GAME NOTES: No. 10 Delta State (4-1, 0-1 GSC) @ Shorter (2-2, 1-0 GSC)
Complete weekly release with notes, rankings, stats & more in PDF format

CLEVELAND, Miss. - Delta State University will make its third trip to historic Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia, this Saturday, Oct. 10, as the No. 17/No. 10 Statesmen (4-1, 0-1 GSC) take on the Hawks (2-2, 1-0 GSC) of Shorter University. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 11:30 a.m. CST.
 

STATESMEN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
Date/Location:	Oct. 10, 2015 | Barron Stadium | Rome, Georgia
Kickoff Time:	12:30 p.m. CST | 1:30 p.m. EST
Radio:	Statesmen Sports Network | Matt Jones (PxP), Mark Williams (Color), Philip Tang (Producer/Host), and Lane Quinton (Sidelines)
Rankings:	Delta State: No. 17 - AFCA | No. 10 - D2Football.com Shorter: NR - AFCA | NR - D2Football.com
Series History:	Fourth Meeting | DSU leads series 2-1 Last Meeting: W, 35-20 - Oct. 9, 2014 (Cleveland)
Coaches:	Delta State: Todd Cooley (20-6, 3rd season) Shorter: Phil Jones (101-95, 18th season)
Live Audio:	Statesmen Sports Network (Click Here)
Live Stats:	Live Stats (Click Here)
Live Video:	Not Available

INSIDE THE SERIES: Saturday's showdown in Rome will mark the fourth meeting all-time between the two schools. Delta State leads the series 2-1, but the Statesmen are 1-1 inside Barron Stadium, clipping the Hawks 38-17 in their last visit on Oct. 24, 2013 in coach Todd Cooley's first season at Delta State. In Jamey Chadwell's lone season at DSU in 2012, the Statesmen fell 32-21 on Nov. 10 to close a miserable 3-7 campaign.

LAST MEETING WITH SHORTER: In last season's meeting, Delta State outscored the visiting Shorter Hawks 21-0 in the second half as the No. 11 Statesmen picked up the 35-20 home victory at Parker Field - McCool Stadium.  Delta State was held to the lowest scoring output this season and utilized a strong defensive effort to pick up the victory.

RESPONDING TO DEFEAT: The Statesmen are 3-0 following regular season losses under coach Todd Cooley. In 2013, Delta State defeated No. 16 North Alabama 37-34 following a loss to Texas A&M-Commerce, and edged No. 18 Tarleton State 38-36 following a loss to West Alabama. In Cooley's three seasons as head coach, DSU is 20-6 overall.

PACING THE GSC: Delta State enters Saturday's contest with Shorter leading the Gulf South Conference in scoring at 45.4 points per game. Led by Tyler Sullivan's 303.6 yards per contest, the Statesmen also lead the league in passing (337.8 ypg). DSU also tops the league's charts for interceptions by the defense with 13 and tackles-for-loss (47.0).
   
STATESMEN SET TO FACE HAWKS AT BARRON STADIUM
Delta State will make its third trip to historic Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia, this Saturday, Oct. 10, as the No. 17 Statesmen (4-1, 0-1 GSC) take on the Hawks (2-2, 1-0 GSC) of Shorter University. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 11:30 a.m. CST.

The Statesmen are 1-1 inside Barron Stadium, clipping the Hawks 38-17 in their last visit on Oct. 24, 2013 in coach Todd Cooley's first season at Delta State.

In Jamey Chadwell's lone season at DSU in 2012, the Statesmen fell 32-21 on Nov. 10 to close a miserable 3-7 campaign.

In last season's meeting, Delta State outscored the visiting Shorter Hawks 21-0 in the second half as the No. 11 Statesmen picked up the 35-20 home victory at Parker Field - McCool Stadium.  Delta State was held to the lowest scoring output this season and utilized a strong defensive effort to pick up the victory.

Sullivan ended the day 25-for-37 with 321 yards and a pair of scoring passes.  Casey Osborne hauled in nine passes for 107 yards.  Bellaire rushed for 77 yards on seven carries while Timothy Foy rushed seven times for 41 yards.  Tullo led the defense with 10 tackles, including a sack and three stops behind the line-of-scrimmage.  

KNOX TIES DSU RECORD; NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Delta State University senior safety Jon Knox was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 5. It's his first honor this season.
 
Knox is DSU's second defensive honoree of the year after having a direct hand in three of Florida Tech's four turnovers in Saturday's home setback to the Panthers.  He snagged three interceptions for Delta State, becoming just the 13th player in league history to pick off at least three passes in a game.
 
The 6-foot-3 senior also tied the DSU school record for interceptions in a game. Jerome Williams, Kim Stewart, and Gayle Davis had previously accomplished the feat. The last time a single player had three interceptions in a game was Oct. 28, 1995 against Southern Arkansas, when Williams picked off three Mulerider passes.

Knox also racked up eight tackles, led by three solo stops, and one tackle for a loss of three yards.                   
 
The Statesmen hit the road for a GSC contest against Shorter University on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET.

BELLAIRE SETS CAREER MARK; NEARING 1K YARDS
D'Juan Bellaire, a junior running back from Antelope, California, rushed for a career-high 123 yards on 28 carries in last week's loss to Florida Tech. He has rushed 74 times for 308 yards and five touchdowns this season for the Statesmen. He is currently ranked fourth in the GSC in rushing per game (61.6).

In his 21 game career, Bellaire has rushed 198 times for 926 yards and 15 scores. He has also caught 16 passes for 152 yards and a score.    

A NEW TYLER AT THE HELM
One thing is for certain Saturday at Barron Stadium, the Statesmen will have a new starter at quarterback against the Hawks vaunted defense. Junior Tyler Sullivan is out with a shoulder injury, meaning either Tyler Cameron (6-3, 205, Fr.) or Tyler Kitchings (6-4, 215, R-Fr.) will get the nod in Rome.

Cameron, a native of Foley, Alabama, has played in three games, completing 11-of-20 passes for 88 yards. Kitchings, a home-grown talent from Cleveland's Bayou Academy, redshirted last year but has played in two games this season.

Should coach Todd Cooley decide to pull a fast one, senior receiver Justin Leavy (6-4, 215) was a HS/JC quarterback.

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 rank second in the NCAA with 13 interceptions. West Georgia is second in the GSC with five picks. Only East Central and Henderson State have more picks than DSU, as they're tied for first with 14.

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.   

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 and Curtis tied for league lead with 7.0 tackles-for-loss and Brown fifth with 6.0, the Statesman defensive front has tallied a league-best 47.0 tackles-for-loss and 11 sacks.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
Despite last week's 41-37 setback to Florida Tech, the Statesmen enter the week ranked No. 4 in the NCAA in scoring offense at 45.4 points per game. In five games, Delta State has outscored the opposition 227-110.       

ON THE BIG STAGE
The Statesmen played their 29th game on television, as DSU fell to Florida Tech in the GSC-TV Live Game of the Week on ESPN3 41-37. Delta State is 19-9 in games televised all-time, including a 5-3 mark under head coach Todd Cooley.

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 33 tackles. His three interceptions are tied with teammate Jon Knox for the GSC lead and rank 16th in the NCAA Division II.

In his 16 game career, Beckwith has recorded 77 tackles with three forced fumbles and four interceptions.

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 two. Greg Sims (40 yards vs. Albany State) and Jamel Dennis (33 yards vs. Florida Tech) have both returned interceptions for scores this season.

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 44.2 yards per attempt. He has nailed nine 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 Shorter game ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in punting. Matt Klingler of Lindenwood leads NCAA DII in punting, averaging 47.0 yards per attempt.      

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 135 PATs in his career, topping Matt Dean's (2008-2011) previous mark of 110.

The veteran kicker is also 8-of-10 on field goal attempts this season, including a long of 45 yards versus Albany State. He is 29-of-41 on field goal attempts for his career, a DSU record.  

Sciorrotta's 222 points scored ranks fourth on the career charts. Trevar Deed, a three-time All-American, has the record with 264.

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. 10 North Alabama and No. 11 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.

STATESMEN PLAYING 85th SEASON OF FOOTBALL
Delta State is in its 85th season of football in Cleveland. In the previous 84 years of football, the Statesmen are 453-375-23 (.531). Since 2000, DSU is 129-53 (.709) with six Gulf South Conference titles, seven NCAA postseason appearances and the 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship. The Statesmen claimed their 450th win all-time in a 48-7 rout of Fort Valley State in the season-opener.

SULLIVAN LEADING GSC IN PASSING
Junior quarterback Tyler Sullivan has picked up right where he left off last season, leading the GSC in passing at 303.4 yards per game. The Louisville, Mississippi, native has completed 119-of-191 passes for 1,517 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also rushed for four scores, accounting for 16 total touchdowns.

Sullivan, who is 17-4 as DSU's starting quarterback, has completed 518-of-812 passes for 6,639 yards with 54 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. His 288.7 yards per game average ranks No. 1 all-time in school history, while ranking fifth on the career yards passing list. He has also rushed for 437 yards and 15 touchdowns in 23 games.    

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.

SET IT AT 60 & FORGET IT
Delta State is 18-0 all-time when scoring 60-plus 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.

COOLEY VERSUS NONCONFERENCE OPPONENTS
The Statesmen faced their 11th nonconference opponent under Todd Cooley, as Delta State welcomed Albany State to Parker-McCool - a 40-0 victory. Cooley and the Statesmen have posted a 10-1 record against nonconference foes, including a 51-44 win at Texas A&M-Commerce and a 51-18 thumping of Kentucky Wesleyan.

Cooley's lone nonconference loss came at the hands of TAMUC, 45-37, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 13, 2013.

Delta State is an unblemished 7-0 against out of conference opponents at Parker Field-McCool Stadium under Cooley.