SENATOBIA - There were a bevy of highlights for Northwest in Saturday evening's 33-14 upset of No. 8 East Mississippi, but defensive back Fredd Adams almost certainly stole the show.

Adams, a sophomore from Tupelo, picked off four passes from East Mississippi quarterbacks Cole McCarty and Ty Keyes, the reigning NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year. Three of his interceptions came in the second half and one was returned for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, effectively driving the nail in the coffin for the Lions.

More importantly, Adams became just the third player in Northwest history to record four interceptions in a game, joining Vandell Grigsby and Johnathan Shaw for the program record. Of note, Shaw achieved that milestone in a 1999 game against East Mississippi, while Grigsby's four interceptions came in the 1992 Mid-America Bowl against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Adams' strong showing wasn't the only highlight for the Rangers, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Jerry Wall III got the scoring started for Northwest midway through the first quarter with his 68-yard fumble recovery touchdown, and Northwest was led with nine tackles apiece from Jacorey Jones and Kamp Shepherd. In all, the Rangers forced five East Mississippi turnovers and left the Lions just 4-for-10 on third down conversions.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, sophomore tailback D'mariun Perteet tallied 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. The Courtland native racked up his third career 100-yard rushing performance and matched his career-high of two touchdowns, something he did last season in a road win at Holmes.

Both teams opened the game with empty-handed possessions, but East Mississippi marched downfield on its second chance with the ball. The Lions started from their own nine-yard line with 10:52 left in the first quarter and made it down to the Rangers' 28-yard line, before Keyes took a hit from Shepherd that jarred the ball loose, leading to Wall's scoop and score.

Trailing 7-0, East Mississippi once again went on the move on the ensuing possession. Keyes marched the Lions from their own 32-yard line to a four-minute drive, which ended with a short three-yard score from Gavin Griffin. Hayden Houpt followed with the extra-point kick, tying the game at 7-7 with 2:53 remaining in the opening quarter.

From there, the Rangers went to work on a 10-play, 81-yard drive that carried over into the second quarter. On the second play of the second quarter, quarterback Zach Wilcke's 13-yard keeper on third down helped Northwest across midfield, later setting up an 18-yard pass to Rashard Daniels and a 29-yard rushing score from Perteet. Jackson Uselton followed with the extra-point kick, pushing the Rangers to a 14-7 advantage.

Both teams struggled on the offensive side of the ball throughout the second quarter, but with 5:27 left before halftime, Northwest went on the move. After a short rush from Perteet, Wilcke connected with M.J. Johnson on a 33-yard pass, pushing the Rangers across midfield. However, the drive came to a screeching halt a few plays later, as Wilcke's 34-yard pass was picked off by East Mississippi's Brandon Short at the one-yard line.

Just when it seemed like the Lions would get a chance to tie the game late in the first half, McCarty was stifled by D.J. Burgess and Jaylon Johnson two plays later, as the duo pushed the quarterback into the back of the end zone for a safety. The tag-team sack by the sophomore duo helped make it a 16-7 Northwest lead with 2:59 remaining in the second quarter.

Although the Rangers were unable to capitalize on their subsequent possession, Adams came up with the first of his four interceptions at just the right time. As East Mississippi embarked on a seven-play, 62-yard drive that reached the red zone, McCarty's pass with less than 30 seconds left was picked off by Adams for a touchback. The defensive stop allowed Northwest to run out the remainder of the first half.

Both teams started the second half on empty-handed possessions, but East Mississippi did reach the Rangers' 31-yard line before failing to convert on a short fourth down. Though Northwest once again failed to get anything going on its next offensive opportunity, the Lions turned the ball over on the first play of their next possession, as Keyes' pass was picked off for Adams' second interception.

With a short field, the Rangers went right to work. After back-to-back rushes of seven and 10 yards from Wilcke, Perteet zoomed into the end zone from 20 yards out, pushing Northwest to a 23-7 lead with 7:08 left in the third quarter.

East Mississippi sought a response on its next possession, but on the fourth play of the drive, McCarty's pass was picked off by Adams for a 24-yard return. Although a penalty negated some of Adams' interception yards, the play stood for his third pick of the evening.

Northwest worked its way to the Lions' 37-yard line, but Wilcke was sacked on third down to set up a 36-yard punt from Hayden Wolfe. EMCC also failed to gain any serious momentum on the next possession, and the Rangers took over from their own 41-yard line with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.

Both teams once again traded punts to open the fourth quarter, but the Rangers started a long, clock-burning drive with 12:39 remaining to help put the game a little further out of reach. In 11 plays and nearly six minutes, Northwest moved the ball 38 yards downfield, setting up a 44-yard field goal from Wolfe that pushed the lead to 26-7.

However, the real dagger came just a few plays later. With 6:36 remaining in regulation, McCarty started a possession with back-to-back completions, before a sack from Shepherd was followed by Adams' 59-yard pick-six on the next play, stretching the Rangers' lead to 33-7.

East Mississippi would reach the end zone one last time before the final horn, as John Peterson capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown. However, the added score merely delayed the inevitable, as Northwest went into victory formation with 1:20 left on the clock.

Wilcke finished the evening with nine completions for 92 yards, while also rushing for 55 yards. His top receiving target, M.J. Johnson, hauled in three passes for 44 yards.

Keyes and McCarty combined for 25 completions and 227 yards, with Keyes finishing with 118 passing yards on 15 completions. However, McCarty showed off his mobility, finishing as the Lions' leading rusher with 63 yards.

Jaylon York led all East Mississippi receivers with 75 yards on eight catches, followed by 32 yards on six receptions by Lee Wade III. 

In addition to the team-high nine tackles from Jones and Shepherd, Adams also tallied six tackles of his own, followed by five apiece from Burgess and Wall. Northwest also finished with four quarterback hurries, led by two from Johnson and one each from Jones and JaQuize Buycks.

Dylan King and Mason Clinton led East Mississippi with seven tackles apiece, with King accounting for one tackle-for-loss.

Wolfe's 44-yard field goal was the lone special teams score for either team. The freshman from Clinton also accounted for 278 yards on seven punts, including three inside the 20-yard line. Jackson Bunyard punted five times for the Lions, accounting for 193 yards and one touchback.

With the win, Northwest moves to 44-28-1 in the all-time series against East Mississippi. The Rangers also handed the Lions their first loss at Bobby Franklin Field since October 12, 2017.

Northwest moved to 2-1 on the season with the victory, while East Mississippi dropped to 1-2 overall. The Rangers will now turn their attention to next Thursday's division contest at Coahoma, scheduled for a 6:30 P.M. kickoff in Clarksdale. The Tigers (0-3, 0-1 MACCC North) are coming off a 42-23 loss at Holmes. Read Full Article