In the biggest upset of the HBCU football season, Mississippi Valley State beat Florida A&M 24-21 to end their home undefeated streak.
Entering the game the Rattlers boasted a 23 game winning streak at Bragg Memorial Stadium dating back to 2018 and the Delta Devils had gone over a year without winning a game. But, a confluence of events led to Mississippi Valley State scoring their first win in program history over the defending SWAC Champions.
Florida A&M had many self inflicted wounds in contest. They were 2-9 on third down conversions and fumbled the ball three times. Mississippi Valley was able to capitalize on their opportunities, as they were 5-12 in third down efficiency and dominated time of possession 33:09 to 26:51. They also played a clean game as they were able to take care of the ball in the air and on the ground and finished with no turnovers.
Ty’Jarian Williams finished the game throwing for 251 yards and two touchdowns on 19/28 passing. He stood toe-to-toe with Richardson, arguably the best quarterback in the SWAC. Richardson finished the game with 259 yards and one touchdown on 18/24 passing.
Richardson threw some beautiful passes that would’ve surely resulted in touchdowns had his receivers capitalized. But, ultimately, they couldn’t catch what was thrown their way and it ultimately cost them the game.
Meanwhile, Nathan Rembert had one of the best games of his career. The Edward Waters transfer was a key weapon for Williams in the passing game, finishing the game with 7 catches for 130 yards and one touchdown. It seemed as if the Florida A&M defense didn’t have much for the Delta Devils this game, as Mississippi Valley State had 341 yards of total offense.
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For Florida A&M, any hopes of an appearance in the Celebration Bowl or FCS Playoffs is officially over. While an FCS Playoff bid was unlikely due to the team having to reschedule their matchup wtih Alabama A&M to November 29th due to Hurricane Helene, the Rattlers still had a slimmer of hope to win the SWAC East and make SWAC Championship if Jackson State suffered some inter-divisional losses.
But, the loss puts the team in a perilous position. Plus, the Rattlers are still reeling from the after effects of their postgame scuffle with Prairie View A&M on last week that resulted in players being suspended and institutional fines being levied against both programs.
For Mississippi Valley State, this win means everything. The team looks to dedicate the rest of the season to Ryan Quinney, who was killed in a car crash on last Friday prior to the team’s matchup with Jackson State.