 2-3) feature the option formation and average 255.5 yards per outing on the ground.
Quarterback Jamario Benson provides a dual threat capability for Holmes. He has thrown for 314 yards this season, but is much more dangerous because of his agility with 398 rushing yards and a pair of scores.
Dre Massey and Aquindus Henson are also a threat for the Bulldogs. The pair has combined for over 700 yards and eight touchdowns during their freshmen years.
Northeast fields one of the best air raid attacks in the Magnolia State. The Tigers are fourth among MACJC members with 232.4 passing yards per matchup and tied for second with 17 touchdown tosses.
Brett Thompson guides that effort and is the first Northeast signal caller to throw for over 1,000 yards since Emanuel Francis accomplished the feat during the 2007 season. He has completed 50 percent of his attempts for a total of 1,342 yards and 13 scores.
Freshman Donta Armstrong has increased his productivity throughout the season and is now the number one target for the Tigers' quarterbacks. The wideout from Bruce holds team-highs of 34 receptions and 505 yards.
Joe Horn, Jr., tops the Northeast (2-6, 2-3) receiving core with five touchdown catches while Khalid Kornegay has crossed the goal line in each of his last three games.
Holmes has a stingy defense that allows only 21.6 points per contest. Five athletes have compiled 40 or more tackles including Jamal Veazey, who paces the Bulldogs with 46 stops.
Jamel Dennis guides a sturdy defensive unit for the Tigers that is third in the conference with 21 total takeaways and tied for second in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with 14 fumble recoveries.
The Lafayette County High School graduate has 65 takedowns and 15 tackles for loss, which is tops in the MACJC and seventh in the country. He is tied with three other athletes from the states of Kansas and Texas for the most individual fumble recoveries in the NJCAA this season with four.
Justin Williams has been solid at defensive tackle during his inaugural campaign in Booneville. He is currently third on the squad with 46 tackles and is fifth in the state just behind reigning NJCAA Player of the year Demond Tucker of Copiah-Lincoln Community College with 53 sack yards.
Fellow lineman Jalen Hadley has four pass break ups to lead Northeast while Marcus Robinson follows Dennis with 8.5 tackles for loss from the linebacker spot.
The Tigers also have the edge in special teams. Jacob Meeks averages 34.7 yards per punt with 11 downed inside the 20-yard line while Massey has only seven.
Northeast took a close 17-14 decision against Holmes on a rainy night one year ago in the City of Hospitality. However, the Bulldogs have the advantage in the all-time series 27-20-1.