Karl Morgan knows this is a chance for his team to make a huge statement Saturday at Jackson State.
With a win over the instate rival Tigers, Mississippi Valley State could notch back-to-back victories for the first time in Morgan’s three-year tenure and end a 17-game losing skid to J-State, which owns a commanding 53-4-2 lead in the series.
“It would be a huge statement for our team for so many reasons,” Morgan said. “First, it would prove to folks that this program is making strides, getting a win against a rival that we haven’t beaten since 1994.”
On the heels of last year’s near-miss, a JSU 17-16 win, and last week’s 45-21 rout of Grambling State, the Delta Devils head into Saturday’s game with some much-needed confidence.
“We’re looking forward to this game. We would really love to end this streak, and we feel good about our chances of doing it,” Morgan said. “We’ve got to be able to make it a close game and find a way to win it in the end.”
The Tigers (3-4, 3-2 SWAC) are coming off a 37-34 victory at Alabama State in which they rallied from a 10-point deficit to win on a last-second field goal.
“I know Jackson State will come in on a high for its homecoming game after a big comeback win on the road, and rightfully so because they have a good team,” Morgan said.
The Delta Devils are coming off their best offensive outing in Morgan’s tenure, more than doubling their previous season-high in points and yardage. They rolled up 45 points and 406 yards against winless Grambling.
It was the most points by Valley since putting up 61 on Texas College in 2009.
Valley came in ranked last in most SWAC offensive statistical categories, but got a huge spark from two different quarterbacks — the running of Garrick Jones (100 yards and two TDs) and the passing of Marcus Randall (167 yards and three TDs) — and the big-play ability of wide receiver Julian Stafford, who had seven catches for 167 yards and returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown.
“I look for us to build on that performance because we now have confidence on that side of the ball,” Morgan said. “Both quarterbacks will play Saturday. They just bring different things to the table so a defense has to be prepared for everything.”
Defensively, things have been clicking all season. Valley ranks fourth nationally in FCS in total defense — 12th nationally against the pass (157 ypg) and 18th against the run (118 ypg).
Defensive tackle Robert Simpson headlines the group with his SWAC-leading 14 tackles for a loss.
“They swarm to the ball,” said JSU junior quarterback Clayton Moore. “Every time the ball is run or passed, every time the ref blows the whistle you see 11 red jerseys. They play physical, aggressive and they’re fast.”
The Delta Devil defense will face a Tiger offense that is coming off its most balanced outing of the season — 264 rushing yards and 269 passing. Its 533 total yards was nine shy of its season-high mark of 542 put up against Texas Southern in a 45-35 win on Sept. 15.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Jackson’s Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
• Contact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
