Mississippi Valley State appears to be on the upswing in Karl Morgan’s third year as head coach.
Morgan took over a depleted program in 2010 and went 1-20 in his first two years in Itta Bena, but the Delta Devils have shown promise for the future this season with three wins. They will try to make it four Saturday in their 2012 home finale against Prairie View.
Valley hasn’t won more than three games in a season since going 6-5 in 2006.
But MVSU (3-6, 3-4 SWAC), which blasted instate rival Alcorn State 33-9 last week, is gaining confidence and momentum as the Delta Devils try for back-to-back victories Saturday for the first time since 2009.
“You can see the confidence growing in our players. They believe that we’re going to finish out the season on a strong note,” Morgan said. “Our goal has been to finish with three straight wins, and we took the first step last week with a big win against an instate rival. If we can finish this thing out, that would be a big momentum boost going into recruiting and into the offseason.”
To make it two in a row, MVSU will have to slow down one of the most explosive offensive attacks in the SWAC. The Panthers (3-6, 3-4) come in ranked first in the league in total offense, third in scoring, first in rushing and second in passing.
Prairie View is led by dual-threat quarterback De’Auntre Smiley, who ranks first in the SWAC in total offense with 51 rushing and 182 passing yards per game.
“Prairie View has a good collection of skill guys, all of whom can hurt you with big plays. It will be a challenge for our defense,” said Morgan.
The aggressive Delta Devil defense has been up to the challenge for most of the season. That unit is ranked third in FCS and first in the SWAC in total defense.
That group is led by junior tackle Robert Simpson, who ranks first in FCS in tackles for loss with 17.5.
MVSU will honor its seniors in a pregame ceremony before the 1 p.m. kickoff. Morgan hopes to send his seniors off on a high note after some lean years with the Delta Devils.
“I’m happy for the players,” said Morgan. “We still haven’t gotten completely over the hump, but I’m happy that we’re headed in the right direction. And those guys that are leaving us can look back and say ‘You know what, we didn’t win a whole bunch of games, but I was a part of the foundation, a part of the concrete that got Valley football on solid ground in the years to come.’”
• Contact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
