ELLISVILLE — When watching the chemistry between TyQuan UImer and Dontario Drummond, if one didn’t know any better, they could easily assume that the duo shares some type of telepathic connection.

Ulmer and Drummond have played football together since their seventh-grade years, and the two refined that chemistry at Laurel High School and now at East Mississippi Community College.

They’re also cousins.

Ulmer threw two touchdown passes to Drummond to help lead No. 1 East Mississippi to a 19-14 win over No. 4 Jones College Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.

“He just sees a matchup with me, and if he thinks I can beat it, he’ll take it,” Drummond said of his rapport with UImer. “It feels great; there’s nothing like it. It feels good.”

The win gave East Mississippi (11-0) its third-consecutive MACJC state championship and all but guaranteed the Lions a berth in the NJCAA national championship on Nov. 29 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Drummond, who has made a habit of securing one-handed catches, added two more single-handed grabs to his season’s highlight reel.

Operating out of the shotgun in the second quarter, Ulmer took the snap from his center and lofted a pass up to Drummond, who had man coverage from his defender. Drummond leaped in the air and turned around to snag the football. He spun back around as he backpedaled, and casually strolled into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown. The score, which was set up by an East Mississippi interception, put the Lions ahead 7-0.

Late in the third quarter, Drummond pulled in a pass from Ulmer and grabbed the football with one hand. He clutched it for a second before side-stepping his defender and racing 73 yards for a touchdown.

“We’re cousins, and I know him really well,” Ulmer said. “When there’s one man to beat, I know who to give the ball to.”

Drummond finished with a game-high 132 yards receiving and two touchdowns on six receptions, and Ulmer finished 2-for-5 for 101 yards passing with two touchdowns. Ulmer also rushed for 51 yards on 15 carries.

Jones (9-2) outgained East Mississippi 335 to 276 in total offensive yards, and the Bobcats led 14-13 in the third quarter.

Bobcat quarterback Stetson Bennett ran for a 10-yard touchdown with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter to tie the score at 7 after Cristofer Thompson’s PAT, and Bennett rifled a 49-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Douglas with 4:14 left in the third quarter to push the Bobcats ahead 14-7 following Thompson’s extra point.

The Bobcat offense drove to the East Mississippi 21-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but the Lion defense forced Bennett to fumble, and defensive back Joseph Anderson pounced on the loose football and recovered it at his team’s 11-yard line.

Three plays later, East Mississippi running back Deon McIntosh took a handoff up the middle and scampered 71 yards for the touchdown with 8:27 remaining in the game to give the Lions a 19-14 advantage.

Jacob Anderson intercepted Bennett twice during the Bobcats’ ensuing possessions to seal the victory.

Bennett finished with 215 yards passing to go with one touchdown and three interceptions. Joseph Anderson led the Lions with nine total tackles and three assists, and Eriq Kitchen tallied six solo tackles and five assists, including 2 1/2 sacks.

Jones College linebacker Davis Harrison, a Lamar School product, recorded two sacks.

Three-year Lions player Untareo Johnson has been involved in each of East Mississippi’s last three MACJC championship wins. Watching his team battle from behind to earn the road win Saturday hardly came as a surprise. He commented on the winner’s mentality that accompanies Lions football. 

 “The winner’s mentality is basically knowing that you are supposed to win and believing that, no matter what the score is,” said Johnson, a redshirt sophomore. “It’s just believing that you’re going to come out on top, and just staying humble and staying in the game. Don’t get too down, don’t get too high if you’re up.”

Running man

With a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter, East Mississippi running back Deon McIntosh crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the season. McIntosh finished with 112 yards rushing and one touchdown on 17 carries. The Notre Dame transfer has rushed for 1,081 yards on 182 carries this season.

Sterling Stephens

Under 11-year head coach Buddy Stephens, East Mississippi is now 20-2 versus top-5 opponents, and Stephens has an unblemished 11-0 record in championship contests (7-0 in MACJC and 4-0 in NJCAA). Saturday’s win improved Stephens’ record at East Mississippi to 109-13.

Championship Clayton

Former Kemper County standout D.J. Clayton will play in his second-consecutive NJCAA national championship on Nov. 29. This season, Clayton has tallied 152 yards receiving and one touchdown, and 520 kick and punt return yards.

“I cherish each one, and we have one more to go,” Clayton said. “We’re not satisfied, we’re just going to keep getting better and not get complacent. We’re going to enjoy this blessing right now.”