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ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Delta Devils are back on the road for game number four. Valley will also open the SWAC portion of the schedule with a meeting against the in-state rival Braves of Alcorn State.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE LAST GAME
Despite controlling the tempo with a time of possession of 36:39, Mississippi Valley's offense had trouble moving the ball on the opponents' side of the 50, leading to a 22-6 loss at the hands of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. Senior running back John'Derrick Smith set a new career mark with 79 yards on the ground and 20 through receptions. Tracy Thompkins led once again with seven tackles, and Jonathan Jones earned six tackles and an interception, but the Delta Devil defense conceded 281 yards to the Wildcat running game.
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Alcorn stands at 2-2 on the season with a lopsided loss and win, followed by a close shave with McNeese State and four point gut check win over Prairie View A&M. The five-time reigning SWAC East Champion looks formidable again in 2019, even without SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Noah Johnson on the field last week. Felix Harper threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns and the running game added 125 in the 45-41 win. Harper's favorite target was LeCharles Pringle with eight catches for 144 yards, and the Braves got a major defensive boost from Soloman Muhammad's 18 tackles and a sack. Should Johnson return from injury, he will be coming off a 15-for-23 effort with 132 yards in a 45-7 win against Mississippi College.
HOW ABOUT THAT VALLEY DEFENSE?
The Delta Devil defense has allowed the fewest points of any SWAC school through the first few weeks at 71. Only Grambling State is close with just 74 points allowed in its first three games. Even accounting for average, Valley edges Alcorn with 23.67 points allowed for the Devils against 25.75 points allowed in their first four contests. Five Devils (T. Thompkins, R. Taylor, J. Garner, J. Jones, K. Daniels) are in the top three for key defensive statistics.
