Rick Comegy finds himself in unfamiliar territory this week, but it’s certainly one he could get use to.
After snapping a five-game losing skid, the Mississippi Valley State coach is trying to get his team re-focused after a big win and prepared to start a different kind of streak.
Riding a big wave of emotion after a 27-23 comeback win over rival Jackson State — Valley’s first in the series since 1984 — the Delta Devils host Prairie View for homecoming Saturday in Itta Bena looking to build a win streak.
“It was a long time coming. It was a special win for our fans, players and our administration. It wasn’t about me,” said Comegy, who was fired last December after eight successful seasons at JSU. “We finally played a complete game and came together as a team.”
The first-year MVSU coach said it was a signature win because “it assures everybody that we have the right combination here.”
But Comegy knows the Delta Devils can’t get caught looking in the rear-view mirror.
“We’ve got to work hard this week to get our kids’ feet back on the ground. We can’t live on last week. It’s not what you do today but what you do tomorrow that counts,” said Comegy, whose team is 2-5 overall, 1-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. “We’ve got to put that behind us and get ready for Prairie View so we can finish the second half of the season on a good note.”
After an 0-4 start to the season, Prairie View (2-4, 2-3 SWAC) comes into Saturday’s game with some momentum, having won its last two games, including an impressive 38-24 victory over Alabama State. The Panthers defeated JSU 48-30 two weeks ago.
“This is a good football team that we are facing, a team that has some confidence after a tough start,” Comegy said. “Their quarterback (Jerry Lovelocke) is tremendous, and they’ve got great wide receivers and good team speed. They hustle to the ball well on defense.”
Prairie View ranks third in total offense in the SWAC and third in passing offense. Lovelocke is second in passing with 215 yards per game. He has completed 116 of 216 passes for 1,293 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Delta Devils rank third in the league in pass defense.
MVSU still ranks last in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense, but it did receive a spark last week in the second half when Quantavius Peterson came in at quarterback in relief of Patrick Ivy. He led the team to 21 second-half points and had a 36-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 left to play to Joshua Rice, the nephew of former Valley great Jerry Rice, that completed the Delta Devils’ rally.
Peterson finished 8-of-12 passing for 73 yards while adding 56 yards rushing and a touchdown.
“Jackson State was blitzing us, and Ivy isn’t as good a runner as Peterson, who hurt them with his legs first and then threw a dart at the end of the game because they were thinking he was going to run again,” Comegy said. “And then you have a big-time play from a young receiver. What a catch, and 30 years after Jerry Rice made a game-winning catch against Jackson State.”
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
