GAME NOTES: Delta State (5-5, 1-5 GSC) @ Mississippi College (2-7, 0-6 GSC)
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CLEVELAND, Mississippi - For the 36th time in the series, the Statesmen (5-5, 1-5 GSC) of Delta State University will square-off with the Choctaws (2-7, 0-6 GSC) of Mississippi College in the Heritage Bell Classic. Saturday's kickoff is set for 3:04 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3 as the GSC-TV Game of the Week. Don Russell and former DSU head coach Rick Rhoades will have the call for the GSC. Matt Jones will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network.

After winning the last three meetings with MC, the Statesmen lead the all-time series 18-15-2, but DSU is just 8-10-1 in games played at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

The Statesmen rolled up 532 yards of total offense en route to a 27-3 victory over the Choctaws last year at Parker Field-McCool Stadium after a 19-year series hiatus.

In 1994, Delta State claimed a 14-0 victory over MC in the last meeting played at Robinson-Hale Stadium. A year later, the Statesmen made it two-in-a-row over the Choctaws with a 14-0 victory in Cleveland.

Featuring two of the Gulf South Conference's most tradition-rich programs, the annual battle between Delta State and Mississippi College was one of the most anticipated contests in the "Magnolia State" from 1973-1995. Following the 1995 season, MC left the GSC and NCAA DII to compete at the NCAA DIII level.

The series began in 1935 with a 33-0 Choctaws victory and has always featured streaks by both teams. In fact, MC won the first four meetings between the two teams.

DSU ran off six straight wins from 1948-1969 with a 30-30 tie in 1970 sandwiched between another five-game win streak.

This year's matchup will once again feature a clash of styles offensively. MC utilizes  the triple-option and coMes into the game averaging 201.9 yards rushing per game. The Choctaws are scoring 22.0 points and allowing 28.9 per game.

Chris Ingram leads the Choctaws with 623 yards rushing on 115 carries with two touchdowns. Kyle Smith is second on the squad with 309 yards and a pair of scores.  

The Statesmen are second in the GSC in scoring at 36.1 points per game and lead the league in passing at 298.7 yards per contest.

Tyler Sullivan enters the contest averaging 292.3 yards per game, while Jarvis York leads the GSC with 57 receptions for 796 yards and four touchdowns.  

LAST TIME OUT: BLAZERS EDGE DSU 40-34 IN OT
Delta State University football lost a heart-breaker in triple overtime on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 23 Valdosta State 40-34 on Homecoming. DSU honored its 23 seniors prior to kickoff and crowned senior Allison Dale as Homecoming Queen during halftime ceremonies.

Junior quarterback Tyler Sullivan made his return after a four-game absence due to injury. The Louisville, Mississippi, native went 20-for-42 for 237 yards and five touchdowns, marking his third consecutive start against Valdosta with five scoring strikes.

Richard Nash eclipsed 200 career tackles with his 19-tackle career-high performance. His previous career-high was 17.

Justin McArthur, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, produced a season-high 81 rushing yards and 44 receiving yards with a touchdown for a total of 125 all-purpose yards.

NASH NAMED GSC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Richard Nash, a senior defensive back on the Delta State University football team, was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
 
Nash, a native of Macon, Georgia, eclipsed the 200 tackles mark for his career in DSU's loss against No. 23 Valdosta State. He recorded a career-high 19 tackles, the most by a GSC player this season, to lead the Statesmen defense on Senior Day. Twelve of his tackles were solo stops and two were for a loss, combining for 14 yards. Nash also added an interception and a pass deflection. The Delta State defense held Valdosta to 195 yards passing, 34.4 yards below its per game average. Nash is now fifth in the GSC it tackles (72).

In his 29-game DSU career, Nash has totaled 200 stops with 12.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, four interceptions and nine passes defended. He has also forced one fumble and recovered two others.

STAYING COOL: KEEP IT UNDER 19
The Statesmen are 4-0 this season when holding opponents to 19-or-fewer points in a game. DSU shutout Albany State 40-0, while holding Fort Valley State (7), Kentucky Wesleyan (18) and Shorter (17) all below 19 points.

FORCING TURNOVERS
Delta State's defense has been outstanding this season at forcing opponents into miscues and turnovers. Through 10 games, the Statesmen have forced a GSC-best 29 turnovers - 16 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries.

SULLIVAN CLIMBING PASSING CHARTS
Junior quarterback Tyler Sullivan enters the week ranked fifth on the career yards passing chart with 6,876. He need 89 yards to move past Scott Butler (6,917) & Garrett DeWitt (6,945) into third. In his 24 game career, the Louisville native has completed 538-of-854 passes for 6,876 yards with 59 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He averages 286.5 yards per game for his career.

YORK MAKING MOST OF OPPORTUNITIES
Senior receiver Jarvis York has made the most of his senior season, leading the Statesmen and the Gulf South Conference in receptions (57) and receiving yards (796). In 10 games, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native has scored four touchdowns, while averaging a league-best 79.6 yards per game.

In his career, York has caught 119 passes for 1,544 yards and seven touchdowns. He enters the week ranked 10th in DSU history in career receptions. He needs five grabs to move past Chad Schroeder (123) into ninth.

HANDLING BUSINESS UP FRONT
Senior defensive end Randall "Rambo" Boyd has been a stalwart up front for the Statesmen, totaling 51 tackles with 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks. The Forest, Mississippi, native ranks second in the GSC in TFLs and fourth in sacks.

BOOMING THE BALL
Sophomore Cody Mills has delivered this season, leading the GSC and ranking fourth in NCAA Division II with a 43.1 yards per punt average. The Oxford, Mississippi, native has punted 50 times with 14 kicks inside the 20-yard line and nine over 50 yards. His career-best 68-yard effort came against No. 2 West Georgia.

FURIOUS FOUR FOR WARE
Senior linebacker De'Koven Ware has turned in big numbers in the last four weeks, climbing to fourth on the team in tackles with 49, including 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks.  The Dawson, Georgia, native has recorded 42 tackles in the last four games since returning from injury. He needs five tackles to top 100 for his three-year career.

RECEIVERS TOP MILESTONES
Patrick Bethley topped 100 career receptions and Justin Leavy crossed the 1,000-yard mark with their performances versus VSU. Bethley, who caught three passes against VSU, has 101 career grabs for 1,587 yards and 12 TDs, while Leavy, who pulled in 24 yards on two catches, has 1,060 yards on 72 grabs with 13 scores.  

Earlier in the year, Jarvis York crossed the 100-grab plateau.

NEED ONE FOR 49
Delta State needs a victory Saturday at Mississippi College to clinch its' 49th winning season in school history.

HONORING A FALLEN STATESMAN - ADRIAN DINKINS
Delta State football will honor former defensive end Adrian Dinkins' memory this season, one year removed from his tragic death in a car accident. Each week, defensive linemen will compete for the honor of wearing the former team captain's No. 93.

Dinkins lettered one season for the season for the Statesmen, recording 33 tackles, 10.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks in 2013 while leading DSU to a 7-3 record in coach Todd Cooley's first season. For his efforts, the Madison, Mississippi, native was named to the All-Gulf South Conference Second Team.

OPPONENT - PLAYER
Fort Valley State - Latrell Peterson
@ #18 Texas A&M-Commerce - Randall Boyd
Kentucky Wesleyan - Trent Dunne
Albany State - Kentarrius McDonald
Florida Tech - Justin Evans
@ Shorter - Randall Boyd
West Georgia - Latrell Peterson
West Alabama - Trent Dunne
@ North Alabama - DQ Reynolds
Valdosta State - Erin Brown
@ Mississippi College - TBA   

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.

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.

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 141 PATs in his career, topping Matt Dean's (2008-2011) previous mark of 110. His 248 points scored ranks fourth on the career charts. Trevar Deed, a three-time All-American, has the record with 264.