Lions dismantle visiting Bulldogs
SCOOBA – Tyrell Price made it very apparent that it was his field on Thursday night and he was just allowing everyone else to play on it.
East Mississippi Community College's starting running back racked up 104 yards and four touchdowns as the Lions dismantled Mississippi Gulf Coast 49-10.
The team's 13th-straight win continuing from last season was rarely in doubt as both the offense and defense came out cleaner than it did a week ago against Jones County.
“I feel like once we get going, it's kind of hard to stop us,” Price said. “Teams already come in intimidated by us and we come to prove that.”
The Lions had 393 yards of total offense by the end of the first half though finished with just 465 in the game due to the running clock. Larry Scott Jr., the LSU transfer quarterback, was sharp in his time with 14-for-21 passing for 275 yards and a score. He found eight different receivers led by Kirk Merritt, who had five catches for 79 yards.
EMCC's defense also had a strong night getting after Ohio State transfer Torrance Gibson. The unit combined for eight tackles for loss and five sacks while grabbing two interceptions and breaking up four passes.
“I feel like we performed well," Lions head coach Buddy Stephens said. "The guys cut down on the mistakes and were ready to play a big-time ball game. We're excited about the outcome. We feel like we left some points out there and hurt ourselves on defense. We've got to work harder on playing mistake-free.”
Lafayette High School's pride and joy Price scored each of the first three touchdowns from 2, 1 and 10 yards out giving the Lions the early 21-3 advantage midway through the second quarter. As he and the rushing attack led the way, the defense followed with an equally aggressive approach.
The Lions put the hammer down shortly after another defensive stop as Lindsey Scott Jr. hit Mike Williams for an 84-yard touchdown. After an interception from Ty Williams, EMCC was right back on the board before halftime as Reginald Hunter Jr. got in from 2 yards away for the 35-3 halftime advantage.
The “Buddy Rule” came into play early in the third quarter when a 38-point lead or more brought forth a running clock. Quin Jones picked off a pass from Torrance Gibson and took it back 30 yards for a touchdown making it 42-3 and the rout was on.
For good measure, Price got touchdown number four on the next drive as he bounced a rush on the outside and raced for a 29-yard score making it 49-3.
The fourth quarter rolled around and Gulf Coast got back on the board with their first touchdown of the day as Tyquan Ulmer hauled in a jump ball pass from 3 yards. It was 49-10 which was the final in the game as the clock rolled for most of the second half.
EMCC (2-0) will head to Northeast Community College next Thursday for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Booneville.