Booneville, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football program will close the longest home stretch in 14 years with its final bout against a non-division opponent this season.
Northeast welcomes Southwest Mississippi Community College to the City of Hospitality on Thursday, September 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
The contest serves as Northeast's annual Black Out Game. Fans are encouraged to fill the bleachers well before the Tigers take the field and wear black to support the team.
Those that cannot attend the matchup can watch it live and in high definition on NEMCCTV. Tune in starting at 6 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
The Northeast Broadcasting Network also includes new radio affiliate WOWL Fun 91. An audio simulcast featuring Jody Presley and Carter Smith, the Voices of the Tigers, can be heard on frequencies 91.9 FM from Burnsville, 92.9 FM from Florence, Ala., and 102.3 FM from Killen, Ala.
Search and follow @NEMCCTigers on Twitter for live in-game updates and interact during the contests by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
Northeast and the Bears are both searching for their first wins of the campaign after falling in their division openers one week ago against East Mississippi Community College and Hinds Community College, respectively.
"The biggest thing that we have to do is play one play at a time and that's what I told the kids," said Tigers head coach Greg Davis. "We have to do our job and that's it. We have to go out there and compete like we need to."
The Tigers (0-3) are still led offensively by Oxford's Kenzie Phillips, who is fifth in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) with an average of 88.3 rushing yards per game.
Phillips has the second most running attempts in the Magnolia State as well with 67 through three games and is tied for fifth for the highest amount of rushing touchdowns with three.
Northeast's trio of quarterbacks have combined to complete around 55 percent of their passes this year. The combo of Desmond Hunter of Wilkinson County High School and Caleb Kitchens from Tupelo Christian Prepatory School are a combined 18 of 33 for 113 yards.
Hernando's O.D. Wooten guides the Tigers' talented group of wideouts with eight catches, 127 yards and a touchdown. Twelve different Northeast players have caught at least one pass while three average a first down per grab.
The Tigers' offensive line; which includes starters Micheal Cameron of Philadelphia, Kelton Edwards of Hernando, Quan Stokes of Moultrie, Ga., Matthew Trehern of Saraland, Ala., and Jake Wilcox of Hernando; has allowed only three sacks through three matchups.
Kossuth High School graduate Beau Lee has the most net punt yardage in the MACJC with 687 yards on 21 attempts. He averages 32.7 yards each boot with a long of 52 yards against East Central Community College.
Peyton McMahon of DeSoto Central High School is in a stalemate with Holmes Community College's Lorenzo McCaskill for the fourth highest tackles per game average with 10 on the dot.
Freshman Juwan Taylor of Jackson follows McMahon and has been sensational in the defensive backfield with 26 tackles. His 17 solo stops are tied for the most on the team with McMahon.
Kylin Washington of Fort Smith, Ark., has a team-best four tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks. McMahon has the second most takedowns in the backfield with 2.5 while Sam Williams of Montgomery, Ala., has 1.5.
Southwest (0-3) has utilized a tandem of quarterbacks themselves in Brady Anderson and Juwan Adams. The two have racked up 664 passing yards and four touchdowns compared to five interceptions.
Neil McLaurin, who signed with the University of Minnesota after last season, is back for the Bears and at receiver after starting at quarterback one year ago. He has a team-high 17 catches for 335 yards and two scores.
Chanler Ferguson tops Southwest's defensive charts with 24 tackles, including two for loss, plus a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. Von'Darius Freeman and Mark Smith are credited with the Bears' only sacks this year.
The series between Northeast and Southwest is the second least played in school history among MACJC members. The Bears are slightly ahead in the all-time series by a 14-13-1 margin, but the Tigers won by a 55-30 score in Summit during the previous campaign.