Mississippi Valley State coach Willie Totten praised his entire team for last Saturday's 30-17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but he singled out the play of quarterback Aries Nelson and linebacker Tyler Knight during his weekly press conference Tuesday.
"We have a lot of experienced players, but these two guys have to play well for us to win. And they did just that against Pine Bluff," said the fourth-year Valley head coach. "We have only six seniors, so these two juniors have to be leaders for us."
Nelson completed 19-of-25 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns to earn the MVP of the Chicago Football Classic. On Monday, he was named offensive player of the week in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Totten said Nelson's 76 percent completion rate shows that the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder from East Side High in Cleveland is doing a better job of reading defenses. Nelson completed just 44 percent of his passes last season.
"I've got to tip my hat to the offensive line. I wasn't sacked at all," Nelson said. "The only time I was touched was when I ran outside the pocket."
Totten said Knight, a 6-foot, 210-pounder out of Little Rock, Ark., "picked up right where he left off last season." Knight led the Delta Devil defense with 10 tackles, including a team-high six solos. He had a tackle for a loss and a quarterback sack.
Last year, Knight missed one game and still finished second on the team in tackles with 100.
SOMETHING NEW: Totten said it felt good to finally address the media after a season-opening win.
The victory over UAPB was the school's first season-opening victory since 1996, when the Delta Devils beat Morris Brown 13-3. That was also the last year Valley posted a winning record.
"An early win like this gives a team a sense of pride and direction," said Totten.
UP NEXT: Valley hosts Southern University at 5 p.m. Saturday at Chuck Prophet Field at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena.
This will be the season opener for the Jaguars, who saw last week's game against McNeese State cancelled in wake of Hurricane Katrina.
SOUTHERN ADVANTAGE: The Jaguars lead the overall series with Valley, 29-7. Southern has won the last 11 meetings, with Valley's last win coming in a 7-0 decision in 1991.
ON THE AIR: Totten's weekly press conference, held each Tuesday during the season at 11 a.m., will be aired live by the WGRM radio station (1240-AM).
The Willie Totten radio show is broadcast live at 7 p.m. on Thursdays on WVSD (91.7-FM). All games are also broadcast live on WVSD.
