BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It was no surprise to see Mississippi Valley State picked last in the Eastern Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
But the Delta Devils hope to prove their doubters wrong when the season opens Sept. 4 at Alabama State. That was the message from defensive lineman Reginald Foster here Tuesday at SWAC Media Day.
"Being chosen fifth removes the target off our back, but also now we know that no one expects much from us outside of our locker room," Foster said. "We know how good we want to be and ho w good we can be; now we must go out and prove it on the field."
First-year Valley head coach Karl Morgan, hired in January to replace Willie Totten, has had a rough go of it in his first six months on the job.
Soon after his hiring, Morgan learned that MVSU"s Rice-Totten Stadium was declared unsafe to use this season and that he wouldn't be able to hire all of his staff for several more months.
Hired a couple of weeks before National Signing Day, Morgan didn't fare well in recruiting.
Then came the campus-wide meeting to discuss Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to merge Valley with the state's other two historically black public universities.
He's been told he can't succeed at Valley, which has posted a winning record in just five of the last 20 seasons and has never won a SWAC championship.
But Morgan isn't buying that.
"I'm committed to winning at Mississippi Valley," he said. "I thought it could be done when I took the job, and six months later I still think it."
"I am entering my senior season at MVSU. I would love nothing better to play hard for Coach Morgan - bring him in with a title and leave with a ring," said Foster, one of three Valley players named to the preseason All-SWAC team Tuesday.
For inspiration, Morgan can look across the SWAC at Prairie View A&M, once the laughing stock of the league while going through an 80-game winless steak.
But things have changed there under Panther head coach Henry Frazier III. Prairie View went 9-1 in each of the last two seasons and won its first SWAC title since 1964 last season.
Morgan said the first step to any turnaround at Valley is bringing in better players.
"We've got to improve the talent level," he said. "We've got to recruit Mississippi and especially the Delta, so we don't have to pay so much out-of-state tuition on our scholarships."
Foster, senior linebacker Rory Malone and senior defensive back Markkus Davis were all named to the SWAC second-team unit.
Foster finished last season with 59 tackles, including 91/2 tackles for loss, five sacks and a pass breakup.
Malone led the team in tackles with 76 and added 61/2 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a pass breakup.
Davis was second on the team in tackles (72) and finished with three tackles for loss, a sack and two pass breakups.
• Contact Bill Burrus at bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
