DECATUR — East Mississippi Community College sophomore quarterback Messiah deWeaver was looking for a few dogs late Thursday night.
“When the game is on the line, the dogs always stand up,” deWeaver said. “In the huddle, I knew I had dogs all around me. When we got the ball, I told them, ‘Time to go down there and score and end this thing.’ ”
The dogs came out in droves in the final three minutes.
With 3 minutes, 44 seconds remaining, No. 1 EMCC drove 54 yards on 13 plays to set up Josh Smith’s game-winning 19-yard field goal with four seconds left that clinched a 24-21 victory against No. 20 East Central C.C. in a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) non-division game in front of an overflow crowd at Bailey Stadium.
The longtime rivals are separated by 53 miles but hadn’t played since 2013 due to the MACJC scheduling format. They made up for lost time by delivering an entertaining, ultra-competitive game played before a crowd of nearly 7,000.
“There is nothing like a game-winning drive,” said deWeaver, a quarterback who transferred from Michigan State. “We aren’t used to this around here, so this was another chance to show our championship mettle. Just had a feeling we would have some guys step up when the game was on the line. There is nothing that will fire you up more as a competitive than driving down the field for game-winning points on the road, breaking the other team’s heart.”
EMCC improved to 5-0 and most likely will maintain all 17 first-place votes in the next National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national rankings.
After three mercy-rule wins and 50 or more points in four wins, this game was different. The Lions used three critical blocked kicks to gain separation.
In the second quarter, Josh Miller returned a blocked punt (by Adrian Miller) 30 yards for the touchdown to give the Lions a 14-6 lead.
With EMCC protecting a 21-15 lead late in the third quarter, former West Point High School standout Everitt Cunningham blocked a 30-yard field goal try by Sam Cox, who played at Starkville Academy.
After East Central C.C. (3-2) scored a touchdown and tied the game with 3:51 remaining, Josh Miller burst through the line to deny Cox’s potential go-ahead extra point.
“We probably work on special teams more than any other team in the state,” EMCC coach Buddy Stephens said. “Those plays saved us tonight. They were the difference. Just so proud of competing on every play. You can’t take kicking play lightly. It can change everything in a game.”
To find EMCC in a tight game was shocking. To find deWeaver on the field at the end also wasn’t likely.
Making his third-straight start, Vijay Miller injured an ankle when he was tackled going out of bounds late on his team’s final possession of the first quarter.
From there, deWeaver went 20-for-30 for 152 yards. He overcame five sacks by leading a powerful running game through a critical stretch in the second half.
The Lions overcame a below-average night in total yards (383 yards on 85 plays) and a reoccurring penalty problem (13 penalties for 126 yards) thanks to a career-high rushing performance from Deon McIntosh. The former Notre Dame transfer ran 31 times for 177 yards with a touchdown. Kevon Moore added 46 yards and another score.
An 11-yard touchdown run by Moore helped his team erase a 15-14 halftime deficit midway through the third quarter.
“The running game really had a strong night,” Moore said. “Hopefully, this is the start of something big for (McIntosh and Moore) for the rest of the season. We want the offense to know they can count on us.”
When looking for his dogs, deWeaver already knew McIntosh was one.
“He had that look in his eyes tonight,” deWeaver said. “He was running with authority. He was lining up running over people. When the game was on the line there at end, I was happy he was on our team.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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