Mississippi Valley State University will compete in its final game of the season on Saturday, hosting Prairie View A&M at Rice-Totten Stadium.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
It has been a long season for MVSU (1-9 overall, 1-6 in SWAC), falling short of truly building off last season’s 4-7 overall finish. The Delta Devils struggled early in the season to find stable and successful quarterback play, and before the position under center was truly set, injuries began to pile up.
“When you have 15 to 18 guys out weekly,” Valley head coach Vincent Dancy said, “it makes it hard.”
Now, with the season winding to an end, Dancy is looking to end his fourth year at the helm of the Delta Devils similarly to how his team finished last year’s campaign — beating the Panthers in the last game of the year.
“They’ve got a very good team, a very explosive offense. They can score on you within a blink of an eye with their quarterback and the skill set their receivers have,” Dancy said. “We just have to go into this game and continue to play the way we’ve been playing minus the turnovers and the mistakes we made last week. If we do that, I think we put ourselves in a good chance of winning.”
Wrapping up the 2022 season on the right foot isn’t the only thing on the mind of Dancy and his players. Saturday is also senior day at MVSU. This year’s senior class is a group that is headlined by players like running back Caleb Johnson, quarterback Jalani Eason, wide receiver Jacory Rankin, kicker Orlando Fernandez, and defensive lineman Ronnie Thomas. 2022’s senior class is a group of guys who helped Valley stay competitive throughout the season, and Dancy credited them with helping resurrect MVSU football.
“A lot of the guys who aren’t seniors came here because of what the seniors have done. They started this tradition — they started the Valley way.”
Watching a group of guys that has been with Dancy since he became head coach in 2018, step on the football field for the last time, will be an emotional moment for him.
“For a lot of guys, it will be potentially the last football game of their life,” Dancy said about his seniors. “A lot of emotion will be running through those guys, and many of them have been here for four years and got this program on the right track to where we are competitive.
“It’s special for me, bringing those guys here has been a blessing. They helped me turn this program back into a program where we are competitive, and people aren’t just looking over us” Dancy continued. “At the end of the day, you never know how long we are going to be with each other, and Saturday we all are going to separate. So, it’s kind of bittersweet for me seeing those guys walk out for the last time.”
Even though Valley has had an underwhelming year on the field, its players’ effort and drive to perform has continued to impressed Dancy.
“Overall, I’m just proud of the way the guys continue to play and continue to fight throughout the season, even though we don’t have much to play for,” Dancy said. “The season didn’t go how we expected, but they continue to fight and come out wanting to play on Saturdays, and never quit.”
That never quit mentality will be needed on Saturday when it’s time for kickoff. The Panthers are 6-4 overall and 5-2 in SWAC games, and are sitting at the top spot in the SWAC West standings. The Panthers’ clinching of the SWAC West is guaranteed only if Prairie View beats Valley. If the Panthers lose on Saturday, then the door to a SWAC Championship appearance is wide open for Texas Southern, Southern University, and Alcorn State.
Dancy said he is looking to throw a wrench in the Panthers’ postseason hopes.
“We are going to run the ball and establish the run game, that is just who we are. I have a lot of faith in Jalani, he’s a veteran. He’s one of those seniors who has been here since 2020,” Dancy said. “He’s been playing his tail off for this university. I have a lot of trust in him to go out and put us in the right situations.”
After beating Prairie View 24-19 in last year’s season ending game, Dancy is leaning on his seniors to once again lead the way.
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
