GRAMBLING, La. – The Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State gave one of their strongest performances of the season Saturday before ultimately falling 24-19 at defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Grambling State.
 
In a game in which they never trailed by more than 11 points, the Delta Devils had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final five minutes. However, a fumble at midfield gave Grambling the ball back, and the Tigers were able to practically run out the clock.
 
Booker Chambers' 94 yards of total offense led the Delta Devils (1-7, 1-4 SWAC) on Saturday. Chambers caught two passes for 37 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown reception from Chris Fowler with 6:23 left in the fourth quarter. He also rushed six times for 51 yards.
 
John Derrick Smith led the Valley rushing attack with 53 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. In his return to the field, quarterback Chris Fowler completed seven out of eight attempts for 88 yards and one touchdown pass. Darrion Harper caught four passes for 30 yards.
 
Tracy Thompkins had 15 tackles for the Delta Devils, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Caleb Brunson had a 42-yard interception return for Valley late in the third quarter.
 
Grambling's Geremy Hickbottom led the Tigers (5-4, 4-2 SWAC) with 208 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-24 passing. He also rushed for 99 yards on 10 attempts.
 
The Delta Devils got on the scoreboard first when they took the first drive of the game 62 yards on eight plays into the Grambling end zone. Dejerric Bryant capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run.
 
Grambling scored the next 17 points of the game, but the Delta Devils put themselves within striking distance late in the second quarter. Valley pieced together an 11-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Smith's five-yard touchdown run.
 
The drive nearly stalled when the Delta Devils faced third-and-19 on the Grambling 49-yard line. Fowler completed a 15-yard pass to Smith, which was followed by a 6-yard run on fourth down to keep the drive alive.
 
The Delta Devils return to action Saturday, Nov. 10, when they host Hampton in a non-conference game. Kickoff from Rice-Totten Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.