SUMMIT, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football team won the turnover battle on the way to claiming its second consecutive road victory to begin the season.
The Tigers turned three turnovers by Southwest Mississippi Community College into 14 critical points in a 35-21 triumph on Thursday, September 4 at John I. Hurst Stadium.
"Complimentary football is what we played tonight," said Northeast head coach Greg Davis. "Overall, the defense played excellent. We were positive in the turnover ratio so that was a huge thing. It was a fantastic win."
Linebackers Rickey Banks, Jerone Baskin and Ryan McCall all reeled in interceptions for the Tigers (2-0). Oppositely, Northeast's offense did not commit a turnover the entire evening.
McCall's pick was perhaps the most impactful. With the Bears approaching the red zone early in the second quarter, he stepped in front of a pass and returned it 69 yards to the opposite end of the field.
Qua Middlebrooks punched the ball across the goal line two plays later with an eight-yard dash. Freddy Lopez's first of five true point after attempts gave Northeast a 7-0 advantage at the 13:32 mark.
The Tigers never trailed, but Southwest stayed within two possessions throughout the night. Northeast led 14-7 at halftime after Jeremiah Harrell connected with Makyi Reed-Jones for a 37-yard touchdown.
Both teams exchanged scores in the third period. The Tigers got it to 21-7 after Middlebrooks' second touchdown, which occurred one play after Baskin's first collegiate interception.
Banks recorded a game-high 11 tackles defensively, but his biggest moment came on special teams. He took a direct snap in punt formation on fourth-and-six and converted a key first down with a 15-yard gain.
Harrell capitalized on Banks' success with a 13-yard strike to Jeremiah Augustin. It was the longest scoring drive of the contest for Northeast at 13 plays, 70 yards and just under five minutes of clock.
"I was a little nervous, but we'd practiced it all week so I was ready when they called my name," Banks said. "Jameson (Mosley) and Ryan gave me a great block and it was daylight out there on the outside. It was great momentum."
Washington State University transfer Isaiah Cobbs made it a trifecta of receivers that posted their inaugural touchdowns of the new year. His 37-yard catch-and-run accounted for the Tigers' final points.
Northeast racked up 322 yards of total offense. Middlebrooks topped that effort with 118 all-purpose yards, including game-bests of 73 yards on the ground with 17 attempts.
"It's great working with the o-line. When I came in, they treated me like a brother and they didn't even know me," said Middlebrooks. "I came to Northeast to win. That's all I want to do."
Kyshawn Kimble had a pair of sacks on the defensive front. Daniel Sherman helped the Tigers shift field position with an average of 37.2 yards per punt, including four that landed inside the 20-yard line.
Northeast welcomes Mississippi Delta Community College for its first home and division game of the season on Thursday, September 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Tiger Stadium.