By Mark H. Stowers
All year, the Trojans have been David and Goliath in a Biblical gridiron fight. The problem has been not enough smooth stones to slay the giant. That is until the Trojans (2-6 overall, 1-4 MACCC North) took that three-hour bus ride south to face the latest Goliath on the schedule – the recently nationally #4 ranked Jones Community College Bobcats (6-2 overall and 5-0 MACCC South). The Trojans trailed most of the game until the continued hustle on both sides of the ball gave David the needed smooth stones for a come-from-behind 36-33 win. David won his battle with a simple slingshot and rocks. Mississippi Delta Community College Head Football Coach Tavares Johnson Sr. followed the same game plan.
"The guys played very inspired. (This week in practice) We simplified everything down to the lowest common denominator," Coach Johnson said. "We allowed the guys to play fast – don't worry about anything. Just do one particular job that we ask you to do and watch where we'll be in the fourth quarter."
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans were only down eight points, 31-23.
"I called everybody over and reminded them what I had said. Then I said, 'Let's go out and win this ballgame.'"
And that they did. The offense put together a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive – capped by a sophomore Devon Liddell 11-yard TD pass from freshman quarterback Troy Griffin – to get within two points, 31-29, and then the defense and special teams added a few more smooth stones to their simplified coverages.
The defense, working from only three coverage formations, kept at the Bobcats offense creating eight sacks on the night. That coupled with an amped-up special teams effort kept the momentum on David's side of the ball. A holding penalty on the kickoff pushed Jones back to their own 15-yard lie to start their drive. A one-yard loss, followed by an incomplete pass and seven seven-yard loss on a sack put the Bobcats in punting formation. On fourth and 18 from their own end zone, Trojan sophomore Dwight Phillips laid out and blocked the punt that was recovered by Jones on the one-yard line.
Freshman quarterback Stephen Winfield then ran it in from the one and put the Trojans ahead, 36-31 with 5:38 left in the game. Jones then started their next drive at their own 35-yard line. The Bobcats completed four passes of four, 11, 18 and 16 yards to get to the Trojan 16-yard line. The Trojans then picked up a sack and loss of two yards back the 18. An incomplete pass on 2nd and 12 was then followed by two substitution infraction penalties on the Trojans giving Jones a 3rd and 7 at the MDCC 13. Two rushes of two and four yards gave Jones a 2nd and Goal at the MDCC two-yard line. The Trojans' freshman Vamario McGee then forced a Bobcat fumble recovered at the six-yard line. The Trojans only had to find a way to run the final 1:11 off of the clock.
Easier said than done as Jones burned two timeouts and the Trojan running game couldn't find the first down marker. On a fourth and six at their own 10-yard line, the Trojans lined up to punt. But the punt team had been an Achilles heel for MDCC all season and that's when Coach Johnson knew exactly what to do.
"I told him (long snapper) to do what you been doing all year long. Snap the ball over his (punter Davon Klein's) head. Go ahead and do it. This time you have permission," Coach Johnson said.
The well-thought-out safety clipped the Trojan lead to three, 36-33. Then Coach Johnson had advice for his punter on the ensuing kickoff.
"I told him to punt it as high and as far as he could to force them to fair catch it. And that's what he did," Coach Johnson said.
Beginning their final drive on their own 36, Jones got the ball at its own 36 following a free kick. Quarterback DJ Smith (Greenville Christian) hit Houston Johnson (Pascagoula) who then made a backwards pass to Marlon Lindsey Jr. (West Jones). Lindsey got all the way down the sideline to the MDCC 31 where he was stopped and time ran out on the #4 team and their hopes of a homecoming win.
The Bobcats looked all like their #4 ranking when the game started as they took the opening kickoff and went 64 yards in four plays and the extra point made it 7-0 with 13:29 to play in the first quarter.
Two possessions later the Trojans went 57 yards in 10 plays. Sophomore Davon Klein's 41-yard field goal made it 7-3 with 5:34 to play in the opening quarter.
JC's next score began with a Griffin interception giving the Bobcats the ball at their own 46. Seven plays later, JC had a 28-yard TD pass and the PAT made it 14-3 with 13:43 left in the second quarter.
MDCC then took the ball and drove to the Jones 26 where the drive stalled. Klein's 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked to end the threat.
On the Trojans' next possession, facing a third and 26 at their own 2-yard line. Starting quarterback Troy Griffin dropped back and found sophomore Sirr Trotter down the visiting sideline for a 98-yard touchdown pass. Klein's kick made 14-10 with 7:00 to play in the first half.
Jones answered by going 69 yards in only four plays. A 55-yard touchdown pass and PAT made it 21-10 with 5:08 left in the second quarter.
MDCC then responded with a 72-yard, seven-play drive. Griffin found sophomore Ja'Kell Allen for a 27-yard touchdown pass and Klein's extra point made it 21-17 with 2:03 remaining in the first half.
The Bobcats started the second half quickly, taking over at the MDCC 6-yard line after a bad snap on a punt attempt. Two plays a nine-yard touchdown and conversion made it 28-17 with 12:30 to play in the third quarter.
The Trojans came right back with a 74-yard, 13-play march. Griffin found Trotter for a 26-yard scoring pass, but a blocked the extra point left the score at 28-23 with 5:55 to play in the third quarter.
Jones then went 69 yards in 12 plays settling for a 20-yard field goal to make it 31-23 with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
After a missed Jones field goal attempt in the final quarter, the Trojans drove 80 yards in seven plays. Sophomore Devon Liddell scored on an 11-yard run, but the pass attempt on the two-point play failed and Jones led 31-29 with 7:21 remaining.
The stat sheet showed a great game for the Trojans as they piled up 408 total yards – 333 passing and 75 rushing. Griffin was 16-for-29 and 290 yards, two interceptions and three touchdowns. MDCC's Trotter had five catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Davion Alston rushed 16 times for 44 yards while Griffin added 33 yards on 10 carries.
On the defensive side, walk-on freshman Johnathan Nicholson led all tacklers with 11 total – on solo and ten assists. Sophomore Jordan Johnson had 10 – six solo and four assists. Another walk-on hero, freshman Ja'Bitris Stewart, had a strip fumble and recovery.
"Defensively as a whole, they did a great job. I'm really proud of them. We ran three coverages. That's how simple we made it," Coach Johnson said. "The guys ran them well. We knew we were going to give up something but our guys kept fighting. If you quit, you don't have a chance and last night, they kept fighting. And they trusted their coaches to put them in the right position."
Battling for four quarters and putting together a complete game puts the rest of the league on notice that the Trojans are well on their way up.
"(Beating the number four team in the country) That's a tremendous lift for the program. It shows everybody that we are playing good football at Mississippi Delta. It wasn't a fluke and everybody – coaches, players, managers, trainers – everybody – for once, we were all together and we came together as a unit and we came out to win it. I'm proud of everybody. We overcame adversity. We had at least 15 players out. We started the game with 40 players. This time of the year you have injuries but I didn't let that become a distraction. I told them we had a job to do and we did it."
He noted his team "didn't drop the football. We had more catches than drops. The program is going in the right direction. We go into a hostile environment and upset the #4 team in the nation. I'm extremely proud of the guys and the future is extremely bright," Coach Johnson said.
Upcoming
The Trojans' final game of the season comes Thursday at #9 East Mississippi.
"We want to get that one. I've always said, we're not shying away from anybody," Coach Johnson said. "Their record (6-2) tells me they can get beat. East wants to be East. They consider themselves the brand of JUCO football. When we step on the field, all that goes out the window. It's just two teams trying to get a win. We look forward going to East and playing another top-ten team."
Game time in Scooba on Thursday, November 2 is 7:00 p.m.
David is looking for a few more smooth stones for another Goliath.