2020 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

The 2020 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team represented Mississippi Valley State University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Vincent Dancy, the Delta Devils compiled an overall record of 1–3 with an identical mark conference play, placing last out of fourt teams in the SWAC's East Division. Mississippi Valley State played home games at Rice–Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, Mississippi.

2020 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football
ConferenceSouthwestern Athletic Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record1–3 (1–3 SWAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJared Powers (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorDerek Welch (3rd season)
Home stadiumRice–Totten Stadium
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 24 Alabama A&M x$   3 0     5 0  
Alabama State   3 2     3 3  
Jackson State   3 2     4 3  
Mississippi Valley State   1 3     1 3  
West Division
Arkansas–Pine Bluff x   4 0     4 1  
Southern   4 1     5 1  
Prairie View A&M*   2 1     2 1  
Texas Southern   1 2     1 2  
Grambling State   0 4     0 4  
Championship: Alabama A&M 40, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 33
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • Note: The SWAC played a spring conference-only schedule (February–May 2021) due to COVID-19 pandemic. Alcorn State opted out of the spring season; all of their scheduled games were counted as forfeit wins for their opponents.
    * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions.
Rankings from STATS Poll

On July 20, 2020, the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced that it would not play fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes the football program.[1] The conference is formalizing plans to conduct a competitive schedule for football during the 2021 spring semester.

Schedule

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Due to the SWAC's postponement of the 2020 football season to spring 2021, games against Nicholls, Sam Houston State, and Virginia–Lynchburg were canceled.[2] The SWAC released updated spring schedules on August 17.[3]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResult
March 142:00 p.m.at Jackson StateESPN2L 7–43
March 20Alcorn StateW 2–0 (forfeit)
April 33:00 p.m.Arkansas–Pine Bluff
  • Rice–Totten Stadium
  • Itta Bena, MS
ESPN3L 17–24
April 102:00 p.m.at Alabama StateL 17–42

[4][5][6]

Game summaries

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At Jackson State

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Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State
1 234Total
Delta Devils 0 007 7
Tigers 7 23013 43
     
Over/under
JSU −17.5 55
Statistics Mississippi Valley State Jackson State
First downs 15 21
Total yards 271 456
Rushing yards 147 153
Passing yards 124 303
Turnovers 4 2
Time of possession 34:08 25:52
Team Category Player Statistics
Mississippi Valley State Passing Jalani Eason 17/34, 117 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Darius Williams 9 carries, 65 yards
Receiving Jarius Clayton 5 receptions, 35 yards
Jackson State Passing Jalon Jones 14/27, 250 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Tyson Alexander 6 carries, 136 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Daylen Baldwin 6 receptions, 136 yards, 3 TDs

Arkansas–Pine Bluff

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Arkansas–Pine Bluff at Mississippi Valley State
1 234Total
Golden Lions 0 1707 24
Delta Devils 3 077 17
  • Date: April 3, 2021
  • Location: Rice–Totten Stadium
    Itta Bena, MS
  • Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: S 5 MPH
   
Over/under
UAPB −18.0 58
Statistics Arkansas–Pine Bluff Mississippi Valley State
First downs 16 13
Total yards 334 248
Rushing yards 82 144
Passing yards 252 104
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 29:49 30:11
Team Category Player Statistics
Arkansas–Pine Bluff Passing Skyler Perry 23/42, 235 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Mattias Clark 18 carries, 75 yards
Receiving Harry Ballard III 5 receptions, 70 yards
Mississippi Valley State Passing Jalani Eason 14/24, 104 yards
Rushing Caleb Johnson 13 carries, 70 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Malik Myers 4 receptions, 56 yards

At Alabama State

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Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State
1 234Total
Delta Devils 10 070 17
Hornets 7 7721 42
  • Date: April 10, 2021
  • Location: New ASU Stadium
    Montgomery, AL
  • Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes
  • Game attendance: 12,345
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Showers • Wind: SSW 10 MPH
  • Referee: Y. N. Myers
     
Over/under
ALST –14.5 40
Statistics Mississippi Valley State Alabama State
First downs 17 22
Total yards 315 466
Rushing yards 169 156
Passing yards 146 310
Turnovers 4 2
Time of possession 32:03 27:57
Team Category Player Statistics
Mississippi Valley State Passing Jalani Eason 16/28, 135 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Jalani Eason 20 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Darius Williams 2 receptions, 49 yards
Alabama State Passing Ryan Nettles 20/34, 305 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Ryan Nettles 7 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jeremiah Hixon 5 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD

References

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  1. ^ Stephenson, Creg (July 20, 2020). "SWAC becomes latest FCS conference to postpone 2020 football season to spring". AL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "SWAC Releases 2021 Spring Football Schedule". swac.org. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020 Delta Devil Football Schedule Release" (Press release). MVSU Athletics. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Schedule 2020". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. ^ "Spring 2021 Football Schedule". Mississippi Valley State University. Retrieved June 17, 2023.