Mississippi Valley State erased a 17-point deficit in the second half only to let a golden opportunity slip away late against Florida A&M on Saturday.
Trailing 31-28 with three minutes left, the Delta Devils faced a difficult decision on 4th and 1 in the red zone: kick a field goal for the tie or keep driving for a game-winning touchdown. At first, the kicking unit took the field until head coach Vincent Dancy called timeout, deliberated with his assistant coaches and sent the offense back out for a game-deciding fourth down.
The risk failed to pay off as running back Caleb Johnson slipped on the ensuing handoff and fell short of the first-down marker. The turnover on downs helped the Rattlers escape Itta Bena with a 31-28 win, dealing MVSU its second defeat in a row at Rice-Totten Stadium.
The Delta Devils (2-5, 1-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) wrap up their three-game homestand next Saturday against rival Jackson State.
FAMU struck first with a field goal on the first possession of the afternoon. In the second quarter, Rattlers playmaker Jah’Marae Sheread scored his first of four touchdowns on a 21-yard reception to stretch their lead to 10-0 at halftime. It looked like the matchup was headed toward a blowout when Sheread returned a punt 58 yards untouched for a touchdown in the third quarter, but MVSU refused to quit down the stretch.
Johnson got the Delta Devils on the board with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, rushing for a 2-yard touchdown to cut their deficit to 17-7. MVSU made it a one-possession game a minute later when defensive back Markell Gladney returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown.
FAMU extended its lead to 24-14 on Sheread’s third score of the day, but the Delta Devils kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter. Backup running back Dederrian Williams rushed for a six-yard touchdown, then Malik Myers hauled in a nine-yard touchdown catch to give MVSU its first lead with seven minutes to play.
Graduate transfer quarterback Jalani Eason helped orchestrate the comeback by connecting with Jacory Rankin deep downfield for two of the longest passing plays of the season. Eason finished with one of his best stat lines to date, completing 15 of 21 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. Rankin had four catches for 147 yards, including a 67-yard grab.
Just as quickly as the Delta Devils rallied, they relinquished their lead. It took less than a minute for the Rattlers to march into the red zone, where Sheread scored another touchdown to give FAMU the lead for good.
Keonte Daniels paced MVSU’s defense with 11 tackles.
- Contact Riley Overend at roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
