Indians fall to No. 18 Northeast, 30-12
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com

BOONEVILLE, MS – The No. 18 Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers scored 24 points in the first half and held on for a 30-12 victory over the Indians to snap a six-game losing streak on Thursday.

The Tigers (5-1, 2-1 MACJC North) took a 3-0 lead after converting a fumbled punt by the Indians (3-3, 0-3 MACJC) into a 27-yard field goal by Austin Holloway before a 20-yard touchdown run by Kenzie Phillips gave NEMCC a 10-0 lead after the first quarter of play.

Northeast got a pair of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Mason Cunningham to bully its way to a 24-0 halftime lead before connecting with Cameron Montgomery on an 8-yard pass to take a 30-0 lead late in the third quarter.

The Indians fought back in the fourth quarter to score two quick touchdowns, but failed to convert on both two-point attempts.

Peyton Bender (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) found Isaiah Howard (Ripley) on an 11-yard scoring strike with 6:19 left in the final stanza. Quinshay Heard (Hamilton) recovered a perfectly executed onside kick by Zach Ellis (Tupelo) and Bender quickly cashed in on an 8-yard scoring toss to Howard.

The Tigers successfully recovered the second onside attempt, but the Indians' defense forced a punt and offensive quickly started driving down the field. A fumble after a long pass reception allowed Northeast to take over and melt the final 3:18 off the clock to notch its first victory over the Indians since 2009.

ICC, who leads the series 37-17-3, committed three turnovers on the night.  

Offensively, the Indians only managed 363 total yards (281 passing; 89 rushing).

Bender went 26-of-45 for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Howard hauled in 6 catches for 60 yards and two scores while Dorian Gaston (Ripley) added 91 yards on 7 receptions. Octavious Matthews (Stevenson, AL) paced the Indians' ground attack with 64 yards on 10 carries.

Defensively, ICC allowed 387 yards of total offense (199 passing; 188 rushing).

Tyler Logan (West Point) led the Indians with 9 total tackles (5 solo, 4 assists) with one going for a loss of a yard. Tay Carothers (Aberdeen) and Donald Twilley (Batesville) each had 7 total tackles. Carothers had 2 tackles for a loss of 13 yards.

The Indians will look to rebound as they host Coahoma Community College Thursday night at Eaton Field.

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