Game 5: Valdosta State at Delta State - Oct. 1, 2009
Complete Weekly Release in PDF
CLEVELAND - The lights, cameras and action will be centered stage Thursday, Oct. 1, as the No. 20/25 ranked Statesmen (2-2, 1-1 GSC) of Delta State University play host to the Blazers (2-2, 2-1 GSC) of Valdosta State University in the GSC-TV Live Game of the Week. The conference showdown will appear in over 10 million homes thanks to the Gulf South Conference's regional cable alliance with Cox Sports and Comcast Sports Southeast.
The Statesmen are coming off their first conference loss since 2006, a 38-14 decision at the hands of No. 14 Ouachita Baptist last Saturday. Despite a 24-game GSC win streak and a top 10 national ranking, the Statesmen never got into a rhythm, as OBU rolled to the win.
The Blazers, who also fell victim to OBU two weeks ago 24-14, got back on track last week with a 35-7 win over West Alabama.
Thursday's game will have conference and national implications, as neither team can afford another loss on their playoff resumes. The annual showdown will mark the 29th time the two teams have met, with DSU holding a 15-12-1 lead in the standing, including three straight wins.
The game will also be the 10th time Delta State has appeared on GSC-TV Live. Since it's inception, the Statesmen are 7-2 under the lights and on the camera.
Last season, the Statesmen and Blazers played in an instant classic, as Delta State stole a 27-24 overtime win at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Ga.
The SGA in conjunction with DSU Athletics is sponsoring a "Best Banner" contest and the Statesmen football team is asking all fans to wear green to the game to help "green out" Parker Field-McCool Stadium.
Complete game notes and a series preview is available at the link above. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. GSC-TV Live's Don Russell, Jessie Branch and Jim Cavale will have the call. The Statesmen Sports Network will also call the action with Jimmy Smith handling play-by-play, analysis by Richard Webster and sideline coverage provided by J.T. Webb.
