ITTA BENA, Miss. – Senior Adrian Salazar kicked a 34-yard field goal in overtime to propel Jackson State past Mississippi Valley State 31-28 Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers improved to 2-5 and 1-1 in the SWAC, while the Delta Devils fall to 1-6 and 0-3 in conference play.
JSU spotted MVSU a 21-0 second-quarter lead, but the Tigers clawed back and scored 28 unanswered points.
Derrick Ponder found DD Bowie in the corner of the end zone at 4:01 in the second quarter to put JSU on the board.
The Tigers stopped the Delta Devils on the opening series of the second half to force a punt and Warren Newman took advantage of the opportunity. The New Orleans native made a couple of jukes and spin moves down the sideline and dived into the end zone to cut the deficit to 21-14.
JSU tied the game on the final play of the third quarter when Ponder tossed a 12-yard strike to Terrell Kennedy III.
Freshman Kyamni Clarke scored his first career touchdown with 1:21 remaining in the fourth quarter to push the Tigers ahead, 28-21.
Clarke had his official coming-out party and rushed for 174 yards, which is the most by a JSU running back this season.
Ponder completed 17-of-26 attempts for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Bowie hauled in five passes for 50 yards.
Daniel Crowell finished with five receptions for 46 yards and Ra’Meik Wallace added three receptions for 55 yards.
Keonte Hampton delivered a game-high 12 tackles, one sack and two and a half tackles for loss.
JSU returns to the gridiron Thursday at Prairie View A&M, which is slated for an ESPNU national broadcast.
Courtesy: JSU Athletics
