Booneville, Miss. - One of the toughest stretches to begin the 2015 campaign of any team in the country is finally coming to a close for the Northeast Mississippi Community College football program.
The Tigers conclude a stretch of four consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents on Thursday, September 17 against East Mississippi Community College. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
Those that cannot attend the matchup can watch it live on NEMCCTV, which is the broadcast home of all nine Northeast intercollegiate athletic programs. Join Jeremy Kennedy and Bryan Fenley at 6 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
Fans can also keep up with all the action using live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers. Interact during the contest by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
The Lions appear at the No. 7 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll. It is the third time in four outings this season that the Tigers have competed against one of the top 10 teams in the country.
Northeast head coach Greg Davis notes that he expects the upperclassmen to take charge and lead his squad as the season nears the halfway point when the two-time defending national champions come to town.
"The sophomore group has got to step up in order for this team to be successful down the stretch," he said. "We know that going into this game. We've just got to continue pushing forward."
Three second-year athletes in the receiving corps have certainly done their part to guide the Tigers. Donta Armstrong, Jaylon Fair and Joe Horn, Jr., have combined for 32 catches and nearly 400 yards in just three outings so far.
Horn, Jr., who was selected as a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State player during the previous campaign, paces the unit with 13 grabs for 200 yards on the dot.
Kendrick Doss showcased a portion of his true potential as a dual-threat quarterback at then-No. 10 Northwest Mississippi Community College. The Florence, Ala., native had over 100 yards passing and added a career-high 71 yards on the ground as well.
"He's always had the option to run, but for the first two games he didn't really do that," said Davis. "We put him in some situations to where he had to run the football and it showed us his athletic ability. We're really positive about that."
Tiberias Lampkin remains a constant threat in the rushing attack for Northeast. The West Oktibbeha High School product holds a total of 222 yards, which is seventh in the Magnolia State.
West Point product Woodrow Prince has the most tackles for the Tigers with 18. Tupelo High School's Demarcus Rogers trails him closely with 17 takedowns through the initial three contests of his freshman campaign.
Northeast (0-3, 0-1) is averaging over seven tackles for loss per matchup. Nicky Martin of Pontotoc and East Oktibbeha High School graduate Justin Williams are tied with a team-high three stops in the backfield apiece.
The Tigers' pair of punters in Kossuth High School's Jacob Meeks and Bailey Walker of Lake Cormorant have worked well together. The duo is second in the NJCAA with an average of 42.2 yards each boot.
East Mississippi finds the end zone in a variety of ways. The Lions (2-1, 1-0) are currently third in the country with 1,844 yards of total offense and 614.7 yards per game.
Signal callers John Franklin, III, and Wyatt Roberts have accounted for the second most passing touchdowns nationwide at 12. The two have over 1,000 yards through the air and are also completing nearly 60-percent of their attempts.
De'Arius Christmas has 15 stops for East Mississippi defensively. DeShawn Tillman is active on the line and is tied for team-bests in the categories of tackles for loss with three and sacks at two.
The Lions boast the reigning NJCAA Special Teams Player of the Week in Allenzae Staggers. He returned two punts for scores last week in a victory against Coahoma Community College.
East Mississippi is ahead in the all-time series between the two MACJC North Division institutions 36-18. The Lions claimed a 65-7 decision one year ago at Scooba's Sullivan-Windham Field.