Indians improve to 2-0 with win over Southwest

Indians improve to 2-0 with win over Southwest
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com

FULTON, MS – Courtney Gladney scored a rushing touchdown, Deryck Gildon returned a fumbled for another score to help Itawamba Community College improve to 2-0 after a 22-10 victory over Southwest Mississippi Community College.

"It's good when you can leave with a win and still find so much to improve on," said ICC head football coach Jon Williams. "We want to be perfect every time we take the field, but hats off to Southwest they caused us a lot of problems all night long."

Gladney (Olive Branch) scored his first touchdown on the season on a one-yard run at the 12:23 mark of the second quarter to give the Indians (2-0, 0-0 MACJC North) a 7-3 lead after the Bears (0-1, 0-0 MACJC South) took 3-0 lead on a Paul Johnson 29-yard field goal in the first quarter.

ICC marched down the field later in third only to fumble at the one-yard line and freshman offensive lineman Tony Holmes recovered the fumble in the end zone for the score.

On the ensuing Bears possession, Gildon (Arlington, TX) gave the Indians a 20-3 lead when he scooped up a fumble and rumbled 62-yard for the score. A bad snap on the extra point forced holder Rashad Pargo (Aberdeen) to scramble left to find a leaping Terrell Pinson (Tupelo) for the two-point conversion.

Southwest turned an interception into a 4-yard touchdown pass from Turner Eastbrook to Jerome Stewart in the fourth quarter, the only time the Bears' offense ventured into Indian territory in the second half.

The win gives ICC their first 2-0 start since the 2007 season when the Indians finished 7-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the MACJC state playoffs.

"We had a good third quarter," said Williams. "We challenged them at halftime and I was really proud of the way the team responded and didn't panic even though things really weren't going our way in the first half."

The Indians totaled 373 yards of total offense led by last week's MACJC Offensive Player of the Week Andrew Goodman's (Charlotte, NC) 274 yards on 34-of-46 with an interception and 48 rushing yards.

"Offensively, there were some good things that happened, but there were also just as many missed opportunities," said Williams. "I don't think we won the battle up front offensively like we needed to, but the guys kept battling and were able to fight their way to the win."

Ronald Carswell (Macon, GA) had six catches for 73 yards and Chris Ingram (Southaven) added 29 yards on six carries.

Defensively the Indians held the Bears to 138 yards rushing and 93 yards passing spearheaded by three players recording double-digit tackles on the night.

"I thought the defense play as great of a game as they could play," Williams said. "They came out and carried us in this game. We had some guys step up and play the way we knew they could and hopefully that will give them the confidence to play that way the rest of the season."

Brandon Smith (Aberdeen) had 12 tackles, including a sack and pass break up. Gildon added 11 tackles with his 62-yard fumble return for a touchdown while CJ Jackson (Water Valley) recorded 11 tackles with 5.5 tackles for a combined loss of 21 yards. Pinson had a nine-yard return on an interception.

Sophomore wide receiver Demarius Howard (Calhoun City) was presented the 2012 Bennie Abram LEGACY award before the game and the 2012 men's and women's tennis teams were honored during halftime as they were presented their MACJC State Championship rings.

ICC will open MACJC North Division play when they travel to Mississippi Delta Community College (0-2, 0-0 MACJC North) Thursday, September 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be heard on WAFM 95.7 FM starting at 6:10.

"Delta is battled tested," said Williams. "They've played a pair of tough games to start the season and were able to put a lot of points on the board. We'll have to be really focused and be ready to go as soon as we step off the bus because they'll be hungry for a win plus Moorhead has always been a tough place for us to play."

The Trojans started the season with a 42-21 road loss to Hinds Community College and last week dropped a 44-29 decision to Pearl River Community College in their home opener.