From The Mississippi Link Newswire
ITTA BENA – What Mississippi Valley State fans had been waiting on for 19 games came to life Saturday when the Delta Devils held off Texas Southern 12-9 to win their first game under head coach Karl Morgan.
In the end, it was a stout defense and effective special teams that helped Mississippi Valley State gain the edge over Texas.
The Delta Devils (1-8, 1-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference) only had 101 total yards, but it was enough to end a long losing skid that dated back to November 2009.
MVSU’s lone touchdown came late in the second quarter on a 12-yard pass from Garrick Jones to J.J. Thurman that gave the Delta Devils a 9-2 lead at halftime.
Carlos Sanchez’ 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds left in the third quarter ended MVSU’s scoring. Texas Southern’s Joe Anderson caught a 6-yard pass from Riko Smalls with over six minutes to left to make it 12-9.
The Tigers (3-4, 1-5) SWAC had one last chance to either tie or win the game with over a minute left. But Valley cornerback Marquez Floyd saved the day with a sliding interception with 1:08 left to secure a Delta Devil victory.
The game included 20 punts – 10 by each team. Garrick Jones went 10 of 19 for 78 yards with a TD and an interception for the Delta Devils. Marvin Pittman led Valley with 15 rushing yards while Brandon Stansell had four catches for 18 yards. Paul Cox added three catches for 22 yards.
MVSU will have a short week due to their Thursday game against South Alabama. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. in Mobile, Ala.
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