Jackson State Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over MVSU

2. Mississippi Valley State made too many critical mistakes early

The Delta Devils were behind the eight-ball coming into this afternoon’s game. MVSU had not played a game in over a year and had their first two games postponed because of COVID issues with the program. Anytime there are issues with COVID that affect practice if a team can even practice.

The lack of practice time and playing together showed in this game. The Devils had several promising drives in today’s game, but self-inflicted miscues would stall many of those good drives. The Devils converted just three third downs and were penalized eight times; many of those penalties hurt momentum on drives.

The Devils did not have much interest in throwing the ball down the field either. Their longest pass was 17 yards. Quarterback Jalani Eason had 34 pass attempts for just 117 yards. Either Eason did not trust himself to throw the football downfield, or the Devils coaching staff did not trust Eason t throw deep.

Eason’s accuracy, or lack thereof, has to be troublesome for the Devils in the future. The Portland State transfer missed some throws rather badly this afternoon. In one throw, specifically in the second quarter, Eason had a man open and threw the ball inside right to the safety. If the pass goes toward the sideline, it could be a touchdown.

It was not all bad news for the Delta Devils, however. Despite the lopsided score, the Delta Devils’ defensive line consistently got pressure on Jalon Jones and held him to his lowest completion percentage of the season. MVSU held Jackson State to 4.5 yards per rush this afternoon.

After giving up 23 points in the second quarter, the Devils held the Tigers scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. The Delta Devils never quit but have a long way to go.