East Mississippi Community College is officially a dynasty.
The top-ranked Lions knocked off No. 2 Iowa Western 34-17 on Sunday, claiming their third NJCAA championship in four years.
"We certainly didn't play our best ball game or our most complete ball game," EMCC head football coach Buddy Stephens said. "We shot ourselves in the foot and kept making mistakes, and, hey: You've got to give credit where credit is due. Iowa Western has a solid ball team and they had a lot to do with some of our mistakes."
EMCC took a 21-7 lead into the break but watched Iowa Western pull within 21-17 midway through the third quarter. The Lions immediately responded with a 12-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to push the lead to 27-17, and then clinched the crown with quarterback Chad Kelly's fifth touchdown pass at the 2:48 mark of the fourth quarter.
A former Clemson quarterback and Jim Kelly's nephew, Kelly carried EMCC to the title, completing 40-of-53 passes for 434 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions while also leading the club in rushing with 33 yards on 12 carries. Camion Patrick caught seven passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and Quan Latham and Allen Sentimore combined for three interceptions.
EMCC took a 21-7 lead into the break but watched Iowa Western pull within 21-17 midway through the third quarter. The Lions immediately responded with a 12-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to push the lead to 27-17, and then clinched the crown with Kelly's fifth touchdown pass at the 2:48 mark of the fourth quarter.
Every national championship is special for a head coach, but this one is especially so for EMCC head coach Buddy Stephens as he becomes the first Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) to ever win back-to-back national titles, and the first MACJC coach to ever claim three national crowns.
"This feeling never gets old," Stephens told the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger. "Never, ever gets old. Hopefully we can keep it going."
With consecutive national titles and a 24-game winning streak in hand, EMCC will probably do just that.