ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP) — Special teams came up big in the fourth quarter as Jackson State rallied to a 26-17 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.
The Tigers (5-2, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) twice downed Darcy Williamson’s fourth-quarter punts inside the MSVU 5-yard line. They capitalized on the first by forcing the Delta Devils to punt from their own 1 and blocking it out of the end zone for a safety.
Following the free kick, Clayton Moore led the Tigers on a scoring drive capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass that knifed through two MVSU defenders to find Zachary Pendleton for a 26-17 lead.
Pendleton finished with five catches for 112 yards.
Julian Stafford had eight catches for 95 yards for the Delta Devils (1-5, 1-3), who have not won against Jackson State since 1994.
For JSU, the 5-0 start in conference play is its best since 1995.