SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Mississippi Valley State continued its early-season road stretch Saturday evening, falling 52-0 to Sacramento State at Hornet Stadium.
The Delta Devils (0-2) produced 104 yards on the ground and forced two Sacramento State turnovers, but the Hornets capitalized on favorable field position and several explosive plays to take control of the contest.
Sacramento State opened the scoring after a blocked punt gave the Hornets possession at the MVSU 9-yard line. Three plays later, Jackson Sharman
connected with Matthew Coleman for a five-yard touchdown.
Mississippi Valley State's defense responded on Sacramento State's following possession when
Jamari Stokes intercepted Sharman at the Hornets' 27-yard line. The takeaway gave the Delta Devils an early scoring opportunity, but a 41-yard field-goal attempt missed the mark.
Stokes added six tackles to his interception, while
Malek Jackson led the MVSU defense with eight total stops.
Will Hawkins also recorded six tackles, and
Joel Queisser contributed three tackles and a tackle for loss.
Derrick Taylor recovered a Sacramento State fumble in the third quarter, helping the Delta Devils finish even in the turnover battle. MVSU's secondary recorded five pass breakups, including two from
Kamsi Arinze and one each from
Mahkeil Shuler,
Hollis Sams and
Douglas Franklin.
Offensively,
Dezmond Ray led Valley's rushing attack with 36 yards on three carries, highlighted by a 30-yard run.
Norman Taylor added 25 yards on five attempts, while
Carter James recorded 23 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback
Josh Brown contributed 17 rushing yards.
Brown completed 6-of-13 passes, while
Jordon Davis finished 3-of-6 for 24 yards.
Jackson Hampton recorded the Delta Devils' longest reception of the night with an 18-yard catch.
Jaylen King caught two passes, and Ray added an eight-yard reception to finish with a team-high 44 all-purpose yards.
Nicholas Stephens handled the punting duties for MVSU, placing two punts inside the Sacramento State 20-yard line and recording a game-long punt of 54 yards.
The Hornets carried a 14-0 advantage into the second quarter before adding 17 points to take a 31-0 lead into halftime. Sacramento State added one touchdown in the third quarter and two more in the fourth to close the scoring.
Mississippi Valley State will look to regroup as it prepares for the 2026 Chicago Football Classic. The Delta Devils will face Lincoln University (Pa.) on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. inside Soldier Field in Chicago.
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