PINE BLUFF -- The records for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State can pretty much be dismissed when the two meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Simmons Bank Field.
With the way the teams routinely get after each other whenever they've played, what each has done beforehand has meant very little. Last season's tilt was a prime example when the Delta Devils went into that game winless but scraped up more than 400 yards of offense on their homecoming to beat the Golden Lions 42-17.
This year, Mississippi Valley State (0-7, 0-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is again without a victory, but this time it'll be homecoming for UAPB (2-5, 1-2).
"We've got a really good Mississippi Valley State team that put it on us pretty good last year," UAPB Coach Alonzo Hampton said. "Our kids need to be ready to play the game and perform at the level that we think we can."
There will be a lot going on around campus throughout the day before the game even kicks off, but Hampton said he's not concerned with any of that. In fact, he doesn't want his players to get caught up in any of it either.
When you're coming off a loss, the primary objective, he noted, should be to win.
"We're trying to build a program," Hampton said. "Winning teams don't get concerned with homecoming. You keep the main thing the main thing. ... It's our job, and our only job, to come out here and perform on Saturday. And then, if we're blessed enough to get a victory, then you can enjoy homecoming.
"How can you enjoy homecoming if you didn't win the game? We're not built like that. This program's not built like that."
The Golden Lions have taken several steps to build a solid foundation under Hampton, and a win over the Delta Devils would serve as another stone in that base. But beating Mississippi Valley State may not be as easy as it would seem.
The Delta Devils haven't had much luck with winning over the past two decades. Mississippi Valley State hasn't finished a season above .500 since 2006. Ironically enough, it began that year by beating the Golden Lions.
Still, the Delta Devils seemingly put their best feet forward against the Golden Lions. Mississippi Valley State has taken four of the past six games from UAPB, including last year's 25-point pounding.
"We beat them last year," Delta Devils Coach Kendrick Wade said. "They're aware of it. We are as well. We know we're going to get their best shot."
Wade also said he thinks that in order for his team to leave Pine Bluff with another win over the Golden Lions, they've got to put the clamps on Mekhi Hagens. UAPB's junior quarterback still leads the SWAC in passing with 1,705 yards and touchdowns (15).
"If you're going to be a good team in the SWAC, your quarterback play is going to be impeccable," Wade said. "I think he's one of the better quarterbacks in the SWAC, no disrespect to any quarterback we've played. We think he's probably the best one to date.
"We've got to be good, we've got to be willing to cover, got to put ourselves in some situations where we play man to man. We've got to try to get to him to get him off his spot. When he's comfortable, he can stand back there and sling it around, and then you're in trouble."
Trouble is what UAPB is hoping to avoid this week. The Golden Lions were in position to beat Grambling State last Saturday, but fourth-quarter mistakes offensively allowed the Tigers to win 31-21.
Hampton mentioned that if the Golden Lions are able to limit or eliminate those gaffes, then the final results will be more favorable.
"We've just got to be able to stay away from the penalties that's killing drives," he said. "That's what's happened in the last two games."
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