GAME NOTES: No. 10 Delta State (1-0) at No. 17 Texas A&M-Commerce (1-0)
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CLEVELAND, Mississippi - No. 10/11 Delta State (1-0, 0-0 GSC) and No. 18 Texas A&M-Commerce (1-0, 0-0) will meet for the sixth time in the series on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and TAMUC will honor its' 2015 Hall of Fame class during the event. Matt Jones, Lane Quinton and Philip Tang will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 6 p.m.

Inside the Series: The Lions lead the series standings 3-2, including a 45-37 victory in the last meeting between the schools on Sept. 13, 2013 in Dallas at the Lone Star Conference Kickoff Classic. Friday's trip to Commerce is the first for the Statesmen since a 19-14 loss to TAMUC on Oct. 16, 1993. Both DSU victories in the series have come at Parker Field-McCool StadIum.
 

STATESMEN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
Date/Location:	Sept. 12, 2015 | Memorial Stadium | Commerce, Texas
Kickoff Time:	7 p.m. CST
Radio:	Statesmen Sports Network | Matt Jones (PxP), Mark Williams (Color), Philip Tang (Producer/Host), and Lane Quinton (Sidelines)
Rankings:	Delta State: No. 10 - AFCA | No. 11 - D2Football.com TAMUC: No. 18 - AFCA | No. 17 - D2Football.com
Series History:	Sixth Meeting | TAMUC leads series 3-2 Last Meeting: DSU L, 45-37 vs TAMUC | Sept. 13, 2013
Coaches:	Delta State: Todd Cooley (17-5, 3rd season) TAMUC: Colby Carthel (17-7, 3rd season)
Live Audio:	Statesmen Sports Network (Click Here)
Live Stats:	TAMUC Live Stats (Click Here)
Live Video:	TAMUC Web Stream (Click Here)

   

Last Time Out: The Statesmen improved to 3-0 in season-openers under Todd Cooley, as Delta State routed Fort Valley State 48-7 on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. Tyler Sullivan accounted for five touchdowns and 327 yards of total offense in the victory. The junior from Louisville, Miss., completed 16-of-25 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing five times for 42 yards and two scores.

Against Nonconference Foes: The Statesmen face their ninth nonconference opponent under Todd Cooley, as Delta State travels to Commerce, Texas to face the Lions. Cooley and the Statesmen have posted a 7-1 record against nonconference foes, including a 3-0 mark in 2014. Cooley's lone nonconference loss came at the hands of TAMUC, 45-37, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 13, 2013. The Statesmen are an unblemished 5-0 against out-of -conference opponents at Parker Field-McCool Stadium under Cooley.

Welcome Back: Delta State welcomed back several players, who sat out the 2014 season due to injury, versus Fort Valley State. No one made a bigger impact than senior wide receiver Collin Floyd. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native scored the first touchdown of the year, as Tyler Sullivan found the 6-foot-4 receiver for a 58-yard touchdown. Running back Justin McArthur and defensive back Nick Houston also saw time versus the Wildcats.

Hopkins Paces Defense: Senior safety Lawrence Hopkins led the Statesmen defense with eight tackles versus FVSU. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi native was one stop off his career-high of nine tackles versus Shorter last year.

Wreaking Havoc: Junior defensive end Latrell Peterson wreaked havoc on the Wildcats in last week's 48-7 victory, totaling six tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound redshirt junior from Covington, Louisiana, established a new career-high for TFLs with 3.0 in the victory.

Sciorrotta Sets PAT Mark: Junior kicker Vince Sciorrotta broke the school record for career PATs after making all five of his attempts versus FVSU. The Cumming, Georgia native has hit 115 PATs in his career, topping Matt Dean's (2008-2011) previous mark of 110.
 

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STATESMEN-LIONS RENEW SERIES
Delta State and Texas A&M-Commerce will meet for the sixth time in the series on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas. The Lions lead the series standings 3-2, including a 45-37 victory in the last meeting between the schools on Sept. 13, 2013 in Dallas at the Lone Star Conference Kickoff Classic.

Friday's trip to Commerce is the first for the Statesmen since a 19-14 loss to TAMUC on Oct. 16, 1993. Both DSU victories in the series have come at Parker Field-McCool StadIum.

DSU ROUTS FORT VALLEY STATE FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
Behind a huge first half, the Delta State University Statesmen (1-0) routed the Wildcats of Fort Valley State (0-1), 48-7, for a second consecutive year. The Statesmen won 56-13 at FVSU in 2014.

Tyler Sullivan accounted for five touchdowns and 327 yards of total offense in the victory. The junior from Louisville, Miss., completed 16-of-25 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing five times for 42 yards and two scores.

Lawrence Hopkins led DSU with eight tackles, while Latrell Peterson totaled six stops, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack.

COOLEY ERA ENTERS YEAR THREE LOOKING TO REPEAT
Delta State completed its turn-around under head coach Todd Cooley in 2014, capturing a share of its seventh Gulf South Conference Championship with a 6-1 league record after defeating Mississippi College 27-3 on Nov. 15 in the Heritage Bell Classic.

After inheriting a 3-7 team in January of 2013, coach Cooley, who captured a piece of his fifth championship overall and first as skipper, has led Delta State to a 17-5 record and a 10-3 mark in GSC play.

DSU's offense has been on a record pace since Cooley took over in 2013. Under offensive coordinator, the Statesmen have averaged 42.3 points per game and DSU has led the GSC in total offense in each of the last two season, including 490.5 yards per game in 2014.

The Statesmen claimed league titles in 1998, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2014. DSU's seven league titles are second only to North Alabama's 11.

COOLEY VERSUS NONCONFERENCE OPPONENTS
The Statesmen face their ninth nonconference opponent under Todd Cooley, as Delta State travels to Commerce, Texas to face the Lions. Cooley and the Statesmen have posted a 7-1 record against nonconference foes, including a 3-0 mark in 2014. 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 5-0 against out of conference opponents at Parker Field-McCool Stadium under Cooley.

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 449-374-23 (.531). Since 2000, DSU is 125-52 (.706) 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.

PROTECTING OUR HOUSE
The Green-and-White will be playing their 229th home game on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium versus Kentucky Wesleyan. The Statesmen are 143-76-8 since opening the stadium in 1970. DSU, which played several seasons at Delta Field located where Wyatt Hall now stands, is 255-126-15 all-time at home.

Since taking over the program in 2013, coach Todd Cooley is 10-1 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium, including a 10-0 record in regular season action.

STATESMEN PICKED SECOND IN GSC PRESEASON POLL
Delta State University football was picked to finish second in the annual Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Coming off their seventh GSC Title and an NCAA postseason appearance, the Statesmen feature five Preseason All-GSC honorees in Mose Countryman, Randall Boyd, Wilson Curtis, Romelo Wilson, and Richard Nash.

For the first time ever, the University of West Georgia finished atop the Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, entering 2015 as the favorite to claim the league crown. In fact, UWG is the first team other than Delta State, North Alabama and Valdosta State to top the poll since 2000 when former Southern Arkansas finished first.

Only one point separates second and third place, as 2014 GSC Co-Champions Delta State (30) and North Alabama (29) shared the final two first-place nods.  Valdosta State came in at fourth place with 19 points, followed by Florida Tech's 17-point total.  Completing the seven-team list was West Alabama (12) and Shorter (six).

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
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.

Since Todd Cooley took over as head coach, the Statesmen are 5-2 against ranked opponents. Texas A&M-Commerce will be the first of five opponents currently ranked in the top 25.
 
LAST CLEAN SHEET
The Statesmen blanked the Hornets of Concordia College of Selma, Alabama, 77-0 on Nov. 9, 2013 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. Prior to last year's game, DSU had not shutout an 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.

HOME SWEET HOME
A year after traveling 5,198 miles over the course of a season, the Statesmen are set to play seven regular season home games at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. The seven home games will be the most played in a regular season since coach Gene Chadwick led the Statesmen to a 6-3 record in 1960. DSU went 4-3 at home that year.

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.

SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE THERE'S SIGNS
Coach Todd Cooley and offensive coordinator Joel Williams will be using a new signaling system in 2015. The signage-based system features pop culture photos and celebrity icons. The cards will change throughout the season.

SULLIVAN READY TO RETURN TO HARLON HILL RACE
Quarterback Tyler Sullivan (6-3, 230, Jr.) is ready to make another run at the coveted Harlon Hill Trophy, a year after finishing sixth in the national balloting. The Louisville, Miss., native led the GSC in passing last year, averaging 305.3 yards per game while accounting for 34 touchdowns.

In last week's season-opener, Sullivan completed 16-of-25 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. He also accounted for two rushing touchdowns, including a 34-yard score in the first quarter. His touchdown passes covered 58, 59, and 60 yards.  

In his 17 games as Delta State's starter, Sullivan is 14-3 with a GSC title and NCAA postseason berth under his belt. For his career, Sullivan has completed 415-of-646 attempts for 5,415 yards with 45 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

He ranks fifth on the school's career yards passing and total offense (5,811) charts.

BETHLEY APPROACHING 100 GRABS
Senior receiver Patrick Bethley is 12 catches away from 100 for his Delta State career. The New Orleans, Louisiana native has 88 grabs for 1,354 yards and 10 touchdowns. The speedy receiver finished with five receptions for 87 yards and a score versus FVSU.

LEAVY GRABS, THROWS TOUCHDOWN TO OPEN SEASON
Justin Leavy, a senior receiver from Greenville, Mississippi, caught three passes for 78 yards and a touchdown against the Wildcats, and executed a fake punt perfectly, tossing a 75-yard TD to Jarvis York.  

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

Sciorrotta's 181 points scored ranks fifth on the career charts.  Trevar Deed, a three-time All-American receiver/running back, holds the school record with 264 points.

Last season, Sciorrotta connected on 11-of-14 field goals and 60-of-66 PATs. His 93 points led the Statesmen and ranked second in the GSC.

PETERSON WREAKS HAVOC ON FVSU
Junior defensive end Latrell Peterson wreaked havoc on the Wildcats in last week's 48-7 victory, totaling six tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound redshirt junior from Covington, Louisiana, established a new career-high for TFLs with 3.0 in the win.

Last season, Peterson totaled 24 tackles, including 7.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks in 10 games. In his 22 game career, he has 38 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.

DEFENSE TURNS IN SOLID NUMBERS VERSUS FVSU
The Statesmen defense tallied 10 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks and picked-off two Wildcat passes in last Thursday's 48-7 season-opening victory against FVSU.

Lawrence Hopkins paced the defense with eight tackles. Richard Nash and Wilson Curtis has six each, while Joreco Beckwith, LeDarion Robinson, Jamel Dennis, Chandler Ector, and Trey Shaw had five stops.

23 DEEP
Delta State University's football roster features 23 seniors, including 15 starters this season. Coach Cooley expects big dividends from his senior leadership in 2015.