ITTA BENA, Miss. (Interstat) — Josh Brown accounted for four touchdowns and Mississippi Valley State held off visiting Prairie View for a 28-27 NCAA Football Championship Division victory Saturday at Rice-Totten Stadium. The Delta Devils improved to 2-4, while the Panthers fell to 2-4. Brown, a 6-3 quarterback from Bainbridge, Ga., completed 13 of 25 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown and rushed 17 times for 101 yards and three touchdowns. He was the Delta Devils’ top star.

Prairie View quarterback Tevin Carter matched Brown’s production for much of the game. The 6-3, 230-pound Carter completed 15 of 23 passes for 62 yards and one touchdown and carried 21 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Carter connected with Rodny Ojo on a 2-yard scoring pass in the first quarter. He later scored on runs of 8 and 2 yards in the second quarter. Ethan Eddins kicked field goals of 33 and 30 yards for the Panthers and also converted three extra points.

The Panthers’ ground game also received contributions from Jahbari Kuykendall, who rushed 10 times for 61 yards and returned three kickoffs for 102 yards, and Ky’Yon Harris, who had three carries for 32 yards. Chase Bingmon ran seven times for 9 yards and caught one pass for 1 yard. Ojo finished with six receptions for 26 yards and one touchdown. Damien McDaniel had two catches for 20 yards and three punt returns for 124 yards. Travon Jones caught four passes for 9 yards, and Kheagian Heckaman added one reception for 6 yards. Marley Minerds punted five times for 192 yards, while Aiden Webb punted once for 38 yards.

Prairie View’s defense was led by Jace Ward and JJ Jean-Louis, who each made five tackles. Eric Zachery, Nahamani Harris and Rondell Carter each recorded four tackles. Kerry North and Malachi Williams added three tackles apiece. Cornelius Davis Jr., Malik Gucake, Cedric Thornton Jr., Mohammed Bility, Immanuel Hawkins, Fitzroy Ledgister and Molik Mason each finished with two tackles. Bruce Uperesa, Bryce Dixon, Matthew Moore, Jacob Davis, Elijah Wilson, Christopher Harvey and Kamrin Canterbury each had one tackle. DeMarcus Wynn and Jayven Jackson each recorded a quarterback hurry. Aaron Woodard also saw action for the Panthers.

Mississippi Valley State’s defense got a game-high nine tackles from Christ Kore. Javieane Stevens had seven tackles and four quarterback hurries, while Jusden Culpepper and Malek Jackson each made seven tackles. Jonathan Nicholson and Dewayne Mosley Jr. had six tackles apiece. Jamari Stokes added five tackles, and Deondri Clark finished with four. Dezmond Ray had one tackle and one carry for 3 yards. Nick Stephens punted eight times for 329 yards. Mekhi Penix caught two passes for 22 yards, Jaylen King had five receptions for 27 yards, and Christian Bond caught one pass for minus 3 yards.

The Delta Devils’ offense leaned on Brown throughout. Brown opened Mississippi Valley State’s scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He added a 13-yard scoring run in the third quarter and broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Nina Schiks made all of her extra-point attempts. The Panthers answered with Eddins’ second field goal in the fourth quarter, but Mississippi Valley State’s late scoring set the final margin. The Delta Devils scored four touchdowns, all involving Brown. Brown threw for one score and ran for three, while Schiks added four extra points.

The game unfolded in a series of swings. Prairie View struck first when Carter found Ojo for a 2-yard touchdown. Eddins then made a 33-yard field goal before the first quarter ended. In the second quarter, Carter scored on an 8-yard run and followed with a 2-yard scoring run. Mississippi Valley State finally broke through before halftime when Brown rushed 9 yards for a touchdown. Brown added a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, then delivered the biggest play of the day with a 62-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Eddins made a 30-yard field goal later in the fourth, but the Delta Devils’ defense made the final stand.

Prairie View had entered the game looking to build on its season, but the narrow loss left the Panthers at 2-4. The Delta Devils also moved to 2-4 with the win. The game featured 55 combined points and was decided by a single point. Mississippi Valley State finished with the victory, while Prairie View also produced several long returns in the kicking game. The Delta Devils’ victory came after they had lost two straight, while Prairie View’s losing streak reached three games. Prairie View’s 27 points were its most since a 52-point effort against Texas Southern, and Mississippi Valley State’s 28 points were its most since a 31-point outing against Lincoln. The Panthers finished with 27 points and the Delta Devils with 28. The one-point margin capped a back-and-forth contest.

Prairie View’s previous results this season included a win over Texas Southern and losses to Grambling, Stephen F. Austin, Baylor and Tarleton State. Mississippi Valley State had defeated Lincoln and lost to Alabama State, Delta State, Sacramento State and Nicholls State. Prairie View is scheduled to host Southern next, while Mississippi Valley State is set to visit Texas Southern. Prairie View’s upcoming schedule also includes home games against Alcorn State and Alabama A&M, while Mississippi Valley State will host Bethune-Cookman and Alcorn State later.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Prairie View 53, Mississippi Valley State 23. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Prairie View with a 91.3 percent probability to win. Mississippi Valley State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -28.5. The over/under line was 59.5, and the total score of 55 went over that line.