Photo: Jackson State quarterback Jimmy Oliver looks to pass as Delta State defensive lineman Michael Lewis closes in Saturday night.
By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger
Division II power Delta State leaves town with convincing win over dazed Jackson State
After rewinding through the previous three hours in his head and then being honest with himself, Jackson State quarterback Tray Rutland realized he had a confession to make.
Maybe he hadn't given Delta State's football team the proper respect they deserved.
And for that oversight, Rutland and his team paid dearly as Delta State blasted Jackson State 27-15 in front of an announced crowd of 12,667 on Saturday night at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
"I'm not going to lie to you, (Delta State) was faster and just flat out better than I expected," Rutland said. "Their defense was very, very good and we just couldn't do anything. It was a really frustrating night."
By the end of the evening, the once-festive and partisan JSU crowd turned surprised and angry, with scattered boos heard throughout the stadium.
It was a stark downward turn for the Division I-AA program in its second season under coach Rick Comegy. Instead of showing progress after a rejuvenating 6-5 record last season, the Tigers were dismantled by a Division II team from the Gulf South Conference.
But Comegy wasn't in a mood to feel sorry for himself or his team.
"We've got 10 games to go so we're not going to sit around and suck our thumb over a game that doesn't mean anything as far as a SWAC championship," Comegy said. "I tried to tell everybody that this was a good team, but I'm not sure if everybody was listening."
Jackson State (0-1) can trace most of Saturday's woes to an offense that managed just 122 total yards and were stuffed for minus-22 yards on the ground.
Tigers' coaches agonized in the preseason over the choice between Jimmy Oliver and Rutland at quarterback, but both were ineffective as Delta State's defense had six sacks and countless more hurries.
The two quarterbacks combined to complete just 11-of-34 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
JSU made wholesale changes on the offensive line throughout the game to try to protect the quarterbacks, but nothing seemed to work.
"To put it bluntly, it was a bad game," JSU center Lorenzo Breland said. "Some of that was Delta State and some of that was us. But we've got to get better."
Jackson State avoided being shut out when Lavarius Giles returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but by then the game was basically decided.
And that's because Delta State (1-0) forced a steady diet of smashmouth football down the throat of Jackson State's defense. In his first start at DSU, quarterback Dedrick Wilson was a pedestrian 13-of-28 passing for 67 yards and two interceptions. But he also rushed for 34 yards and two touchdowns.
But on this night, he did have to be a star to help the Statesmen pick up the victory.
"We weren't perfect, but I thought our guys up front did a great job of dominating the line and taking (JSU's) defensive line out of the game," first-year coach Ron Roberts said. "This is a great game for in-state recruiting and for respect."
Delta State took a 13-0 lead into halftime thanks to two costly Jackson State miscues.
Jackson State punter Brett Bennett mishandled a snap midway through the first quarter, giving Delta State excellent field position at the JSU 22-yard line. Three plays later, DSU's Chad Schroeder scampered for a 9-yard touchdown to take a 6-0 lead.
Late in the first half, Delta State's Lardester Hicks intercepted a Jimmy Oliver pass at JSU's 20-yard line.
Minutes later, Delta State running back Ken Cox rushed for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Statesmen a 13-0 lead.
By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger
Division II power Delta State leaves town with convincing win over dazed Jackson State
After rewinding through the previous three hours in his head and then being honest with himself, Jackson State quarterback Tray Rutland realized he had a confession to make.
Maybe he hadn't given Delta State's football team the proper respect they deserved.
And for that oversight, Rutland and his team paid dearly as Delta State blasted Jackson State 27-15 in front of an announced crowd of 12,667 on Saturday night at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
"I'm not going to lie to you, (Delta State) was faster and just flat out better than I expected," Rutland said. "Their defense was very, very good and we just couldn't do anything. It was a really frustrating night."
By the end of the evening, the once-festive and partisan JSU crowd turned surprised and angry, with scattered boos heard throughout the stadium.
It was a stark downward turn for the Division I-AA program in its second season under coach Rick Comegy. Instead of showing progress after a rejuvenating 6-5 record last season, the Tigers were dismantled by a Division II team from the Gulf South Conference.
But Comegy wasn't in a mood to feel sorry for himself or his team.
"We've got 10 games to go so we're not going to sit around and suck our thumb over a game that doesn't mean anything as far as a SWAC championship," Comegy said. "I tried to tell everybody that this was a good team, but I'm not sure if everybody was listening."
Jackson State (0-1) can trace most of Saturday's woes to an offense that managed just 122 total yards and were stuffed for minus-22 yards on the ground.
Tigers' coaches agonized in the preseason over the choice between Jimmy Oliver and Rutland at quarterback, but both were ineffective as Delta State's defense had six sacks and countless more hurries.
The two quarterbacks combined to complete just 11-of-34 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
JSU made wholesale changes on the offensive line throughout the game to try to protect the quarterbacks, but nothing seemed to work.
"To put it bluntly, it was a bad game," JSU center Lorenzo Breland said. "Some of that was Delta State and some of that was us. But we've got to get better."
Jackson State avoided being shut out when Lavarius Giles returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but by then the game was basically decided.
And that's because Delta State (1-0) forced a steady diet of smashmouth football down the throat of Jackson State's defense. In his first start at DSU, quarterback Dedrick Wilson was a pedestrian 13-of-28 passing for 67 yards and two interceptions. But he also rushed for 34 yards and two touchdowns.
But on this night, he did have to be a star to help the Statesmen pick up the victory.
"We weren't perfect, but I thought our guys up front did a great job of dominating the line and taking (JSU's) defensive line out of the game," first-year coach Ron Roberts said. "This is a great game for in-state recruiting and for respect."
Delta State took a 13-0 lead into halftime thanks to two costly Jackson State miscues.
Jackson State punter Brett Bennett mishandled a snap midway through the first quarter, giving Delta State excellent field position at the JSU 22-yard line. Three plays later, DSU's Chad Schroeder scampered for a 9-yard touchdown to take a 6-0 lead.
Late in the first half, Delta State's Lardester Hicks intercepted a Jimmy Oliver pass at JSU's 20-yard line.
Minutes later, Delta State running back Ken Cox rushed for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Statesmen a 13-0 lead.
No comments:
Post a Comment