LORMAN, Miss. – The normally staunch defense of Mississippi Valley State did its best to keep up with the talented Alcorn State Braves Saturday (Sept. 28). But despite five fumbles by the Braves, Alcorn managed to pull away with a 45-19 win thanks to six touchdown passes from quarterback Felix Harper. 

THE STATS

The Delta Devils (0-4, 0-1 SWAC) defense were once again led by Tracy Thompkins (Miami, Fla.), who had 12 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.  Fumbles were also recovered by Jerry Garner (Chunchula, Ala.), Rod Sylvestre (Margate, Fla.) and Tre Townes (Grenada, Miss.). Keonte Daniels (Noxapater, Miss.) and Tadarius Davis (Memphis, Tenn.) finished with six tackles each, and Daniels added a forced fumble. 

Dejerric Bryant (Mize, Miss.) was the catalyst for the offense, playing a role in all three of Valley's touchdowns. The senior went 17-for-36 for 162 yards and two touchdowns through the air, along with 92 yards and a running score. Jarius Clayton (Kemper, Miss.) completed seven catches for 36 yards, and Johnny Wilson (Tylertown, MIss.) and Marcus Kidd (Chicago, Ill.) were on the receiving end of touchdown catches. Caleb Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) had a solid day on the ground with 64 yards. 

Alcorn State (3-2, 2-0 SWAC) were led by Harper's six touchdowns and 396 yards across 21 completions. Chris Blair caught three passes for 144 yards, and LeCharles Pringle caught three passes in the end zone. Trey Turner and Niko Duffey combined for 118 yards on the ground over 32 carries. Qwynnterrio Cole and Damien Anderson led the defense with nine tackles. 

THE GAME FLOW

Alcorn set the tone for a slugfest on the third drive of the game as the Braves motored 59 yards downfield, culminating in the first Harper-Pringle connection just five minutes into the game. However, the rest of the first quarter proved misleading as both defense stepped up to hold their opponents in check. 

The Braves immediately struck on a 69 yard pass from Harper to Blair seconds into the second quarter. Alcorn looked to drive again when they were suddenly stopped by Daniels' forced fumble. Three runs by Bryant later and Valley halved their deficit. Another Harper pass drove the lead up again, but Valley ended the half with momentum thanks to two more fumbles. After the first fumble was recovered, Bryant found Wilson in the end zone. The extra point was missed, but the Delta Devils immediately recovered the ensuing kickoff. But Bryant's pass fell incomplete and Valley trailed at the half. 

Slowly and surely, Alcorn turned back the tide and pulled away in the second half, starting with a field goal early in the third quarter. A touchdown pass to Kidd was the closest Valley would get at the 24-19 mark. The Braves respond with two more touchdowns from Harper, and another in the fourth quarter for good measure, ending with 21 unanswered points. 

NEXT GAME 

Valley will host Virginia Lynchburg next Saturday (Oct. 5) for Homecoming.