Just how big a mess did Vincent Dancy take over at Mississippi Valley State?
When he was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach in the offseason, Dancy took the reigns of a floundering progman that hadn’t notched back-to-back wins in five years.
Dancy and the Delta Devils (1-5, 1-2 SWAC) can change that today in Houston, Texas, when they face a struggling 1-6 Texas Southern team.
Dancy in his this position after his team pulled out a thrilling double overtime win, 48-47, last weekend for homecoming against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“It was long overdue. It was a great, great time for a win. I am proud because our guys played their tails off and never quit fighting,” said Dancy of his team’s first victory of the season that snapped a nine-game losing streak.
First-year quarterback Dejerric Bryant had a breakout performance to lead Valley to a season-high 380 yards rushing. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior, a transfer from Holmes Community College, ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns and completed 11-of-19 passes for 117 yards. That outing earned him the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week honors.
Bryant threw a pick-six in the first half to allow UAPB to take a 17-6 lead, but he wound up making up for it, and then some.
“He made a big mistake, but he never wavered. We made corrections on the sideline and went out and made plays,” Dancy said. “He started out fourth on the depth chart but just kept working. He has the heart of a lion. He wanted to get back out there and prove himself.”
TSU is coming off a 21-7 loss to Southern in which it held the Jaguars to 271 yards of offense. Texas Southern settled for 287 yards of offense, well below the 350.3 yards the Tigers averaged coming into the game.
“Texas Southern is a good, well-coached team with a lot of upperclassmen,” said the Valley coach. “They are playing great defense and have been in a lot of games because of that defense.
“Last week’s game won’t help us this week against Texas Southern. We have to remain focused,” Dancy said. “Our kids are ready to go back out and capture that winning feeling again.”
nAlcorn State: The Braves are 6-2 , 4-1 in the SWAC after last week’s 33-29 win over Grambling State.
Alcorn State flexed its muscle during a big win over Grambling State and no one flexed more muscle than Terry Whittington. The defensive lineman turned in an all-around game with career-highs in tackles (15) and sacks (6). His efforts earned him SWAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Whittington is part of an Alcorn defense that leads the nation in both sacks per game (4.5 s/g) and tackles for a loss per game (9.5). The Braves also rank sixth in the nation in total defense (266.6 ypg) and seventh in rushing defense (89.9 ypg).
The Braves play at Prairie View A&M today at 2 p.m.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
