Buddy Stephens is apprehensive, curious, and confident all at the same time.
If that sounds difficult, the East Mississippi Community College football coach will tell you it isn”t.
After all, Stephens is like all junior college coaches in that he isn”t quite sure how his new players will come together with his returners and how the Lions will fare at several positions.
Stephens also is curious to see how good the Lions can be and how they will jell. His confidence stems from the fact he knows the Lions have talent and that they have addressed areas that were concerns in 2010.
How will all of that play out? Stephens is as anxious as you are to find out at 7 p.m. Thursday when EMCC plays host to defending state champion Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. at the new $4.7 million, 5,000-seat Sullivan-Windham Field.
“I am excited to see what we”re going to be like,” said Stephens, who is in his fourth season. “I like the personality of our team. By no means am I a prognosticator. I will leave that to other people. I think we”ll be fine. I think we will have a good football team, and I think we will be competitive.”
Two years ago, EMCC finished 11-1 and won its first MACJC state title and then went on to win the 2009 Mississippi Bowl.
Last year, the Lions lost their first three games before rallying to win their final three games of the regular season to secure a tiebreaker for a playoff berth. Still, the Lions want to erase the memory of a 5-5 finish that was marred by injuries and uncharacteristic mistakes.
“We have question marks on both sides of the ball that need to be answered,” Stephens said. “Offensively, we”re sound in our scheme and very talented. We”re the same way defensively. I”m curious on both ends of the ball. I think we have the ability to score point and the ability to stop people. It is going to depend on how healthy we stay and how much we mature.”
Former Noxubee County High School standout Termarcus Conner and former Starkville High standout Jaquez Johnson will battle Arkansas State transfer Bo Wallace for playing time at quarterback.
Former Starkville High standout Billy Shed, whose older brother, Pat, is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will compete for playing time at running back with Rodriguez Moore.
“He can do it all like his brother Pat,” Stephens said. “He is not quite as big as Pat (he is listed at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds), but just like Pat he can do a little bit of everything. He can catch the ball and run the ball. He has been a really top-notch kid. He has matured a lot and he is doing everything we ask him to do.”
At wide receiver, returners Rodney Davis, JJ Harbin, and Hamp Glover combined to make 85 catches for 12 touchdowns last season.
The offensive line will have a local flavor, with Warren Jones, Gussie Lane III, and KeShun Smith (Noxubee County), Ryan Hollivay and Earnest Lang (New Hope), Jarrod Atterberry (Starkville), and Kevon Cunningham (West Point).
The defense also will have plenty of talent, including a bumper crop from this area. Top recruits Denico Autry and Damien Jacobs are expected to anchor a front that also will feature University of Alabama commitment Brandon Moore and Lauren Jackson, an All-Stater from Meridian High.
Middle linebacker Michael Pack is expected to lead the linebackers, while former West Point High standout Justin Cox, a Mississippi State commitment, and Shaquille Fluker, of Meridian, are expected to lead the secondary. West Point”s Jeremy Cannon and New Hope”s Franklin Richardson Jr. also are in the rotation.
“I think this has the potential to be the most talented defense we have had,” Stephens said. “We have a lot of guys who can run hit you. I like how we”re shaping up on defense. Our linebackers can run and our secondary is athletic. It has to do with maturity and taking care of responsibilities. I think they are committed to being as good as they can be. I really think they”re committed, and I know the coaching staff is committed to making them that way. I feel very confident in how these kids can compete.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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