The Mississippi Valley State defense made big plays all over the field.
The Delta Devils forced six turnovers in a 35-14 rout of hapless Texas Southern on a wet Saturday afternoon in Itta Bena at Rice-Totten Stadium.
“Man, that’s the kind of defense I have known we are capable of playing all along,” Valley coach Vincent Dancy, who came up as a defensive guy in the coaching ranks. “My hats off to all those guys. They just kept making play after play.”
Valley recorded its first SWAC win of the season, moving to 2-6 overall, 1-3 in league play, and in doing so, snapped a five-game losing skid against the Tigers. TSU lost its 11th straight to fall to 0-8, 0-4 — and is now 0-5 on the road under first-year coach Clarence McKinney.
“It’s great to get that first league win, and even better to do it home,” Dancy said. “We just have to be able to build on this one and keep our momentum going.”
Unlike last week, when it gave up a 21-point lead in a stinging overtime loss to Jackson State, Valley didn’t let this one slip away. The defense refused to let that happen.
TSU’s only offensive touchdown of the day came with 2:31 left in the third to make it 28-14. The Valley defense then answered with a touchdown when Jerry Garner recovered a fumble in the end zone — making it 35-14 with less than four minutes to play in the contest. Gardner also had tackle in the end zone for a safety midway through the fourth.
Jonathan Jones played a huge role in the Valley’s turnover feast against the struggling Tigers. His second interception of the game, with 5:28 left, thwarted a potential scoring drive.
Caleb Johnson exploded for a 39-yard rush that sparked a drive that ended with a Dejerric Bryant 2-yard touchdown run to put Valley up 28-14.
Tadarius Davis also got in on the scoring act, returning a TSU interception 12 yards for a touchdown that made it 19-7 midway through the third.
Valley led 14-7 at the half after putting up 187 total yards, with Bryant accounting for 82 rushing yards.
Bryant only put the ball in the air 14 times, completing seven of those for 57 yards. Johnson and Bryant, however, picked up things on the ground with 121 and 96 yards, respectively.
The Valley offense, ranked last in the SWAC in yards and points, didn’t light up the TSU defense, but it did take care of the ball on a sloppy day. And that was more than enough with the way the guys on the other side of the ball played.
Greenwood’s JohnDerrick Smith, a senior running back, has seen his role in the offense dwindle with the emergence of Johnson in the backfield. Smith, a Greenwood High School product, had one carry for two yards.
TSU took a quick 7-0 lead after Justin Read’s blocked a punt, and Ke’Lenn Davis returned it 5 yards for the score. Valley pulled within one in the second, when Bryant hit Malik Myers for a 5-yard scoring strike. The PAT was no good, leaving the Tigers clinging to a 7-6 advantage.
That was the star of 28-0 run by Mississippi Valley State that included Tadarius Davis’ interception return and Garner’s safety.
Valley will continue its home stand next week, with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Alabama State.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
