Home sweet Homecoming on The Hill as Bulldogs host Mississippi Valley State

NORMAL — Alabama A&M is seeking to end a two-game Southwestern Athletic Conference  losing streak Saturday and send the alumni home with smiles.

It’s Homecoming on the Hill and the Bulldogs welcome Mississippi Valley State to Louis Crews Stadium. Kickoff against the Delta Devils is set for 2 p.m.

“We did not play very well last week and we need to get back to playing Alabama A&M football,” AAMU head coach Sam Shade said. “Mississippi Valley State is a very good football team and will be coming in hungry and looking for that first win. They lost two games by less than seven points.

“We are undefeated at home and we want to continue that home winning streak.”

Saturday’s game is the 37^th meeting as Alabama A&M has dominated the series, which began in 1971, with a 26-10 all-time record.

Alabama A&M (3-3 overall, 0-2 SWAC) is coming off a 57-24 loss in the Gulf Coast Challenge to then-No. 17 Jackson State, while Mississippi Valley State (0-4, 0-2) was idle last week after initially being scheduled to play Florida A&M. That game has now been moved to Nov. 29.

The game will air live on SWAC TV with Mo Carter (play-by-play), Stan Becton (analyst) and Shavonne Herndon (sideline) on the call. Fans can also tune into WJAB (90.9 FM) as Maurice Brooks (play-by-play), Thai Floyd (analyst), Evan Hayes (pregame and postgame) and Chauncy Sanders (pregame and postgame) bring the action.

ABOUT THE GAME

• Alabama A&M is 14-10 in Homecoming games since 1999
• Both teams enter on losing streaks
• The Bulldogs have won three straight Homecoming games, including a 56-12 victory last season over Bethune-Cookman
• AAMU and MVSU have met three previous times on Homecoming, with the Bulldogs going 2-1
• Alabama A&M head coach Sam Shade is seeking its first SWAC win of the season

BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE

• Alabama A&M is coming off a 57-24 loss to Jackson State in the Gulf Coast Challenge last week
• Cornelious Brown IV returned to the lineup throwing a touchdown pass, pushing the streak to six out of the last seven games he has played in
• Kicker David Faulk booted a career-best 46-yard field goal in the loss
• Keon Handley Jr. is second in the FCS in fumbles recovered
• The Bulldogs also stretched their first quarter streak to 11 straight games, dating back to Nov. 2
• Alabama A&M is looking to avoid three straight losses for the first time 2023
• AAMU is averaging 29.6 points and 398.7 total yards per game
• The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the country in blocked kicks/punts allowed and ninth in passing offense

DELTA DEVILS AT A GLANCE

• Mississippi Valley State was scheduled to play Florida A&M last weekend, but the game was moved to Thanksgiving weekend
• The Delta Devils have lost two of their four games by one score
• MVSU last took the field on Sept. 27, falling on home, 23-20, to Texas Southern
• The Delta Devils have struggled on offense, averaging 13.7 points and 280.0 total yards per game
• Mississippi Valley State is 15^th in the FCS in defensive touchdowns, while Jamari Stokes is second in fumbles recovered
• Kicker Marko Jovisic ranks third in the country in field goals per game

SERIES HISTORY 

• Alabama A&M and Mississippi Valley State are meeting for the 37^th time
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 26-10
•  Alabama A&M is 8-2 over the last 10 meetings over MVSU
• The last Mississippi Valley State victory came during the 2022 season (30-20)
• The 2024 game in Itta Bena was a shootout with Alabama A&M claiming a 48-35

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

• Alabama A&M needs to protect the line of scrimmage
• AAMU needs to win the turnover battle
• The Bulldogs must avoid committing a ton of penalties

LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT’S NEXT

• The Bulldogs will have a week off to prepare for the annual Magic City Classic and the rivalry with Alabama State on Oct. 25
• This will be the 84^th meeting in the series, which began in 1940
• AAMU is 43-37-3 in the all-time series
• The Hornets are riding a three-game winning streak in the series
• Alabama A&M has outscored Alabama State, 1,498-1,477