GAME NOTES: No. 2 West Georgia (6-0, 2-0 GSC) at No. 8 Delta State (5-1, 1-1 GSC)
Complete weekly release with notes, stats, standings and more in PDF format

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The entire NCAA Division II football world will be focused on Parker Field-McCool Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 17, as the No. 8 Statesmen (5-1, 1-1 GSC) of Delta State University take on the No. 2 Wolves (6-0, 2-0 GSC) of the University of West Georgia. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. and the contest will be televised on the America Sports Network and ESPN3.

Saturday's clash will be the 30th in the series, with the Statesmen holding an 18-11 edge in the standings. However, the Wolves have had DSU's number recently, winning four of the last five matchups, including a 37-27 victory in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Nov. 29 to end the 2014 campaign for the Statesmen.

Prior to the season, football pundits had circled this game as one to watch in 2015. While the Wolves (6-0, 2-0 GSC) have eviserated their opposition to this point, the Statesmen (5-1, 1-1 GSC) have battled injuries since week one.

West Georgia has defeated all six of the previous opponents by a margin of 28.8 points per game. The high-powered Wolves' offense is averaging a GSC-best 45.2 points and 443.5 yards per game.

UWG forced two turnovers in a 49-28 victory over Valdosta State last week at Ra-Lin Field in Carrollton, Georgia. Dallas Dickey passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, while LaMarcus Franks rushed for 172 yards and three a touchdown pass.

Delta State enters the contest averaging 44.2 points and 442.2 yards per game. In their lone setback this season, the Statesmen lost Harlon Hill Trophy candidate and quarterback Tyler Sullivan with a broken collarbone. Sullivan was averaging 302.4 yards passing per game.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Since Todd Cooley took over as head coach, the Statesmen are 6-2 against ranked opponents, including a 51-44 victory at No. 18 Texas A&M-Commerce last week. DSU will face at least four ranked opponents this year with No. 2 West Georgia, No. 17 North Alabama and No. 25 Valdosta State remaining on the schedule.

The Statesmen were 2-1 last season against ranked opponents after defeating No. 13 Valdosta State, 49-32, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Sept. 20, and edging No. 3 North Alabama 33-28 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium on Nov. 1. DSU's lone loss against a ranked team came against West Georgia, 37-27, in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

LAST TIME OUT: DELTA STATE 38 - SHORTER 17
Delta State forced five turnovers, including a blocked punt for a touchdown, en route to a 38-17 come-from-behind victory at Shorter University on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Barronn Stadium in Rome, Georgia.

Junior running back D'Juan Bellaire rushed for 116 yards on 20 carries, while true freshman quarterback Tyler Cameron completed 13-of-19 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown.

DENNIS & THOMAS CAPTURE GSC HONORS
Delta State University football's Jamel Dennis and Keijne Thomas received Gulf South Conference Player of the Week laurels on Monday.

Dennis picked up his first Defensive Player of the Week honor and is DSU's second consecutive defensive honoree, third of the season. The junior spearheaded Delta State's defense in a 38-17 road triumph over Shorter, tying a game-high 11 total tackles. The Abbeville, Miss. native added one sack for six yards and also recovered two fumbles.

Thomas collects Delta State's first Freshman of the Week award of the season. The 6-foot-1 linebacker recorded seven total tackles, led by three solo stops and also recovered two fumbles headlined by a 51-yard return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter of DSU's win at Shorter.

COOLEY TIES CAMPBELL FOR 2nd FASTEST TO 20 WINS
Statesmen head coach Todd Cooley tied former Steve Campbell for the second fastest coach to accumulate 20 victories, accomplishing the feat in 25 games. Cooley led DSU to a 7-3 mark in 2013 during his first season and followed up that performance with a 9-2 record in 2014 and a share of the GSC title. The Nashville, Arkansas, native started out the season 4-0 to get his 20th win in a 40-0 victory over Albany State at Parker Field-McCool Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Former skipper Ron Roberts won 20 games in 24 contests while capturing back-to-back Gulf South Conference titles in 2007 (10-2) and 2008 (10-2). Campbell, who led the Statesmen to the 2000 NCAA National Championship, needed just two seasons as well, but one more game in 1999.

BELLAIRE JOINS 1K CLUB
D'Juan Bellaire, a junior running back from Antelope, California, rushed for more than 100 yards for a second consecutive week, pacing the Statesmen with 116 yards at Shorter. That effort propeled the three-year letterman over the 1,000 career rushing yards mark at Delta State.

In 22 games, Bellaire has rushed 218 times for 1,042 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has also caught 17 passes for 159 yards and another score.

His production has gone up considerably in 2015, ranking third in the GSC in rushing yards per game (70.7) and total rush yards (424). In his last two games, Bellaire has rushed for 123 yards versus Florida Tech and 116 versus Shorter. He has scored five touchdowns on the ground through six games.

TRICK DADDY'S GOT NOTHING ON US
Trick Daddy, Famous for his rap anthem "Take It To The House," has got nothing on the Statesmen this season, as DSU ranks first in the GSC in defensive touchdowns with four. Greg Sims (40 yards vs. Albany State) and Jamel Dennis (33 yards vs. Florida Tech) have both returned interceptions for scores this season. Keijna Thomas returned a fumble 51 yards for a score, while D'Quan Bates blocked a punt and returned it for a 3-yard touchdown at Shorter.
 
FORCING THE ISSUE
Delta State's defense has been outstanding this season at forcing opponents into miscues and turnovers. Through six games, the Statesmen have forced 21 turnovers - 13 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries. Florida Tech is second in the league with 14 takeaways, while Saturday's opponent, West Georgia, has 12.

INSIDE THE GREEN ZONE
The Statesmen have made 35 trips into the "Green Zone," commonly referred to as the Red Zone or your opponent's 20-yard line. DSU leads the GSC with 20 touchdowns inside this all-important area.

LAST CLEAN SHEET
The Statesmen blanked Albany State 40-0 on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. Prior to last year's game, DSU had not shutout an NCAA Division II opponent since defeating Arkansas-Monticello, 53-0, on Nov. 11, 2006.

LAST TIME STATESMEN WERE SHUTOUT
It's been 12 seasons since Delta State suffered its last shutout. Then No. 1 Valdosta State defeated the Statesmen 42-0 back on Sept. 1, 2002 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Ga.

A NEW TYLER AT THE HELM
In his first career start at quarterback, Tyler Cameron (6-3, 205, Fr.) led the Statesmen to a 38-17 victory at Shorter, completing 13-of-19 passes for 196 yards. He did not turn the ball over against the Hawks' vaunted pass defense.

With 2:48 left on the clock before halftime, the Foley, Alabama, native led the Statesmen on a 98-yard drive, capped by Eddie McCadney's 1-yard touchdown run. The key play in the drive was a 57-yard strike to Jarvis York, setting DSU up on the 1-yard line.

An accomplished high school signal-caller, Cameron passed for more than 4,000 yards in his career at Foley High School.

SETTING THE BAR: DSU LEADS LEAGUE WITH 13 INTS
Opposing offenses haven't slept well going into games against the Statesmen this season, as Delta State paces the GSC and ranks second in the NCAA with 13 interceptions. West Georgia is second in the GSC with seven picks. Only East Central and Henderson State have more picks than DSU, as they're tied for first with 15.

Safeties Jon Knox (6-3, 205, Sr.) and Joreco Beckwith (6-0, 195, Jr.) are tied for the league lead with three interceptions each. Corner Greg Sims (6-0, 195, Sr.) has two interceptions with five additional Statesmen having one pick each.

FLIPPING THE FIELD
Cody Mills, a sophomore from Oxford, Mississippi, has proven to be quite the weapon for the Statesmen this season - leading the GSC in punting at 44.1 yards per attempt. He has nailed 10 punts inside the 20-yard line and six over 50 yards, including a 57-yard effort in a key punt at No. 18 Texas A&M-Commerce.

Mills enters the West Georgia game ranked third in NCAA Division II in punting. Matt Klingler of Lindenwood is first, averaging 46.4.

SET IT AT 60 & FORGET IT
Delta State is 18-0 all-time when scoring 60 points in a game. In fact, the Statesmen have scored 50-plus points in a game 39 times in school history and most recently in DSU's 73-6 thumping of Concordia College on Nov. 8, 2014 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium.

SCIORROTTA SETS PAT RECORD; CHASING SCORING MARK
Kicker Vince Sciorrotta (5-9, 180, Jr.) broke the school record for career PATs after making all five of his attempts versus FVSU. The Cumming, Georgia native has hit 140 PATs in his career, topping Matt Dean's (2008-2011) previous mark of 110.

The veteran kicker is also 9-of-11 on field goal attempts this season, including a long of 45 yards versus Albany State. He is 30-of-42 on field goal attempts for his career, a DSU record.

Sciorrotta's 230 points scored ranks fourth on the career charts. Trevar Deed, a three-time All-American, has the record with 264.

BOYD, BROWN AND CURTIS DISRUPTING OFFENSES
Delta State's Randall Boyd (DE), Erin Brown (DE) and Wilson Curtis (LB) are disrupting opposing offenses at a GSC-leading pace this season. With Boyd tied for the league lead with 9.0 tackles-for-loss and Curtis tied for third with 7.5 TFLs, the Statesmen defense has recorded 55 TFLs for -184 yards and 13 sacks for -82 yards. Brown is sixth with 6.0 TFLs.

BECKWITH BREAKING OUT
Joreco Beckwith has shown early on this season why many in the GSC consider him one of the best defensive backs in the league. The Winnsboro, Louisiana, native is pacing the Statesmen with three interceptions and second in tackles with 37. His three interceptions are tied with teammate Jon Knox for the GSC lead and rank 16th in the NCAA Division II.

In his 17 game career, Beckwith has recorded 81 tackles with three forced fumbles and four interceptions.