The Hinds Community College football team lost to No. 9 East Mississippi Community College 28-20 Thursday night in Scooba, Mississippi. The Eagles fell to 0-2 overall in the season.
Hinds opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal by Braylenn Spann with 9:59 remaining in the first quarter, cutting the Lions’ lead to 7-3. East Mississippi responded with a touchdown on its opening drive. The Eagles took their first lead early in the second quarter when quarterback Jaylon Ruffin threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dj Miller with 12:57 left in the half, giving Hinds a 10-7 advantage.
The Lions regained the lead with a touchdown run from Marcus Flowers Jr. 48 seconds before halftime, making it 14-10. Spann kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired before the break, narrowing the deficit to 14-13 at halftime.
East Mississippi extended its lead early in the third quarter with a Flowers touchdown run, pushing the score to 21-13. Hinds responded with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Ruffin to Briashun Forbes with 10:39 remaining in the quarter, bringing the score to 21-20.
Forbes led the Eagles with six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, while Miller added eight receptions for 90 yards and a score. Ruffin completed 26 of 38 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles had chances to retake the lead, including a drive that reached the EMCC 4-yard line before a fumble ended the possession.
The Lions sealed the win late in the game with a 14-play, 68-yard drive that took 6:19 off the clock. Flowers scored his third rushing touchdown of the night on a one-yard run with 4:02 remaining, giving EMCC a 28-20 lead. Hinds attempted a comeback, driving to the EMCC 8-yard line before time expired.
Hinds finished with 358 yards of total offense, including 285 passing yards. The team held the ball for 30:55 and recorded 19 first downs. EMCC totaled 397 yards, with 232 rushing yards. Ruffin also carried 20 times for 22 yards, while Makari Bodiford led the team in rushing with 52 yards on six attempts, including a 30-yard run.
Defensively, Hayes Dickens led the Eagles with seven tackles. Floyd Harris recorded six tackles, including a sack and three tackles for loss. Raymon McNeely added four tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. Jermiah Campbell also had four tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Jordan Randle contributed three tackles, two for loss, and two sacks.
Hinds is scheduled to return to action September 10 against Holmes Community College at Gene Murphy Field at Joe Renfroe Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. The team’s latest news can be found on social media @HindsAthletics on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.
