ITTA BENA, Miss. – When Mississippi Valley's head coach Vincent Dancy ascended to his new role, a local journalist considered the undertaking "college football's hardest job". A 1-10 mark in 2018 proved the challenges ahead, but Dancy and the Delta Devil football team believe they have the puzzle pieces to begin a turnaround in 2019. 

With just 22 players returning, the road won't be easy. But a host of JUCO talents plan to bridge the gap, along with several true freshmen.

"It'll look like we'll be young." Dancy said. "But with all the transfers, we won't be. Getting those guys together to play as one will be our biggest thing. There's a lot of talent, but we need them to buy into our team concept." 

That team concept has changed significantly under Dancy. The air raid offenses that allowed Jerry Rice and Willie Totten to excel in the 1980's have been replaced by a run-oriented attack, led by returning quarterback Dejerric Bryant. The result was a better offensive putout in 2018, up to just under 20 points a game. 

"We want to establish the run, but we'll throw the ball around too." Dancy said. "The passing game isn't that difficult but there's a lot built in off the pass." 

Establishing the run did work – the Delta Devils went from negative yardage on the run in 2017 to over 1,100 gained in 2018. Still, Valley managed just 31 touchdowns on the season while conceding 63. 

The difficulty for the offense will be the loss of the receiving core due to graduation. Booker Chambers' absence will be especially notable – the senior won two placements on the All-SWAC team with 1,662 total yards across rushing, receiving and returning. 

Joining the new players is a refreshed staff. Offensive coordinator Jared Powers returns with one staff member promoted and two new additions. The biggest addition is the return of Totten, who is back on the sideline as assistant head coach. This will be his 20th non-consecutive season on the sidelines at the stadium that bears his name. 

Former MVSU standout Terrence Barron is elevated to an assistant coach and will work with receivers. Dwyan Luckey has been hired to work with the running backs, and Jacob Davis is the new graduate assistant in charge of tight ends. 

"Overall we want to be more disciplined." Powers said. "We want to play very fast and with some tempo. Use that as a driving force. It's not too different than what others run, but how we execute it is the key. Hopefully that will be shown on the field this fall." 

The defense will feature a more veteran presence. Leading tackler Tadarius Davis is back for another year, along with Tracy Thompkins, Jamenta Shaw and Jerry Garner. A significant loss will be felt with the departure of Bryant Jones, who graduated and signed as an undrafted free agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams. 

Defensive coordinator Derek Welch believes the growing pains felt last year will not be a factor this fall. "We're expecting the defense to be the leader of this team. Our focus is to limit the opponent's snaps, stop the run, and getting off the field on third down. Being in our second year with this defense and all they've learned from the past year will help."

Stopping the run will be crucial to Valley's success when not controlling the ball. While opponents were just ahead of the Delta Devils' pace in passing, they ran the ball twice as well, rushing for 2,569 yards against Valley's 1,160.

However, one objective that Dancy and the staff set out upon their hires in already being met. The 2019 squad features 28 Mississippians, the most for the team since the 2012 season. That year, Valley finished at 5-6 – a mark that hasn't been replicated in Itta Bena since.

A lot of the newcomers are products of Mississippi's JUCO circuit. Nearly every junior college in the state is sending a player to Valley, including East Mississippi, Northwest Mississippi, and Mississippi Delta to name a few.

Featured on the schedule this fall are six home contests, including four straight SWAC matchups from Jackson State to Grambling State, and non-conference matchups with Bethune-Cookman and Virginia University of Lynchburg.

The season kicks off this Saturday (Aug. 31) at 6 p.m. with Valley traveling to Nashville to challenge Tennessee State.