Irv Mulligan, Jackson State rumble to win and brink of SWAC East crown

Irv Mulligan ran for 187 yards and a touchdown, his fourth straight game with more than 100 yards, and Jackson State cruised to a 51-14 win over winless Mississippi Valley State on Saturday in the Tigers final home game of the season.

Ranked No. 20 in the latest FCS Coaches Poll, Jackson State (8-2, 6-0 SWAC) now has won 64 of its 71 meetings with the Delta Devils (0-10, 0-6).

Gerardo Baeza kicked first-quarter field goals from 23- and 26 yards out in the first quarter, but MVSU grabbed the lead when Ty’Jarian Williams hit Jakobe Thomas with a 12-yard touchdown to make it 7-6 after one quarter. Baeza kicked a 28-yard field goal to start the second quarter, but Williams scored from a yard out to put the Delta Devils back on top 14-9. From there, it was all Jackson State.

Mulligan scored from a yard out to put the Tigers in front for good, 15-14, and Jacobian Morgan raced eight yards with 28 seconds left in the half to make it 23-14 at intermission. Travis Terrell Jr. ran 24 yards for a third quarter touchdown and opened the fourth quarter by running 33 yards to the end zone.

“We had a grudge on our shoulder,” said Mulligan, who rushed for 187 rushing yards and a touchdown. “We wasn’t selected for anything. Everybody put us on the back seat. They didn’t think we were gonna do anything this season. … We knew that we were the best team in the SWAC, so we just proving it.”

Morgan threw for 76 yards and a touchdown by completing 10 of 23 pass attempts and ran for another 68 yards and a score. Zy McDonald attempted just one pass and it went 29 yards to Errick Simmons for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Williams completed 12 of his 30 pass attempts for Mississippi Valley State for 128 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice.

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