THE DELTA | Mississippi Valley State held Delta State scoreless in the first half and received two field goals from
Luka Sari, but the Delta Devils fell 21-6 Saturday evening in the Delta Classic powered by CB&S Bank at Rice-Totten Stadium.
MVSU (1-3) carried a 3-0 lead into halftime and trailed just 7-6 midway through the third quarter before the Statesmen scored the final 14 points.
Kamsi Arinze led the Valley defense with 10 tackles, including five solo stops, and a forced fumble.
Javieane Stevens recorded seven tackles and two sacks for a loss of 10 yards, while
Jusden Culpepper added four tackles and two tackles for loss, including a sack.
Malek Jackson matched Stevens with seven tackles, and
Douglas Franklin contributed five.
The Delta Devils finished with three sacks and six tackles for loss while limiting Delta State to 95 passing yards. Arinze helped end a first-quarter scoring threat by forcing a fumble that
Derrick Sinegal Jr. recovered at the MVSU 24-yard line.
Sari broke the scoreless tie with a 52-yard field goal with 9:34 remaining in the second quarter. The kick capped an eight-play, 63-yard possession that began at the Valley 1-yard line, and MVSU kept Delta State off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half.
Delta State took a 7-3 lead with 9:45 left in the third quarter when Jordan McKnight returned a blocked punt 12 yards for a touchdown. Valley answered on its next possession, with
Josh Brown finding
Dayvian Bluitt for a 29-yard gain to set up Sari's second field goal. His 31-yard kick with 7:51 remaining trimmed the deficit to 7-6.
The Statesmen extended their lead to 14-6 on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Emile Picarella to Lawrence Armstrong with 5:10 left in the third quarter. A second blocked punt gave Delta State a short field in the fourth, and Nick Clark scored on an 11-yard run with 8:10 remaining.
Brown completed 16 of 30 passes for 105 yards without an interception and added 22 rushing yards on seven carries. Bluitt led MVSU with five receptions for 52 yards.
Jaylen King caught two passes for 22 yards,
Jackson Hampton added two receptions for 16 yards, and
Christian Bond finished with two catches for 13 yards.
Carter James paced the Valley rushing attack with 34 yards on five carries, including a 28-yard run in the third quarter. MVSU finished with 180 yards of total offense, including 75 on the ground, and did not commit a turnover. Delta State totaled 284 yards, with Clark rushing for 96 yards on 19 carries.
Mississippi Valley State opens Southwestern Athletic Conference play Saturday, Sept. 26, at Alabama State in Montgomery, Alabama. Kickoff at ASU Stadium is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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