THE DELTA | Mississippi Valley State University football opened Saturday afternoon with an impressive scoring drive, but Alcorn State used a strong offensive performance to pull away for a 52-17 victory in the highly anticipated "Return of the Game of the Century" on Saturday, October 31, at Rice-Totten Stadium.
The Delta Devils (3-6, 2-3 SWAC) came out firing offensively, marching 79 yards on eight plays during their opening possession. Quarterback
Josh Brown connected with wide receiver
Jaylen King on a 40-yard touchdown pass to give Mississippi Valley State an early 7-0 advantage with 10:55 remaining in the first quarter.
Alcorn State (5-4, 3-2 SWAC) responded with consecutive touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead, but Valley continued to battle. Kicker
Luka Sari capped a 10-play, 52-yard drive with a 40-yard field goal late in the opening period, bringing the Delta Devils within four points at 14-10.
The Braves gained control in the second quarter, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to take a 35-10 advantage into halftime. Alcorn State extended its lead with 17 additional points in the third quarter.
Despite facing a significant deficit, Mississippi Valley State continued to compete offensively. The Delta Devils put together a 15-play, 65-yard scoring drive that consumed 7:24 off the clock, culminating in a six-yard rushing touchdown with 7:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Nina Schiks converted the extra point to account for the final 52-17 score.
Brown led the Delta Devils offensively, completing 14 of 27 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown without an interception. The quarterback also led Valley on the ground with 39 rushing yards on 18 attempts, finishing with 212 yards of total offense.
King was Brown's leading receiving target, hauling in four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Dayvian Bluitt contributed four catches for 37 yards, while
Mekhi Penix added two receptions for 40 yards.
Caleb Brownlow finished with two catches for 17 yards.
Bluitt also contributed in the running and return games, finishing with 86 all-purpose yards, including 40 kickoff return yards and nine rushing yards.
On the ground,
Norman Taylor rushed for 29 yards on five carries, while
Carter James added 25 yards on seven attempts.
Defensively,
Tyrell Johnson led Mississippi Valley State with seven solo tackles, including one tackle for loss.
Malek Jackson recorded four tackles and a forced fumble, while
Javieane Stevens,
Deondri Clark Jr.,
Kamsi Arinze,
Vashun Turner,
Jusden Culpepper and
Landon Brown each contributed four tackles.
Hollis Sams added three tackles, including one tackle for loss, while Bluitt also registered three defensive stops.
Alcorn State quarterback Jaylon Tolbert completed 23 of 29 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Fredrick Robertson paced the Braves' rushing attack with 81 yards and two touchdowns, while also recording 87 receiving yards and another score. Armon Wright led Alcorn's receivers with eight catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.
Mississippi Valley State finished the contest with 295 yards of total offense, including 173 passing yards and 122 rushing yards. The Delta Devils recorded 18 first downs, controlled possession for 32:29 and finished without committing a turnover.
Alcorn State totaled 585 yards of offense, including 323 passing yards and 262 rushing yards.
Saturday's contest drew 5,600 fans to Rice-Totten Stadium for the renewal of one of Mississippi's historic HBCU football rivalries.
Up Next
Mississippi Valley State will return to the road on Saturday, November 7, traveling to Jackson, Mississippi, to face rival Jackson State University in Southwestern Athletic Conference action.
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