Booneville, Miss. - One of the most spirited weeks of the entire academic year on the campus of Northeast Mississippi Community College concludes with a key matchup on gridiron.
Northeast welcomes Mississippi Delta Community College as its homecoming opponent for the second straight season on Thursday, October 4. Kickoff for this special game is slated for 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
Those that cannot attend the contest can watch it live and in high definition on NEMCCTV. Tune in starting at 6:30 p.m. for the pregame show by visiting www.nemcctv.com on any computer, smartphone or tablet.
The Northeast Broadcasting Network also includes 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 matchup by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
The festivities are scheduled to begin at 12:10 p.m. with the traditional home game day pep rally in front of the Haney Union. The 13-member homecoming court will make its first official appearance at this event.
Northeast then holds its 11th annual Sports and Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 4 p.m. in the Claude Wright Room of the Haney Union. The athletic honorees this year are Brandon Farley, Millard Lothenore, Mitch McNeely and Jerome Woods.
Pregame entertainment at Tiger Stadium starts approximately 30 minutes before the matchup gets underway. It features the recognition of the newest Northeast Sports and Alumni Hall of Fame members as well as the Showband from Tigerland.
Homecoming queen Avaline Morris of Burnsville and the remainder of her court, which includes Northeast student-athlete Rebecca Sheffield from the softball program, take center stage at halftime.
The Tigers tangle with the Trojans in their annual homecoming contest for the 11th time in school history. That makes Mississippi Delta the most common homecoming opponent for Northeast with Coahoma Community College sitting in a close second place with 10 appearances.
Northeast and the Trojans are actually deadlocked in these matchups. Mississippi Delta has spoiled the Tigers' homecoming five times in 10 tries and also leads the all-time series by a 31-22 margin.
Northeast is looking to shake off a heartbreaking double overtime loss to rival Itawamba Community College while the Trojans beat their archnemesis Coahoma Community College with a Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired one week ago.
"We can't lose focus on the sight of what we're doing and that's trying to win," said Tigers head coach Greg Davis. "It's a gut check for a lot of the kids. We're 1-4 and we could easily be 5-0 or 4-1.
"When you look at the whole body of work, they're playing hard and that's what I always want them to do. They're representing our program on and off the field correctly. We've got four games left. Obviously this is a big game for us with homecoming."
Northeast is coming off its most impressive offensive performance in at least six years with 594 total yards against the Indians, which included a sensational 393 yards through the air.
Quarterback Zac Oden of Montevallo, Ala., dealt a majority of that damage for the Tigers. He pieced together career-highs 382 yards passing, 26 completions and 46 attempts with two touchdowns.
Jalen Cobbs from Corinth also had a phenomenal outing at Itawamba. He recorded his initial 100-plus yard performance with career-bests of 118 yards and 24 carries with two scores.
Forest Hill High School alumnus Kortlon Hubbard notched his inaugural 100-plus yard receiving effort as well with 132 yards on just six catches for an average of 22 yards per snag.
University of Houston (Texas) commitment Terrance Edgeston continues to pace Northeast defensively with 47 tackles. University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) commit Sam Williams now has team-highs of 15.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
Tyrique McAfee guides Mississippi Delta (1-4, 1-1) with 868 passing yards and seven touchdowns compared to six interceptions. Linebacker Jaylan Woods has 36 tackles, including five of them for loss.