Moorhead, Miss. - The nationally ranked Northeast Mississippi Community College football program will begin the critical final stretch of its regular season on the road.
The Tigers continue Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division play at Mississippi Delta Community College on Thursday, October 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jim Randall 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 Booneville based radio station WBIP. An audio simulcast featuring Jody Presley and Carter Smith, the Voices of the Tigers, can be heard on 99.7 FM and AM 1400 on your digital dial.
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.
Northeast broke a losing streak versus rival Itawamba Community College that dated back to 2009 in its previous outing. The Tigers look to break another skid this week after suffering two straight setbacks to the Trojans.
"In their mindset, they can beat us again. They've always played us tough," said Northeast head coach Greg Davis. "We've just got to do what we need to do to win this game. We've got to get it done from the opening quarter through the fourth."
The Tigers, who appear at No. 9 in the newest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll, have set the tone with their defense. They allow only 22.8 points per game and have given up 14 points or less in three of their six matchups.
Northeast (5-1, 2-1) has also accounted for 17 takeaways, including a league-best 11 fumble recoveries. DeSoto Central High School graduate Peyton McMahon guides that effort with four forced turnovers while Brandon Tillman of Grenada has three.
Tillman places third on the team with 40 tackles behind only Tupelo's Demarcus Rogers and Birmingham, Ala., native Brenden Williams, who both have 53 takedowns to their credit.
Northeast's offense is on pace to finish as one of the most elite in school history. The Tigers currently post 28.5 points per contest, which is second best behind only the 2005 squad that won the MACJC North Division with an average of 30.3.
Mason Cunningham of Shelbyville, Tenn., has been consistent all year at quarterback for Northeast. He was named to Mississippi Gridiron magazine's MACJC Team of the Week for the second time after recording a career-high 62.9 completion percentage with three touchdowns between passing and rushing against the Indians.
The Tigers compiled a season-best 4.7 yards per carry in their victory over Itawamba. Oxford's Kenzie Phillips guided that effort and now has a team-high 290 rushing yards with three scores.
L.J. Hawkins from Water Valley remains near the top of the national leaderboard in receiving. He ranks fourth in the country with 43 catches and sixth overall with 571 total yards.
Hawkins is one of five Northeast wideouts that have at least 100 receiving yards and 10 catches. Meridian's PaDarius Martin and Cameron Montgomery of Shannon High School are second and third for the Tigers with 186 and 184 yards, respectively.
Toreano Miner of New Orleans, La., guides Northeast's special teams unit with 17.2 yards per return. Booneville's Austin Holloway connects on 80.6 percent of his kicks between extra points and field goals as well.
"These kids have played extremely well," Davis said. "We've got to attack quickly and often. Don't give up anything cheap and just play disciplined. We can't take them lightly. They're not going to quit."
Mississippi Delta (1-5, 0-3) has utilized a pair of quarterbacks in Austin Guy and Guy Myers throughout this season. Terrance Grayer and Jalen Stanley are among the defensive leaders for the Trojans.
Ja'Bril Haymon is perhaps the top offensive weapon for Mississippi Delta at running back. He had a game-high 115 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers as a freshman during the previous campaign.
The Trojans are ahead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1949, by a 31-20 margin. Northeast has won four of the last six meetings with Mississippi Delta dating back to 2010.