By Shawn Wansley
JCJC Sports Information Director

ELLISVILLE – It’s not just an opinion to say D.A. Autry is having a good season at linebacker for Jones County Junior College.

It’s all there in black and white.

Autry, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore from Mize, leads the Bobcats in tackles with 63 solo tackles, 30 assists and 93 total tackles. That’s good enough for fourth in the state, as well.

But Autry still places the team ahead of individual play.

“Our attitude is good,” he said. “We are looking forward to getting a championship and getting a ring. Everyone is trying hard. We are trying to do everything we need to do to get to where we want to go.

“We had a tough loss last week, but we are trying to bounce back.”

JCJC dropped a close, 20-17 decision to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College last week in a game that determined the South Division championship. The Bobcats dropped to 6-3 overall and saw a six-game winning streak come to an end.

But Autry’s effort was tremendous. He led the team with 12 solo tackles, four assists and 16 overall stops, as the Bobcat defense limited the high-powered Bulldog attack to just 208 yards of total offense and shut them out in the second half.

“Our defense is going to work extremely hard to stop the run and the pass,” he said. “We practice very hard and we want to try and shut people out. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times against Gulf Coast and made a couple of bad plays and they were able to capitalize on it and get some points.

“But we are going to try real hard this week not to let that happen again because that’s a pretty tough feeling.”

The Bobcats will be facing a familiar foe in familiar surroundings this weekend.

JCJC heads to Scooba to battle eight-ranked East Mississippi Community College at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the opening round of the MACJC playoffs. The Bobcats dropped a 28-17 road decision to the Lions back on Sept. 3.

East Mississippi jumped out to a 14-0 lead and went on to the victory. The Lions ended regular season play leading the state in total offense at 478.3 yards per game and ranking No. 2 in scoring offense behind Gulf Coast with a 36.0 points per game average.

Autry and his teammates are looking forward to the challenge.

“We were getting off to a rough start when we played them the first time,” he said. “We were not doing what we were supposed to be doing on every play and we made a lot of mistakes. The team was kind of new in some of the spots they were playing.

“Now, we are looking forward to this game. We are a much better team. We look forward to having a good game this Saturday and we are going to do better than we did before, most definitely. I think our team is stronger than it was then.”

The Lions are very balanced. They are second in the state in rushing offense, averaging 189.9 yards per game and are second in passing offense at 288.4 yards per game.

“We need to play smart on the field,” said Autry. “We need to know our assignments and we should not have any problems. We need to execute the plays the coaches give us and we should be all right.”

Autry was a star running back and linebacker at Mize and played some running back last year as a freshman with the Bobcats. He was moved to linebacker this year, but was slowed by some preseason injuries.

Autry said he enjoyed playing on offense, but he wants to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful.

“The coaches told me they needed me to play linebacker this year and I said, ‘Put me at any spot,’” he said. “If I can help the team the most at linebacker, that’s where I need to be. At linebacker, I try to go as fast as I can, be smart and make as many plays as I can. I work as hard as I can at linebacker.

“I love playing running back and making plays on offense. But now that I’m on defense, I can make more plays over there. I enjoy hitting, the high intensity and I love playing linebacker.”

Autry also tries to set the standard for the Bobcat defense. JCJC leads the state in scoring defense, allowing just 16.4 points per game, and is third in total defense, giving up just 268.2 yards per game.

“When someone makes a big play, makes a big tackle or forces a turnover, that fires the team up bigtime,” he said. “I love making those plays for my team.”

Autry is scheduled to graduate in December and enroll in a senior college. He has received interest from several schools, but he places Conference USA members Memphis and Alabama-Birmingham at the top of the list.

Autry said attending JCJC has been important with helping him to adjust academically, athletically and socially to college life. He said the experience will help him tremendously at the next level.

“It’s the most fun I have ever had in my life,” he said. “I have learned a junior college like Jones can help you be a better man and a better person, not only on the field, but off the field, as well. I just thank the coaching staff at Jones for giving me this opportunity.

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I really appreciate it.”

But Autry and the Bobcats still have some unfinished business.

They meet the Lions this weekend and – with a victory – will play for a state championship on Saturday, Nov. 7, vs. the winner of the Mississippi Gulf Coast/Coahoma game.

“That is our goal – win this weekend and get a ring next weekend,” Autry said.

Saturday’s game is scheduled to be televised on www.jcjc.tv with Lance Pittman on the play-by-play and Mark Easley providing commentary. The game will also air on WGDQ-FM, 93.1. The pregame show begins at 1:30 p.m.