Indians shut out Trojans, 35-0
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
Fulton, MS - A strong defensive performance helped Itawamba Community College overcome a sluggish first half to defeat Mississippi Delta Community College, 35-0 Thursday night.
The Indians (6-2, 4-2 MACJC North) held the Trojans (2-6, 2-4 MACJC North) to 50 yards of total offense (100 passing; -50 rushing) behind 20 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks to help make up for the offense's season-high 6 turnovers on the night.
Antonio Clifton (Tupelo) set up the ICC's first touchdown of the game when he blocked a punt to set up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Kwadra Griggs (Greenwood) to Stanley Higgins (Starkville).
Leading 7-0 at the half, the Indians broke open the contest with a trio of scores in the third quarter.
Griggs connected with Grant Kimberlin (Southaven) for an 11-yard scoring toss to take a 14-0 lead on the Indians' first possession of the second half.
Kimberlin had 4 receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown.
ICC would take a 28-0 lead into the final frame after Griggs powered his way into the end zone on a 4-yard run and Octavious Matthews (Stevenson, AL) put the game away with an 80-yard touchdown run.
Matthews finished the game with 154 yards and a score on 13 carries and hauled in 2 catches for 42 yards.
Griggs capped off his night with an 8-yard touchdown pass to D'Andre Belton (Winnsboro, SC) before exiting the game with 237 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on 16-of-25 passing and 7 carries for 50 yards and another score in his final game at Eaton Field.
Belton had 80 yards and a score on 5 receptions.
Zach Ellis (Tupelo) connected on all 5 of his extra point attempts.
Defensively, ICC pitched their first shutout since defeating the Trojans 30-0 in 2011.
Daniel Johnson (Coldwater) led the Indians' relentless effort with 9 tackles with a tackle for a loss of 20 yards and half a sack for a loss of 8 yards.
Calwaun Street (Charleston) had 4 tackles for a loss of 33 yards, 1.5 sacks for a loss of 31 yards, and a pass break-up. Quinn Tiggs (Tupelo) had an interception, a pass break-up, and 2 tackles with 1 going for a loss of 2 yards.
Reid Kelly (Madison) averaged 42.8 yards on 5 punts with one downed inside the 20 and another inside the 10-yard line.
The Indians will travel to No. 7 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Saturday, October 24 to wrap up the 2015 campaign.
The Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1 MACJC South) dropped a 31-30 decision in overtime to No. 14 Co-Lin (4-4, 3-2 MACJC South) on Thursday.
Kickoff is schedule for 3:30 in Perkinston with the Davis Ford Pregame Show starting at 3:10 on WAFM 95.7 FM (Amory) and LetsGoICCTV.com.
For more information on ICC football and the nine other intercollegiate athletic programs, follow ICC Athletics on Twitter (@LetsGoICC) and visit LetsGoICC.com.
