Booneville, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football program will show support for a special cause during its final non-division contest of the 2018 season.
The Tigers will host their annual Pink Out Game on Thursday, October 11 against visiting Jones College. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
Both Northeast and Jones fans are encouraged to wear pink items of clothing to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Tigers will debut special pink jerseys against the Bobcats as well.
These customized jerseys will honor the friends or family of people in the local community or members of the football team with their names on the back. Portions of money raised in this endeavor will go directly to research and treatment at the City of Hope, which is a comprehensive cancer center based in California.
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 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 contest by using the hashtag #TigerPower across all social media platforms.
"This is a big night for a lot of people," said Northeast head coach Greg Davis. "Our kids are motivated because they're playing for somebody else on the back of their jersey. I want to thank everybody that bought jerseys. This has been a great deal. I couldn't be more grateful."
The Tigers on the field begin a stretch of three consecutive games to conclude the regular season against opponents that are ranked inside the top 10 in the country by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Jones, which is currently the only undefeated squad in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) South Division, is 5-1 overall and rated No. 7 nationally. Its lone loss is a two-point setback to Holmes Community College in week two.
Northeast (1-5) is looking to rebound from a homecoming loss to Mississippi Delta Community College. The Tigers are posting 342.8 yards per game, which is led by a nearly 200-yard average from its passing attack.
Zac Oden of Montevallo, Ala., guides that effort with 950 yards through the air. He is attempting to become the fifth Northeast quarterback in as many years to throw for over 1,000 yards in a single season.
Corinth's Jalen Cobbs and Zykeris Mosley of Independence High School are virtually deadlocked for the top rushing spot in the Tigers' lineup. The duo has 370 and 354 yards, respectively, with a combined four touchdowns.
Forest Hill High School alumnus Kortlon Hubbard tops Northeast's receivers with team-highs of 23 catches, 393 yards and three scores. The Northwest Rankin High School tandem of Carson Banks and Montel Gladney have 18 receptions apiece as well.
Michael Baugus from Corinth leads the Magnolia State with six made field goals. He is also averaging 36 yards per punt, which is sixth best in the MACJC and among the top 25 nationally.
University of Houston (Texas) commit Terrance Edgeston and reigning MACJC All-State selection Juwan Taylor guide the Tigers defensively with 62 and 58 tackles, which are the top two figures in the state. That also ranks among the top 10 in the country.
Sam Williams, who is committed to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), once again leads the NJCAA with 11 sacks and is second nationally with 18 tackles for loss. He has 47 stops overall with four pass break ups and three forced fumbles.
Stetson Bennett has completed 58 percent of his passes for 888 yards with 10 touchdowns compared to five interceptions for Jones. Kalyn Grandberry leads the MACJC with 756 rushing yards.
Chei Hill has a nation-best 20 tackles for loss, including eight sacks, to pace the Bobcats defensively. Nick Anderson has recorded a team-high 38 tackles and a fumble recovery.
"They're a talented group from top to bottom," Davis said. "We're gonna have to go out there and play well. We have to be great on special teams and not give up any turnovers."
This is the first meeting between Northeast and Jones since September 5, 2014. The Bobcats won that game on the Booneville campus by a 34-28 score and also lead the all-time series 24-8-2.