EMCC's Anderson repeats as Player of the Week

JACKSON – On the heels of his clutch second-half performance in leading the eighth-ranked EMCC Lions to last Thursday’s thrilling 48-45 come-from-behind road win over Mississippi Gulf Coast, freshman quarterback Eli Anderson has earned repeat honors as the MACCC Offensive Player of the Week. The announcement was made Tuesday by the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference. 

Anderson, who also earned national honors a week ago, continued his outstanding play by completing 34-of-48 (71%) passes for 493 yards and four touchdowns against Gulf Coast. By throwing for 357 of those yards and the four scores on 20-of-28 (71%) accuracy following halftime, Anderson engineered the Lions’ improbable second-half comeback that saw them overcome a 31-7 deficit midway through the third quarter in Perkinston. Anderson’s 493 passing yards against MGCCC marked the most yards thrown by an EMCC signal-caller in a game since Dontreal Pruitt amassed 502 yards through the air during the Lions’ 70-0 win at Mississippi Delta during the 2013 season. 

Since becoming EMCC’s starting quarterback prior to Week 3 against Holmes, Anderson has posted two-game composite totals of 67-of-90 (74%) passing for 793 yards and eight touchdowns. During the Lions’ 45-9 win over Holmes two weeks ago (Sept. 15) at Ridgeland High School, he connected on 33-of-42 passes (79%) for 300 yards and four touchdowns. In the first half alone, he was 25-of-28 (89%) for 225 passing yards and three scoring tosses to help stake EMCC to a 28-7 halftime lead over the Bulldogs. 

Through the season’s first four games, Anderson enters this week’s action currently leading all NJCAA Division I quarterbacks in pass completion percentage (72.4%) in addition to ranking fifth in passing yards per game (243.8 yds/gm) as well as passing efficiency (155.5). The Neshoba Central High School product is also tied for eighth nationally with his eight passing touchdowns on the year having all come during the past two weeks.