Mississippi Valley State upended Texas Southern for their first win in nearly two years.

SWAC Football Breakdown

By Uba Okereke

Alabama A&M Wins 2011 Magic City Classic

Alabama A&M held off rival Alabama State 20-19 in the annual Magic City Classic game last Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1 SWAC) jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half courtesy of two 17-yard touchdown runs by Terrance Pride and Kaderius Lacy.

Bobby Wenzig made two field goals for the Hornets to cut the deficit to 17-6 at halftime.

Devin Dominguez scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to bring the deficit to seven (20-13) late in the third quarter. He then scored on a 59-yard touchdown run with 10:08 remaining in the fourth quarter with a PAT pending to tie the game at 20.

However, the Bulldogs’ Chartavious Keith blocked the Wenzig PAT to preserve the win.

Alabama A&M has now won six consecutive games. Lacy rushed for a season-high 189 yards on 38 carries.

Dominguez passed for 206 yards and rushed for 82 yards with two touchdowns for Alabama State (6-2, 6-1 SWAC), who still maintain a one-half game lead over the Bulldogs in the SWAC East.

The Magic City Classic has been played uninterrupted since 1924 with Alabama A&M leading the series 38-33-3 and has now won six of the last seven Classic games dating back to 2005.

Jackson State Handles Prairie View in Shreveport Classic

Jackson State beat Prairie View A&M 44-14 last Saturday at Independence Stadium.

Casey Therriault was responsible for all six Jackson State touchdowns. His two-yard run, a 41-yard TD pass to Rico Richardson and a seven-yard toss to Renty Rollins gave the Tigers a 24-7 halftime lead.

Therriault continued his Heisman-like performance in the second half.

He connected with Richardson a second time for another touchdown pass, then ran in a one-yarder to give Jackson State a commanding 38-7 lead entering the final quarter.

His final score came on another one-yard touchdown run, increasing the lead to 44-7 midway through the fourth quarter.

Courtney Brown scored the only second-half touchdown for the Panthers on a three-yard run.

Therriault ended the day with 398 passing yards on 28 completions and six total touchdowns (three pass, three rushing).

Johnathan Troast led Prairie View A&M with 130 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Jackson State outgained Prairie View A&M 722-263 including a whopping 315 yards on the ground.

The Shreveport Classic is annual game played during the Louisiana State Fair similar to the State Fair Classic game which is played in nearby Dallas.

Mississippi Valley Wins First Game of the Season

Mississippi Valley defeated Texas Southern 12-9 last Saturday for their first win in nearly two years.

Following a Texas Southern safety, the Delta Devils scored on a five play, 36-yard drive, capped by a 12-yard TD pass by Garrick Jones to give MVSU a 9-2 lead at halftime.

Carlos Sanchez added a 25-yard field goal to increase the lead to 12-2 in the third quarter.

The Tigers came within three (12-9) on a six-yard touchdown pass from Riko Smalls to Joe Anderson with 2:31 to play in the fourth quarter.

Mississippi Valley sealed the win by intercepting Smalls’ pass with 35 seconds remaining.

The Delta Devils also snapped a SWAC losing streak with the three point win.

They also held the explosive Texas Southern rushing attack to a mere 43 yards rushing.

Okereke is a contributing writer for Regal Black Men's Magazine, a publication dedicated to the African American community.