Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Mississippi Valley State
WHEN 1 p.m. Central
WHERE Rice-Totten Stadium, Itta Bena, Miss.
RECORDS Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1-9, 0-8; Mississippi Valley State 1-9, 1-7
COACHES Monte Coleman (17-52 in eighth season at UAPB and overall); Rick Comegy (3-16 in second season at MVSU and 166-104 in 24th season overall)
RADIO KUAP-FM, 89.7, in Pine Bluff
INTERNET uapblionsroar.com
WHEN UAPB HAS THE BALL It took almost all season, but UAPB finally seems to have settled on a quarterback. Brandon Duncan passed for 459 yards and 3 touchdowns with 3 interceptions in last week’s loss to Grambling State. In three starts in which coaches have let Duncan air it out, he has passed for 893 yards with 7 touchdowns and in those starts UAPB has averaged 28.0 points. In UAPB’s seven other games, it has averaged 15.1 points. UAPB’s newfound success through the air could face a challenge today, considering Mississippi Valley State has the third-best pass defense in the SWAC, giving up 204.8 passing yards per game. The Delta Devils have intercepted a SWAC-best 12 passes. The Delta Devils have given up chunks of yards on the ground, however, ranking last at 251.2 yards and last in scoring at 45.8 points per game.
WHEN MVSU HAS THE BALL Mississippi Valley State won its first game of the season when it scored a season-high 27 points last week at Alabama A&M. The Delta Devils are last in the SWAC in scoring (13.3), total offense (244.7 yards per game), rushing (101.0) and passing (143.7). They’ve been held to 20 points or less in eight of their 10 games and their 29 lost turnovers are most in the league. Mississippi Valley State also doesn’t have a player ranked higher than eighth in the conference in rushing, passing or receiving. Its leader in total offense is quarterback Thurston Rubin, Jr., with 101.6 per game. UAPB is coming off its three worst weeks of the season defensively. The Golden Lions have given up 54, 57 and 49 points in losses to Priaire View A&M, Southern and Grambling State.
WHAT’S AT STAKE With an uncertain contract status beyond Dec. 31, this could be Motne Coleman’s final game as head coach. If so, Coleman would like a victory to avoid a winless SWAC season for the first time since UAPB moved to Division I in 1997.
QUOTING COACH COLEMAN “We’re not giving up on this season, but we know that it’s over, so we are playing a couple of young guys. The young guys played well for us.”