MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State looks to rebound following a loss in the Magic City Classic last weekend, hitting the road to face Mississippi Valley State Saturday afternoon in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest.
Kickoff is set for 1 pm at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena (Miss.), with pregame beginning at 12:30 pm on the Hornet Sports Network.
Alabama State (3-4, 2-2 SWAC) looks to get back on track following the three-overtime loss to in-state rival Alabama A&M, while Mississippi Valley State (2-6, 1-3 SWAC) enters the game following their first conference victory of the season (35-14 over Texas Southern).
The two teams met in the Turkey Day Classic last season, with Alabama State coming away with a 31-24 hard-fought victory at ASU Stadium.
The Series vs. Mississippi Valley State
Alabama State leads the all-time series with Mississippi Valley State 28-14-1, including winning the last nine times in the series.
The last time Mississippi Valley State won in the series came in 2008 when they defeated the Hornets 10-3. Alabama State has won 12 of the last 13, and 14 of the last 16 in the series.
Mississippi Valley State dominated the early portion of the series, winning eight of the 12 games, with the first game being played in 1965. Since then – beginning in 1987 – Alabama State has dominated the series as they have posted a 24-4-1 record.
Game Notes
Since 1999, Alabama State has represented the East division four different times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2010) in the SWAC Championship game.
Alabama State won the last contest played in Itta Bena (Miss.) by a score of 16-10 and needed a late defensive stop in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
A pair of familiar faces will return to Itta Bena this weekend on the Hornets sideline. Assistant coach (receivers)
Sean Anderson is a former Delta Devils assistant and was on the sideline last year for Mississippi Valley State, while backup quarterback
Jett Even will return as a graduate transfer after playing the last two seasons at Mississippi Valley State.
Michael Jefferson has caught 30 passes heading into the seventh game of the season. He is just 18 catches short of the top 12 all-time in a single season, as Reggie Brown (1990) and T.C. McWilliams (2012) each caught 48.
The Hornets have had four players rush for 100 yards under head coach
Donald Hill-Eley since he took over the program, with two of those coming this season –
Duran Bell (10-112) and
Ezra Gray (23-104) – which happened on the same field against UAB earlier this season.
Gray reached the 1,000-yard mark for his career on Saturday against Alabama A&M with a run in the second quarter against the Bulldogs.
Colton Adams earned his SWAC Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season, and for the second time in three weeks for his performance against Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic. He led Alabama State with a game-high 13 tackles in a triple overtime loss and recorded 2.5 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and recorded a quarterback hurry. He was also named an honorable mention selection for STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week.
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