Indians Fall to Hinds in Season Opener, 34-7
The Indians opened its 2025 season Thursday night with a 34-7 loss to Hinds Community College. The Indians struggled to sustain drives, and turnovers in key situations limited scoring opportunities.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
14 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 34 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Team Stats
Hinds Community College
| Game Statistics | Hinds Community College | Itawamba CC |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 283 | 211 |
| Rushing Yards | 225 | 104 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 35:45 | 24:15 |
FULTON, Miss. – The Indians opened its 2025 season Thursday night with a 34-7 loss to Hinds Community College. The Indians moved the ball well at times but turnovers and missed chances inside the red zone proved costly.
Hinds struck on the first play from scrimmage with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Jaylon Ruffin to Bj Blake. The Bulldogs added a 15-yard scoring pass to DJ Miller as the first quarter expired to take a 14-0 lead. In the second quarter, Geron Johnson broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run to push the margin to 21-0 at halftime.
Ruffin continued his strong night in the third quarter, connecting with Miller on a 20-yard touchdown and later finding Nehemiah Taylor from 18 yards out. That extended the lead to 34-0.
ICC's lone score came early in the fourth quarter. Mykel Allen (Batesville) capped a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Eli Burciaga (Corinth) added the extra point to make it 34-7. The drive included several third-down conversions and a 19-yard scramble from quarterback Deljay Bailey (Petal).
Bailey finished 19-of-33 passing for 211 yards. Nate Branch (Hopkins, S.C.) caught five passes for 73 yards, while Marcellus Jackson (Amory) added three catches for 54 yards. Allen carried 16 times for 49 yards and the touchdown, and Jaylen Foster (Greenwood, S.C.) added 54 yards on 15 attempts.
Defensively, Landon Richardson (Senatobia) and Orel Gray (Batesville) led the Indians with six tackles each. Jarquez Perry (Grenada) recorded a sack, and Seth Kidd (Eight Mile, Ala.) and James Carr (Starkville) combined for another.
Hinds finished with 508 yards of total offense, led by Ruffin's 270 passing yards and four touchdowns. The Bulldogs also rushed for 225 yards, while Itawamba was limited to 104 on the ground. The Indians lost two fumbles inside the 10-yard line that stalled potential scoring drives.
The Indians will travel to Pearl River next Thursday. The Wildcats dropped their opener 42-17 to No. 3 Northwest. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. on SuperTalk 101.9 FM and LetsGoICCTV.com/red.
