Mississippi Valley State is back on the road for another challenging non-conference game.
It’s the third time in four games the Delta Devils find themselves in the unenviable position of a long road trip against a superior opponent. MVSU, which was outscored 127-10 in losses to North Dakota State and Southern Illinois, plays at Charleston Southern at 5 p.m. Saturday at Buccaneer Field in Charleston, South Carolina.
“It will be a 14-hour bus ride up there,” Valley coach Rick Comegy said. “Hopefully, we’ve got it scheduled right so the kids can be rested and ready to roll.”
The team left out of Itta Bena at midnight Thursday.
The winless Delta Devils will need all the rest they can get against the two-time defending Big South champion, which earned its only two FCS postseason berths in the school’s history the last two years. Last Saturday, the frustration of the first month of the season was erased for Charleston Southern, which opened the home portion of its schedule with a resounding 66-0 win over NAIA member Point University.
Losses to Mississippi State and Elon, along with a game cancellation due to Hurricane Irma, led to an unsettling start to the season. However, a rout of a weaker opponent put some spring in CSU’s step.
Sophomore quarterback Shane Bucenell had his sharpest night as a Buccaneer, completing 14 of 17 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns.
Sophomore receiver Kameron Brown, who missed the first seven quarters of the season due to suspension, tallied six receptions for 113 yards. Kenny Dinkins had a pair of touchdown catches and senior Noah Shuler led the running game with 79 yards and a score.
Valley is coming off a 38-6 loss to Grambling State in which the Delta Devil defense had its best showing of the young season, holding an explosive offense to 303 total yards and 26 points. GSU scored a touchdown on defense and two safeties on special teams.
“It was probably our best defensive game to date,” Comegy said. “Our guys were hitting and running to the ball. It was good to see that kind of effort.”
The biggest thing holding Valley back is its offense, which turned the ball over six times and was sacked for minus-79 rushing yards.
“We’ve got to get something going on offense,” Comegy said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do as a staff and as a team to get to where we need to be, but I see us getting there. There were some signs of improvement later in the game last week.”
