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Quarterback Randall Mackey has become EMCC’s third NJCAA Player of the Week this football season after accounting for 607 yards of total offense and throwing for seven touchdowns in the Lions’ 75-71 MACJC state championship victory over Mississippi Gulf Coast last weekend.
A former prep standout at Bastrop (La.) High School, Mackey completed 31-of-42 passes for a career-high 482 yards and seven touchdowns against the two-time defending state champions. The 6-foot, 185-pound signal-caller also picked up a career-best 125 rushing yards on 18 carries against MGCCC to help lead the 10-1 EMCC Lions to the school’s first-ever MACJC state football championship.
On the season, Mackey currently leads the NJCAA in pass completion percentage (68.3%) on 205-of-300 passing for 2,880 yards. He also ranks second among the nation’s leaders with 29 passing touchdowns and third in passing yards per contest (288 yds/gm). In addition, Mackey rates second in the nation with an average of 341 yards of total offense per outing this year.
For his impressive two-year career at East Mississippi, Mackey has thrown for 5,698 yards and 53 touchdowns on 398-of-620 (64.2%) passing in helping direct head coach Buddy Stephens’ Lions to a two-year composite record of 18-3, including two straight outright MACJC North Division championships and school-first, back-to-back state playoff appearances. On the ground for his career, the two-time NJCAA Region 23 Most Valuable Player has gained 1,016 rushing yards on 177 carries, including nine rushing touchdowns.
Heading into EMCC’s upcoming bowl game appearance, Mackey has amassed 6,714 yards of total offense for an average of 8.4 yards per play and 335.7 yards per contest in 20 career junior college appearances.
Mackey’s selection marks the second time in his junior college career that he has been tabbed with national player of the week honors. A year ago, he previously garnered NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week laurels for his efforts in EMCC’s 27-23 come-from-behind road win over then-No. 2 Mississippi Gulf Coast. In that contest, Mackey completed 36-of-58 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 86 yards and a score in 12 attempts.
With this week’s honor, the East Mississippi football program has now been recognized an NJCAA-high three times this season for weekly accomplishments by its student-athletes. No other school among the NJCAA ranks has had more than two weekly selections in 2009. Additionally, all three of EMCC’s honors this year have come to different players in each of the three separate nomination categories. Last month, freshman kick return specialist British Footman earned the NJCAA’s Special Teams Player of the Week honor after EMCC’s home win over Mississippi Delta in the regular-season finale. Prior to that, sophomore defensive end Claude Davis, a preseason NJCAA All-American, was named the NJCAA’s Defensive Player of the Week following the Lions’ Oct. 10 homecoming victory over Northeast Mississippi.
Awaiting a probable appearance in next month’s Mississippi Bowl in Biloxi, the EMCC Lions continue to be in the hunt for national championship contention depending on how other conference championship games shake out this weekend. Ranked sixth in the current NJCAA/JCFootball.com poll, East Mississippi presently stands second in the JC Grid-Wire National Top 25 behind Navarro (Texas) as well as rating fourth in the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 rankings.
Bowl invitations can be extended by the respective committees as early as next Tuesday (Nov. 17). This year’s Mississippi Bowl will be played Sunday, Dec. 6 at Biloxi Indian Stadium. Kickoff for the second annual event is set for 2 p.m.