Once a high-powered and futuristic offensive juggernaut, the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils have fallen on hard times in the three decades since Willie Totten and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice led them to the 1-AA playoffs.
The school’s last winning season came in 2006 (6-5) and MVSU haven’t won more than eight games in a season since 1984, also the last season MVSU reached the postseason. A historically black college located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, Saturday’s game against Montana will mark Mississippi Valley State’s first game against a Big Sky Conference opponent.
Though it has experienced tough times since Rice and Totten’s record-breaking seasons in the mid 1980s, the past few years have been especially tough in Itta Bena. The Delta Devils have just five wins since 2013 and have scored more than 32 points just once in that time span.
Totten, who set 58 Division 1-AA records during his time as MVSU quarterback, couldn’t even lift the program out of the funk it had regressed into. He coached the Delta Devils from 2002-2009, but never won more than six games.
The 2016 season hasn’t been kind to MVSU either. With zero wins to show, the Delta Devils have among the worst rushing statistics in the nation. The offense has suffered accordingly: its highest scoring output this season was the 21 points MVSU scored in a 35-point loss to Prairie View A&M.
Despite the myriad challenges the Delta Devils have faced, they nearly won their first game of the season last week at Jackson State. Mississippi Valley allowed 13 second-quarter points in the 16-14 defeat. The Delta Devils have been outscored 199-65 through five games.
QUICK HITS
Location: Itta Bena, Mississppi
Nickname: Delta Devils
Founded: 1950. The historically black college was created by the Mississippi Legislature as Mississippi Vocational School. It has been reported the school was created as state politicians feared the segregation of schools was in danger. As a response governor Thomas L. Bailey signed the school into law in 1946 to attract black students to MVSU and away from Mississippi, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi
Enrollment: The student body totals 2,502. The school’s 2015 endowment was $1,579,044 according to U.S. News.
Stadium: Rice-Totten field, named after the infamous touchdown duo, seats 10,000 people. In 2015, Mississippi Valley State averaged 3,162 fans. The season high this year is 3,679 against Prairie View.
Comegy
THE TEAM (0-4 in the Southwestern, 0-5 overall in 2016)
The Coach: Rick Comegy, third season at Mississippi Valley State. In his time in Itta Bena, the Delta Devils are just 3-23. That record is a stark reversal of the success Comegy had at Jackson State and Tuskegee. In his 10 seasons with Tuskegee, Comegy won 90 games and five Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. He then moved on to Jackson State and won 55 games and six Southwestern Athletic Conference championships in his eight seasons. He become MVSU’s 16th head coach on Jan. 21, 2014.
THE OFFENSE
Austin Bray, quarterback, 6-5, 225, junior – Seven different players have throws passes for Mississippi Valley State this season, but 82 percent of those have come from the arm of Austin Bray. The younger brother of NFL quarterback Tyler Bray (Kansas City Chiefs), Austin has finally found a home after transferring three times (Fresno City College, Scottsdale Community College & Reedley College, CA) before due to injury. This season he is 86-156 with six interceptions and three touchdowns.
Crenshaw
Charlie Crenshaw, running back, 5-8, 165, junior– On a team with as many rushers with numbers in the black as it has with rushers in the red, Charlie Crenshaw has had the most success. At just 2.6 yards per carry, Crenshaw’s game-day average of 15.8 yards is more than a full yard better than the team’s 14.6 yard output. Crenshaw’s best performance came in the loss to Prairie View when he accounted for 28 yards on the ground and 14 receiving.
Joshua Banks, wide receiver, 6-4, 235, junior — One of two Delta Devils with 18 receptions – Tre Simms being the other – Banks has one touchdown on the season and is averaging 41.4 yards per game. On a team with five receivers with double-digit receptions, Banks has three games with four catches or more including a 6-reception, 54-yard performance against Prairie View.
As a sophomore, Banks had five receptions for 49 yards.
Pegues
THE DEFENSE
Khalih Young, defensive line, 6-5, 241, senior — Young has resumed his role as the primary disrupter for a defense that gives up almost 40 points per game. Coming off a four-sack junior season, Young is leading Mississippi Valley State in tackles with 40. He is also responsible four tackles for loss, for two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Mark Peques, defensive back, 5-11, 166, junior — Tied with Young for the team lead in tackles, Pegues has been counted on a lot this year to coral ball carriers. He has had at least nine tackles in three games this year, including a 10-stop effort against Jackson State. He had two pass breakups in a 36-16 loss to Alabama A&M.
Green
Marques Green, 5-10, 175, sophomore — A backfield mate of Peques, Green is third on the team in tackles with 31. He has reached at least six tackles in every game and managed to trip up opponents seven times in losses to Jackson State and Eastern Michigan. Green has one tackle for loss this year, splitting it between two games. He also has four pass breakups for a team allowing 210 yards per outing.
Photos courtesy of Mississippi State University Athletics. All Rights Reserved.
