Football | 9/30/2022 2:00:00 PM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Mississippi Valley State University football program will get plenty of sunshine and 80 degree temperatures on Saturday as hurricane Ian spared the Florida capital in time for the pivotal SWAC East divisional matchup.
What You Need to Know:
- Time and Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022 (5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET)
- Records: Mississippi Valley State (0-4, 0-1 SWAC) | Florida A&M (2-2, 1-1 SWAC)
- Location: Tallahassee, Florida – Bragg Memorial Stadium
- Series History: Florida A&M Leads 4-0
- Last Meeting: October 23, 2021 | Florida A&M 31, Mississippi Valley State 28 | Itta Bena, Mississippi (Rice-Totten Stadium)
- Winning Streak: Florida A&M (W4) | Mississippi Valley State's Last Win: N/A
- All-Time History vs. SWAC Opponents: SWAC Leads 297-135
Mississippi Valley State Overview:
Mississippi Valley will look to claim its first ever victory over the Rattlers on its fifth attempt, having defeated every SWAC team at least once prior, excluding FAMU.
Ronnie Thomas has firmly established himself among the elite edge rushers and defensive linemen in general, slotting third in the FCS with 2.3 tackles for loss per game and sixth nationally regarding sacks a contest at 1.50. The Preseason All-SWAC First Teamer leads Valley in tackles (27), tackles for loss (9.5), sacks (6), and is one of two players with a forced fumble.
Kalib Alexander has both Delta Devils interceptions, landing him in the FCS top-25 for picks a matchup (0.50).
Wrapping up the Valley State student-athletes on the national leaderboards is
Orlando Fernandez, who sits around 30th in the country for punting with an average of 42.2 yards per kick.
Offensively, the trio of
Jamari Jones,
Caleb Johnson, and
Jacory Rankin have commanded the spotlight with 686 combined total yards and four touchdowns (Jones and Rankin connected for one).
Scouting The Florida A&M Rattlers:
FAMU struggled out of the gates with blowout losses versus North Carolina and Jackson State but have settled down with back-to-back victories over Albany State and Alabama A&M.
The keys to the Rattlers' recent success has been discipline, moving the chains, ball hawks in the secondary, and a lethal passing attack. The Green and Orange rank top-35 or better in fewest penalty yards per game (42.75), first downs (81), interceptions (4), and passing yards on average (250.0).
Jeremy Moussa and Xavier Smith have been the big-play duo for Coach Willie Simmons, connecting on four of the team's six passing scores and 321 yards through the air.
The defense is led by a pair of Isaiahs, Land and Major. The former is an NFL Draft prospect who was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 while the latter is 12th in the nation with an average of 5.8 solo takedowns a night.
Florida A&M has superstars in each phase, even special teams, as All-SWAC First Team selection Jose Romo-Martinez is currently top-15 for field goals per game (1.50) plus field goal percentage (0.857). The punter, Chris Faddoul, is no slouch either, as he's 16th among FCS adversaries with an average of 43.5 yards per blast.
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).
#BattleTestedWeReady | #ElevateVState | #ValleyInMotion
