Mississippi Valley State coach Karl Morgan is still sick about letting instate rival Jackson State off the hook last week.
Sparked by a blocked punt for a safety, JSU outscored Valley 9-0 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 26-17 victory. It was the third straight oh-so close loss to the Tigers, who have now won 19 straight against the Delta Devils.
Calling J-State the “flag ship HBCU in the state”, Morgan says it’s important to reverse this losing trend vs. the Tigers.
“We’ve got to get to the point where we’re consciously thinking about beating Jackson State because that holds the key in recruiting. We’re still the last option in recruiting. If you can’t go to Jackson, you go to Alcorn. If you can’t go to Alcorn, ah, I’ll go to Valley.
“We’ve got to dig ourselves out of this hole in recruiting, and that starts with beating our instate rivals.”
Valley is 0-2 this season vs. the state’s other two SWAC schools.
But with a trip Saturday to play arguably the most explosive team in the league in Prairie View, Morgan and the Delta Devils can’t afford to stay hung up on the JSU loss.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Blackshear Field in Prairie View, Texas.
Prairie View (4-3, 3-2 SWAC) is coming off a 48-42 loss to Alabama State that snapped a three-game win streak.
Offense wasn’t the problem for the Panthers in that loss as they rolled up 685 total yards. They rank first in total offense and passing offense and third in scoring offense.
But it’s not all good news for the Panthers because they give up points and yards at about the same clip they are giving them up.
“We have to score some points this week, and we’ve got to slow them down a good bit,” Morgan said.
The Valley offense, which ranks last in the SWAC in total yards gained and eighth in scoring, should get a spark by the return of starting quarterback Patrick Ivy, who missed the JSU game with a leg injury. It was his second game missed due to injury for the junior college transfer.
Greenwood’s Jeremy Collins filled in for Ivy in both those games. The Greenwood High School product has completed 57 of 116 passes for 509 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Ivy is 38 of 79 passing for 445 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions and is also a dangerous running threat.
“Patrick Ivy gives us the best chance to win. He’s the more polished of the two although Jeremy is progressing,” Morgan said. “Patrick could’ve played last week, but with five more games left after Jackson State, we didn’t want to take a chance on losing him for more games down the stretch.
“We’ve got five games left so a 6-5 record is still within reach, and our kids and coaches believe we can do it.”
