Maybe it was too good of a start for Mississippi Valley State, but it's hard to believe that's possible with a team as desperate for a win as the Delta Devils.
Valley scored on its first offensive snap of the game and then struggled the rest of the first half before exploding for 35 points in the third quarter en route to a 48-7 win over Paul Quinn College Saturday night at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena.
It was the first win of the season for Valley (1-6), which beat former Delta Devil coach Archie Cooley and his Tigers for the second straight year to avoid an 0-7 start.
"I was scared there in the first half. I don't known if our guys were over anxious or trying to hard," Valley head coach Willie Totten said. "We played extremely well in the second half after a very sluggish first half."
"This first win really feels good," said Valley linebacker Tyler Knight, who had a team-high 12 tackles, including two stops for a loss and a quarterback sack. "We had everything hitting tonight in the second half."
Valley quarterback Aries Nelson hit wide receiver Kendrick Wade with a 50-yard touchdown pass on the Delta Devils' first offensive play but managed just 34 total yards the rest of the first quarter.
Nelson, a sophomore transfer from Mississippi State, struggled in the first half, completing just 5-of-19 passes for 101 yards. Statistically, things didn't get any better for him in the second half, but he did throw for a touchdown, a 29-yard strike to Dee Hornsberger, and run for another, a 31-yard option keeper, in MVSU's 35-point third quarter.
Nelson finished the game 9-of-30 passing 173 yards with two TDs and an interception.
"Aries was pressing too much. The Paul Quinn players were talking a lot of trash to him, but he settled down and made a couple of big throws for us in the second half," Totten said.
The Delta Devils also did a good job of getting senior running back Marcus April more involved in the offense in the second half, as the 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior ran for 102 of his career-high 155 yards in the final two quarters.
All three of his touchdowns came in third quarter.
It was the third straight of at least 100 yards for April, who left the game in the third quarter with a rib injury and didn't return.
"He fell on the point of the football. I hope his ribs are just bruised and not broken," Totten said.
NAIA member Paul Quinn (1-5), coached by former Valley coach Archie Cooley, scored its lone touchdown late in the second quarter on a 12-yard pass from Arthur Robinson to Michael Sims, tying the game at 7-all at the half.
Valley closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter, when backup quarterback Curtis Kemp hit Hornsberger on an 18-yard pass.
Valley outgained Paul Quinn 424-221 in total offense.
"We did a good job of shutting down their passing game," said Valley cornerback Chris Wilson, who had two interceptions. "We knew they were going to throw deep, and our receivers gave us good looks at that all week in practice."
Totten is now 3-0 against his former coach and mentor Cooley, who led the Delta Devils to 40 wins in six seasons.
