JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Valley State University football program started fast with a touchdown on the opening drive that took less than a minute off the clock, but JSU got hot and rattled off 49 points while shutting out Valley the rest of the way in a 49-7 decision.

The Basics
 

• Score: #11 Jackson State 49 | Mississippi Valley State 7

 

• Records: Mississippi Valley State (0-4, 0-0 SWAC) | Jackson State (4-0, 2-0 SWAC)

 

• Location: Jackson, Mississippi – Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium

 

• Series History: Jackson State Leads 61-5-3

 

• Winning Streak: Jackson State (W7) | Mississippi Valley State's Last Official Win: 1994 (18-16)
  • *Valley defeated Jackson State on October 11, 2014 by a score of 27-23, but it was later vacated due to NCAA violations.

 

• All-Time History vs. SWAC Opponents: SWAC Leads 297-135-9

Mississippi Valley State Top Performers
 

• Orlando Fernandez got a ton of work in, setting new career-highs for punts (10) and yards (410) including a season-best three punts downed inside the Jackson State 20. He now has 32 punts downed in the opponents red zone and 16 career punts that traveled 50-plus yards as he had a long of 55 on the afternoon while averaging 41.0 per punt.

 

• The Green and White's lone touchdown on the day was a 25-yard strike from Jamari Jones to Jacory Rankin, his fifth career touchdown reception and first of this season.

 

• Caleb Johnson set up Rankin's score on the opening possession of the ballgame, rumbling a tied for career-long 50 yards on the second play of the game and ending the contest with a team-high 65 rushing yards on 5.9 yards a pop.

 

• Jamari Jones broke off a big run of his own, juking his way to a 42-yard keeper and averaging 6.6 yards per rush and 59 yards, six behind Johnson for the team lead.

 

• Malcom Johnson saved the visitors from giving up another score in the second frame, popping the ball loose at the goal line for Vaughn Jennings to pounce on in the end zone, giving Valley a touchback and its first fumble recovery of the season.

 

• Kalib Alexander now has both of MVSU's interceptions through four games while Christopher Victor notched a tackle for loss in his second straight appearance.

 

• Kenneth Martin set a new career-high with a game-best eight tackles and Ronnie Thomas took down Shadeur Sanders for the defense's lone sack. Thomas now has at least a half-sack in the past five contests, all four matchups in 2022 and the regular season finale at Prairie View A&M in 2021.

 
Notes
 

• The loss keeps Mississippi Valley from breaking a 37-year drought without a win over a ranked opponent at the FCS level, last springing the upset on the 15th-ranked Tigers of JSU way back in 1985, 35-14.

 

• MVSU won the turnover battle for the first time in 2022, snagging both an interception and recovering a fumble while Jackson State picked off one pass.

 

• Valley has now run for 100 yards or more in three of its four contests, seven of its last eight and 12 of its last 14 games dating back to the beginning of the fall 2021 campaign, going for 181 while averaging five yards per carry over 36 totes.

 
Coach Dancy and his road warriors will travel to the Sunshine State next Saturday for a clash with the Florida A&M Rattlers at 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET from inside Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee.
 
Follow the Mississippi Valley State football program on Twitter (@ValleyStateFB) and Instagram (@ValleyStateFB).
 
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