Football | 11/3/2022 9:00:00 AM

ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Mississippi Valley State University football program is well-rested and ready to shine bright under the national spotlight as Alabama A&M invades the Mississippi Delta for a primetime showdown at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN U.
 
Fans are encouraged to wear GRAY.
 
What You Need to Know:
 
    •    Time and Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022 (6:30 p.m.)
 
    •    Video: ESPN U
 
    •    Audio: http://www.glineradio.com/ (G-Line Radio with Lee Hall and Joshua Davis)
 
    •    Live Stats: https://mvsusports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
 
    •    Tickets: http://mvsusports.myimpacttickets.com/
 
    •    Records: Mississippi Valley State (0-8, 0-5 SWAC) | Alabama A&M (3-5, 3-2 SWAC)
 
    •    Location: Itta Bena, Mississippi – Rice-Totten Stadium at Chuck Prophet Field
 
    •    Series History: Alabama A&M Leads 24-9
 
    •    Last Meeting: November 6, 2021 | Alabama A&M 42, Mississippi Valley State 14 | Huntsville, Alabama (Louis Crews Stadium)
 
    •    Winning Streak: Alabama A&M (W5) | Mississippi Valley State's Last Win: November 7, 2015 (27-24, OT)
 
    •    All-Time History vs. SWAC Opponents: SWAC Leads 301-135-9
 
Mississippi Valley State Overview:
 
Special teams has been the team's calling card in 2022, slotting in the top-45 among FCS teams for net punting (36.89), kickoff returns (21.57), and punt return defense (6.14).
 
The defense has also shown flashes of potential, limiting opponents to a 75.6% clip in the red-zone, a top-30 mark in the country.
 
Cobie Bates has emerged as a sparkplug in the return game as he is one of 27 players with a kickoff return for a score, ranks in the top-25 for kickoff return average (24.7), and top-50 nationwide for combined punt and kickoff yards (300).
 
Donald Johnson III does not sit too far behind Bates in the kickoff average, also coming into the game with a top-50 rating at 22.2 yards per pop.
 
Number one wide receiver Jacory Rankin has been the go-to man on the outside for Valley signal-callers, averaging 42.2 yards per game and 14.06 yard a catch, both top-ten figures in the SWAC. He also has hauled in the fifth-most touchdown receptions in the conference with four scores.
 
Ronnie Thomas continues to split double teams and force gameplans to be made in his opposite direction, slotting in the FCS top-five in both sacks (1.06) and tackles for loss (1.8) a contest.
 
Scouting The Alabama A&M Bulldogs:
 
AAMU was sluggish out the gates as its high volume of transfers attempted to gel, dropping four-in-a-row to open the year before rattling off a trio of victories prior to last week's Magic City Classic defeat to Alabama State.
 
It will be a battle of strength vs. strength on Thursday night as the Bulldogs have seceded the fifth-fewest kickoff return yards in the FCS this season at a paltry 13.77 average and have played an effective game of keep away all season as they have the fourth-best time of possession ratio in the nation (34:48).
 
Zareon Hayes will go mano a mano with Ronnie Thomas on the defensive edge as Hayes is one-tenth of a percentage point better than Thomas in tackles for loss per game (1.9) and has forced a fumble in approximately every third game (0.29).
 
The primary reason for the large time of possession gap is the bruising running style of lead back Donovan Eaglin, who has five rushing touchdowns and 594 yards on the ground while averaging 74.2 yards plus 5.26 per tote.
 
Follow the Mississippi Valley State football program on Twitter (@ValleyStateFB) and Instagram (@ValleyStateFB).
 
Follow the Delta Devils and Devilettes on Facebook (Valley State Athletics), Twitter (@MVSUDevilSports) and Instagram (@ValleyStateAthletics).