By Shawn Wansley
JCJC Sports Information Director

ELLISVILLE – Just because the Jones County Junior College Bobcats are stepping out of South Division play this weekend, do not think for one minute they plan to relax.

“We want to go out there and play well and win,” said JCJC head coach Eddie Pierce of Saturday’s Homecoming matchup with the Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans. “We want to keep heading in the right direction. Of course, you want to win every game you play.”

The Bobcats, ranked No. 16 in this week’s NJCAA/JCfootball.com poll, have posted five straight victories and now own a 5-2 overall record. All of those wins were division games, so the Bobcats are now 5-0 in the league and have clinched a playoff berth.

Mississippi Delta enters this week’s game with a 2-5 overall mark, 2-3 in the North Division. But the Trojans have posted some impressive numbers, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Delta leads the state in total defense, allowing just 234.6 yards per game. They are tied for first in rushing defense, giving up just 77.6 yards per game, and they have only allowed five rushing touchdowns on the year.

JCJC leads the state in scoring defense, allowing 16.3 points per game, while the Trojans are second at 17.4 points per game.

“They are a great defensive ballclub,” said Pierce. “They are very big up front and do a very good job on defense. And they have moved the ball much better in their last two games.

“They have shot themselves in the foot and, I hate to say it, but they have not had much luck.”

Another interesting facet for the Trojans this season is the fact that five of their seven games have been decided by seven points or less. Mississippi Delta owns wins over Northeast (14-7) and Itawamba (13-7). Their losses have been to Southwest (13-12), Co-Lin (34-9), Coahoma (20-13), Northwest (25-22 in overtime) and Holmes (16-7).

The Trojans are coached by veteran head coach Jay Miller.

“Jay Miller has been in this league a long time,” said Pierce. “He does it the right way and he will have his team prepared to play. With a few breaks, Delta could easily be winning the North right now.”

The Trojans are led on offense by quarterback Jacob Land (125.3 passing efficiency), running back Charles Ambrose (53.1 ypg) and wide receiver Michael Tanner (60.0 ypg). On defense, Delta looks to defensive end Charles Ramsey (7 sacks) and the state’s leading tackler, linebacker Mark Spaight (57 solo tackles and 15 assists). They are led on special teams by punt returner Thomas Moore (9.8 ypr).

The Bobcats are coming off a 40-21 victory at Southwest. The win was important for several reasons with the main one being it clinched a playoff spot for JCJC.

“Last week was huge,” said Pierce on Thursday morning. “We had to win to assure ourselves of a playoff spot and we did that. We needed to go out and take care of business.”

Jones got off to a good start in the game, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when quarterback Brian Robinson scored on a 5-yard run. They exploded for three touchdowns in the second quarter. First, safety Jamie Bender ran an interception back 47 yards for a score, followed by a 47-yard Bubba Brown run for a touchdown. Brown’s 2-yard plunge gave JCJC a 27-0 lead at halftime.

However, the Bears scored the first two touchdowns of the second half and trimmed the lead to 27-14. But JCJC answered with a Robinson to Anthony Jackson 18-yard pass for a touchdown and a 4-yard Robinson run for a score to go up 40-14. The Bears got the game’s final score with just over a minute to play.

“We did a good job, but we kind of fell asleep in the third quarter,” said Pierce. “But we were able to regroup and put up two more touchdowns.”

Brown rushed for 109 yards on 18 carries, while Robinson, who became the starter in game three and has quarterbacked the five straight wins, rushed for 48 yards and passed for 109 yards.

On defense, Bender had a pair of interceptions and Chris Lofton added one. Defensive backs Ramon Blakeney and Marcus Pierce were both in on seven tackles, while defensive ends Ryan Robinson and Tyrunn Walker had 2 ½ and 1 ½ sacks, respectively. Darius Jordan had a sack and Jo’nal White had ½ a sack.

But the leading tackler in the game for Jones was Taylorsville freshman linebacker Leroyce Keyes. Keyes (6-2, 210) has been solid since he became a starter in the third game of the season. Last week, he had five solo stops and five assists for 10 total tackles.

“Leroyce is a great kid and has done a super job,” said Pierce. “He is a walk-on and his high school coach (Bud Blackledge) told me he just makes plays. We kind of threw him to the wolves and he has really responded. We needed that to happen.

“Even I probably did not think he would have done this well, but Leroyce has been a key player for us.”

Another note about Saturday’s activities is the fact the 1979 JCJC state championship football team will be recognized. Pierce was a member of that team and is looking forward to seeing many of his old teammates.

“I played on that team and it would mean a lot to win this game in front of those guys,” he added.

The game kicks off at 2 p.m. and can be seen on www.jcjc.tv and can be heard on WGDQ-FM, 93.1. Lance Pittman will call the play-by-play and Mark Easley will handle color commentary. The pregame show begins at 1:30 p.m.

Next week, the South Division title will be on the line when JCJC entertains Mississippi Gulf Coast at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the regular season finale for both teams.

Delta ends their season on Thursday, Oct. 22, at East Mississippi.

MACJC STANDINGS
South Division
Division Overall
W L W L
Jones 5 0 5 2
Gulf Coast 4 0 6 1
Copiah-Lincoln 2 2 4 3
Southwest 2 3 3 4
Pearl River 1 3 4 3
Hinds 1 3 3 4
East Central 0 4 2 5

North Division
Division Overall
W L W L
East Mississippi 4 0 6 1
Coahoma 2 2 4 3
Northwest 2 2 4 3
Northeast 2 2 2 5
Mississippi Delta 2 3 2 5
Holmes 2 3 2 5
Itawamba 1 3 2 5

Thursday, October 15
Coahoma at Northeast
East Central at Co-Lin
Hinds at Gulf Coast
Saturday, October 17
Mississippi Delta at JCJC, 2 p.m.
East Mississippi at Itawamba, 3 p.m.
Northwest at Holmes, 6 p.m.
Southwest at Pearl River, 3 p.m.

MACJC Statistics
- JCJC is fifth in scoring offense (25.4 ppg) and is first in scoring defense (16.3 ppg).
- JCJC is fifth in rushing offense (161.4 ypg) and is third in rushing defense (99.4 ypg).
- JCJC is 13th in passing offense (115.7 ypg) and is 12th in passing defense (203.4 ypg).
- JCJC is 11th in total offense (277.1 ypg) and is fourth in total defense (302.9 ypg).
- JCJC is seventh in turnover margin (+2).
- JCJC’s Bubba Brown is third in non-kicking scoring (60 points) and is fourth in rushing (92.0 ypg).
- JCJC’s Brian Robinson is 12th in passing yardage (92.7 ypg) and is 11th in passing efficiency (113.8).
- JCJC’s Jacob Chancellor is third scoring by kickers (38 points) and is fourth in punting (35.9 ypk).
- JCJC’s Chris Lofton is seventh in punt returns (9.1 ypr).
- JCJC’s Anthony Jackson is 12th in kickoff returns (22.8 ypr).
- JCJC’s Ryan Robinson is tied for third in sacks (8 sacks – 1.1 per game).
- JCJC’s D.A. Autry is sixth in tackles (44 solos, 25 assists), Ramon Blakeney is 18th (35 solos, 18 assists) and Marcus Pierce is 23rd (33 solos, 13 assists).