BOONEVILLE, Miss. - It took some last minute magic, but the Northeast Mississippi Community College football team broke into the win column in thrilling fashion over its top rival.
The Tigers scored twice in the final 15 seconds of the game to complete a come-from-behind 31-17 decision over Itawamba Community College on Thursday, September 30 at Tiger Stadium.
It was Northeast's third consecutive victory over the Indians. It was also the third straight triumph for the Tigers versus Itawamba on the Booneville campus dating back to the 2016 season.
The last time that Northeast captured three victories in a row in this rivalry series was some five decades ago from 1968-70 under the direction of multi-time hall of fame head coach W.B. "Bill" Ward.
"What a finish. We knew this thing was going down to the wire," said Tigers headman Greg Davis. "This was a huge win for our program. Hats off to the players. They played their rears off.
"The defense bowed their neck and played well. We pounded the ball when we needed to offensively. At the end of the day, we grinded it out. It was a fantastic victory."
Northeast (1-4, 1-1) did not lead until its final possession of the contest. Keyshawn Cobb gave the Tigers great field position with a 31-yard punt return deep into enemy territory.
Cayden Betts got Northeast into the red zone with 2:07 remaining with a first down carry of 10 yards. However, back-to-back penalties pushed the Tigers backwards and into a 3rd-and-24 yards to go situation.
Carter Putt and Dallas Payne rose to the occasion despite the setback with a 30-yard touchdown connection. Payne's first receiving score of the season lifted Northeast to a 24-17 advantage with just 11 seconds left on the clock.
"Me and Carter work on that in practice. He gave me that look and he was like, 'We're going to Dallas,'" Payne said. "He threw it up and I got in the end zone. It was a rush of excitement."
Tony Washington sealed the win moments later with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown on the Indians' first play after the ensuing kickoff. It is the second straight year that Washington recorded a pick-six against Itawamba.
"I knew we were going to turn the game around," said Washington. "When I saw the ball, I knew it was my turn. My team celebrated with me with a little dance at the end. It just feels great."
The Tigers outscored Itawamba 28-3 and held them to just 84 yards in the second half. Northeast held a 366-190 edge in total yards and held the Indians (1-4, 0-2) to only 10 first downs in the entire matchup.
Northeast's defense forced three turnovers. Carter Bonds had a diving interception in the opening half while Deidrick Orange forced a fumble and recovered it near midfield early in the fourth period.
Bonds tied for a game-high with 10 takedowns and also had three tackles for loss and two sacks. It was his second consecutive double-digit tackling performance and the fifth of his career with the Tigers.
Northeast sacked Itawamba's quarterbacks six times with Orange accounting for a team-best 2.5 of them. Jamarcus Smith and Cedric Hillsman added nine and eight stops, respectively, for the Tigers.
John Ellis Murrah got Northeast on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal just before the intermission. The Tigers marched 75 yards on the first drive of the second half, which ended with a five-yard touchdown scamper from JT Moore.
Putt found Mondrel Boykins wide-open down the home sidelines for a 40-yard score on Northeast's next possession. Murrah's extra point brought the contest into a 17-17 stalemate at the 5:02 mark of the third quarter.
Caleb Anderson had a team-high seven catches for 98 yards. Putt had his best performance to date with a career-best 286 yards on 19 of 37 passing with no interceptions.
Northeast now prepares for its lone weekend game of the 2021 campaign on Saturday, October 9 at East Mississippi Community College. A matinee kickoff of 2 p.m. is scheduled in Scooba.