There are 60 minutes in every college football game. That’s 3,600 seconds and the Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans needed 3,594 of them to secure a 42-35 win over #15 nationally ranked Itawamba Community College to end the 2026 MACCC football season for the Trojans.
The #15 nationally ranked Indians (6-4 overall, 3-3 MACCC North) came to Sandy Wilson Field/Jim Randall Stadium on Thursday night ranked #15 nationally in the NJCAA. The Trojans, now 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the North MACCC, fell behind early.
MDCC Trojan head coach Jermaine Smith said the early deficit got his team's attention.
“We came out and started a little slow,” Smith said. “And they came out offensively with a strong first drive. And I think for us it was kind of a wake-up call.”
Itawamba built a 14-0 lead behind quarterback Brayden Trusty. His 7-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Groce capped a 12-play, 95-yard drive that consumed 4:53, putting the Indians ahead with 4:52 left in the first quarter. Trusty added a 3-yard scoring pass to BJ Cork II at the 11:39 mark of the second quarter, finishing a 13-play, 56-yard march that took 6:15. Wade Hansford converted both extra points.
“They have a three headed monster in the backfield, and they’ve done a very good job all year running the football,” Smith said. “Pretty balanced team, but they have backs that once they get a crease, they usually hit their heads on the goalpost. We can’t have a slow start. We preached that all week, and we have to match their energy."
Then the Trojans took over the second quarter, scoring four touchdowns before halftime. Eli Johnson finished a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:24 remaining. Noel Mora’s extra point cut the deficit to 14-7. Smith credited the offensive line with helping turn the game around.
“I think offensively, we did a good job. I think it started up front. I want to commend the offensive line. They did a very good job,” he said.
Demarian Kidd supplied the next spark, intercepting Trusty and returning the ball 69 yards for a touchdown with 6:20 left in the half. Mora’s kick tied the game at 14-14. Johnson struck again with 3:33 remaining, scoring from 4 yards out to complete a six-play, 23-yard possession that lasted 2:47. Armon Vinson then found Charlie Ward for a 20-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left, capping a 10-play, 54-yard drive in 1:54. Mora converted both kicks, sending Mississippi Delta into halftime ahead 28-14.
“We were able to throw the ball and run the ball, so I want to really give a shout-out to the O-line, the coaches on the offensive side, getting those guys going and giving us some opportunities to make some big plays,” Smith said.
The Indians answered early in the third quarter. Caiden Holliday’s 12-yard touchdown run with 12:44 remaining finished a five-play, 67-yard drive in 2:11, and Hansford’s kick pulled Itawamba within 28-21. Mississippi Delta restored its two-touchdown cushion when Vinson connected with Nick Celestine for a 24-yard score with 7:16 left in the quarter. The three-play, 27-yard drive took 1:23, with Mora’s kick making it 35-21.
Itawamba rallied in the fourth quarter. Trusty found Groce for a 29-yard touchdown with 12:27 remaining, closing a 12-play, 83-yard drive that lasted 3:56. Later, Trusty scored on a 14-yard run with 1:01 left, completing a 12-play, 89-yard march in 3:30. Hansford’s extra points brought the Indians even at 35-35.
But the Trojans still had time for one more answer. Mississippi Delta drove 70 yards in six plays, using just 52 seconds, before Vinson found Celestine for a 5-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining. Mora added the extra point for the 42-35 final. Smith considered settling for a field goal before giving his offense one more chance at the end zone.
“I thought about just kicking the field goal to win the game,” Smith said. “And I called a timeout just to think on it.”
“Let’s see if we can punch it in the end zone, and if not, we’ll at least have a couple of seconds on the clock to try to finish it off with a field goal,” he said.
Vinson assured his coach he could deliver. Smith recalled the quarterback telling him, “'Coach, I got you.' and he did. He did,” Smith said.
Itawamba outgained Mississippi Delta 500-340 in total offense, rushing for 213 yards and passing for 287. The Trojans countered with 141 rushing yards and 199 passing yards. The Indians held a 28-27 edge in first downs, but Mississippi Delta controlled the ball for 31:32 to Itawamba’s 28:28 and converted nine of 17 third downs and both fourth-down attempts. Itawamba was six of 14 on third down and four of six on fourth down.
Turnovers helped offset the yardage difference. Mississippi Delta recovered four Itawamba fumbles and added Kidd’s interception for five takeaways. The Trojans lost one fumble and threw two interceptions. Itawamba also drew 10 penalties for 91 yards, compared with five for 45 yards for Mississippi Delta.
Vinson completed 17 of 27 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. He also led the Trojans on the ground with 75 yards on 17 carries. Jaylen Neely added 39 yards on 13 attempts, while Johnson scored twice and finished with 21 yards on nine carries. Kijuan McMillan gained 6 yards on nine attempts.
“Ran at the right times. Took advantage of a light box. Really played some good football,” Smith said of Vinson.
Smith distinguished between the quarterback’s two interceptions.
“The one pick I thought was an ill-advised throw, but the other pick was more or less a punt,” he said. “They picked it off around their fifteen yard line, so they had quite a ways to drive. I didn’t feel like that really hurt us."
Ward led Mississippi Delta’s receivers in yardage with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Celestine caught seven passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. Jarrett Jasper added a 37-yard reception, Monclair Brave caught one pass for 21 yards, Marlon Fluker had two receptions for 18 yards and McMillan added a 9-yard catch.
Trusty completed 24 of 40 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, adding 56 rushing yards and a touchdown on six carries. Groce led Itawamba with nine receptions for 144 yards and two scores. Ter’Myihias Welch caught two passes for 53 yards, and Cork had three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. Tydarion Grier paced the Indians’ rushing attack with 71 yards on eight carries, Carlos Benjamin Jr. gained 56 yards on 15 attempts and Holliday added 50 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Logan Evans and Lacoyrius Branch led the Trojan defense with seven tackles apiece. Evans made seven solo stops, while Branch had five solo tackles and two assists. Roosevelt Harris Jr., Nizhan Feagin, Kidd and Ardarius Gardner each finished with six tackles. Shunquavious Jenkins led Itawamba with nine stops, while Kole Caldwell and Seth Kidd recorded the Indians’ two sacks. Kenshiro Christopher and Lakendrick Potts each intercepted a pass.
Mora was perfect on all six extra-point attempts, including the kick after the decisive touchdown, while Hansford made all five of his PATs. Neither kicker made a field goal; Mora missed two attempts and Hansford missed one.
With the season complete, Smith said the win gives Mississippi Delta something to build on, even if four victories are not his ultimate standard.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction. Of course, I’m not happy,” Smith said. “Never, never satisfied. I’m probably my worst critic.”
“We have some momentum to carry into the next year,” he said. “I think we are now out of dormant stage. No longer dormant.”
Smith said he is already focused on turning that momentum into recruiting opportunities.
“Moving forward, trying to capitalize on recruiting, hoping that what we’ve done will get some new and exciting players here into the Delta,” he said.
He also expressed his commitment to continuing the work at Mississippi Delta, with his contract up for renewal in December.
“I’m honestly, man, I am good where my feet are. I definitely have a plan here,” Smith said. “We’ve had talks and we’re aligned to keep this train moving forward. I don’t have any intentions of going anywhere."
The offseason work begins quickly. Smith said weightlifting starts Tuesday, with 11 days of strength training before Thanksgiving break, and player and coach evaluations scheduled for the coming week.
“Every year is always changing. From coaches to players. You just have to prepare yourself as best as possible, and when things shake up, you have to be ready to transition at any moment,” he said.
Smith expects a returning core but intends to keep raising the level of competition. He said all of the offensive linemen were freshmen this season.
“I always try to out recruit the previous class. I just think that’s how you do it,” Smith said. "And it just creates great competition. We want to try to be better than we were the year before. I think that’s the way you do that."
His recruiting model also emphasizes helping players move on when they are ready.
“For us, I try to target guys that really just need a year of development,” Smith said. “If you don’t have to spend two years with me, and I can develop you in a year and get you on your way, I think it benefits you. That’s kind of how I try to create our model when it comes to recruiting.”
For players ready to move to four-year programs, the next steps are already beginning.
“They’ll start their visiting process now. We have some guys going on visits this weekend,” Smith said. “So here through November, those guys will be going on official visits, and some of those guys will sign in December in the early signing period. And then the rest would sign in February."