Late into the first quarter, Mississippi Valley State University was down 7-0 to Florida A&M, the team with the second best record in the SWAC East, and the Devils found a way to respond.
Valley has a running game that it is keeping in its back pocket, but head coach Vincent Dancy is trying to plant the seeds of a dangerous passing offense, and slowly you can see the growth of his efforts beginning to blossom.
In a crucial moment with a little over a minute left in the first quarter, Valley quarterback Jamari Jones found receiver Cobie Bates for an 83-yard touchdown pass. An explosive play that tied the game, and brought Valley some much needed momentum.
That pass would prove to be the only scoring play of the game for Valley, and the Devils lost to the Rattlers 34-7, but it shows that slowly the team is getting closer to being a legitimate passing threat.
Jones finished the game going 12-of-19 for 139 yards, one of his best performances of the season.
Running back Caleb Johnson was the leading rusher for Valley. He finished with 54 yards on 10 tries.
Valley’s next game will be at Rice-Totten Stadium hosting Alcorn State. The Braves are 2-2 on the season and have had success against Valley in recent years. Alcorn is currently on a 13-game win streak over MVSU, and leads the series with 48 wins to the Devils’ 15. The Devils are looking for their first win on the season.
Saturday’s game at Rice-Totten Stadium kicks off at 6 p.m.
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
