GAME NOTES: West Florida (4-2, 2-1 GSC) @ Delta State (3-3, 2-2 GSC)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - Homecoming, it's an annual right for alumni from across the country and this week, as Delta State gears up to host its' 84th gathering, which promises to be one of the best yet! The Statesmen (3-3, 2-2 GSC) will host the Argonauts (4-2, 2-1 GSC) of the University of West Florida on Saturday, Oct. 15 to culminate a week-long string of events celebrating DSU. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. The Statesmen are 51-30-2 all-time in Homecoming games at Delta State.
 

STATESMEN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
Date/Location:	• Oct. 15, 2016 | Parker Field-McCool Stadium | Cleveland, Miss.
Kickoff Time:	• 4:00 p.m. CST
Radio:	• Statesmen Sports Network | WMJW 107.5 FM  • Talent: Matt Jones (PxP), Philip Tang (Color), Lane Quinton (Sidelines)
TV:	• Not Available
Rankings:	• Delta State: NR - AFCA | NR - D2Football.com  • West Florida: NR - AFCA | NR - D2Football.com
Series History:	• First Meeting  • Last Meeting: N/A
Coaches:	• Delta State: Todd Cooley (25-13, 4th season)  • West Florida: Pete Shinnick (4-2, 1st season | 88-42 overall)
Live Audio:	• Statesmen Sports Network (Click Here)
Live Stats:	• Live Stats (Click Here)
Live Video:	• Web Stream (Click Here)

        

Saturday's clash marks the first meeting all-time between Delta State and West Florida on the gridiron. The Argonauts (4-2, 2-1 GSC) are in their inaugural season in the Gulf South Conference under head coach Pete Shinnick. The GSC's top two scoring offenses will face off in the match-up, as DSU averages 42.0 points per game and UWF 38.3 points per game.

In their first season of intercollegiate football competition, the Argonauts of West Florida have been incredibly successful. Under head coach Pete Shinnick, UWF has raced out of the gate to a 4-2 start, including impressive wins over No. 19 Florida Tech (42-39), Missouri S&T (45-28) & Mississippi College (42-28). Kaleb Nobles leads the high-octane Argos offense, averaging 336.0 yards passing per game. Ishmael Morrow leads UWF with 49 receptions for 733 yards and five touchdowns. UWF's defense has also recorded a league-best 28 sacks for minus 216 yards.            

The Statesmen dropped their second road loss of the season, falling 54-42 at the University of West Alabama. The Tigers (3-3, 3-1 GSC) jumped out to a 21-7 first half lead and held off a furious second-half rally by the Statesmen. Chris Robinson caught a career-high eight passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Sullivan became just the second Statesman to eclipse 9,000 total offense yards in career after totaling 391 yards on the night. The senior from Louisville, Miss., completed 27-of-37 attempts for 382 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

STORTLINES, STREAKS & SIDEBAR STATS...
HOMECOMING HYSTERIA: Saturday's showdown with the University of West Florida will mark Delta State's 84th Homecoming. The Statesmen are 51-30-2 all-time and 2-1 under Todd Cooley in Homecoming games.

TWO STATESMEN JOINING SPORTS HoF: Delta State University will honor eight Statesmen and Lady Statesmen for their contributions by inducting them into the Delta State University Sports Hall of Fame. The induction is the highest honor given to former athletes or coaches and the 2016 class includes Jim Devers (FB) and Rico McDonald (FB).

Devers lettered two years in track and field at Delta State before joining the Statesmen football squad as a junior in 1969. Devers was a flanker back for former head coach Horace McCool. Devers was a driving force behind the Statesmen's offense. In 1969, he led the Statesmen in receiving with a record-breaking 62 catches for 884 yards. He was the Co-Most Valuable Player and won the Best Offensive Player Award.

McDonald rushed for a school-record 3,285 yards during his career at Delta State. McDonald helped anchor for the Statesmen's success since his freshman year in 1998, when he led DSU to its fifth GSC Championship in football. Most notably, he led Delta State to the 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship his junior year, rushing for 1,637 yards. He tied the single game record for rushing touchdowns with four versus Valdosta State in 2000. He was selected to the All-GSC First Team, named a Don Hansen's HM All-American, and was selected to the Second Team Daktronics All-South Region. 

McDonald was a preseason All-American as a senior in 2001, rushing for 1,151 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2001.

RACING TO A RECORD: Junior wide receiver/kick returner LaDarion Peterson established a new school-record for kick return yardage in a game with 245 at West Alabama on Oct. 8 at Tigers Stadium. The Woodville, Miss., returned seven kicks, including one 91-yards for a touchdown. The previous record of 168 yards was set by Maurice Moore versus Harding on Oct. 16, 2010. The Statesmen had also failed to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Jeremy Ricks' accomplished the feat at West Georgia on Oct. 27, 2007.

CAREER NIGHT AT UWA: Despite a 54-42 setback to West Alabama, three Statesmen recorded career highs in receptions versus the Tigers. Chris Robinson (175 yards/2 TDs), K'Shun Evans (91 yards) and Alex Pina-Rhoden (70 yards) all finished the night with eight receptions, marking career bests for each player.

CHRIS COOLEY TD MAKER: Junior wide receiver Chris Cooley made the most of his three receptions at West Alabama, scoring two touchdowns, including a 35-yard effort in the second half. Half of Cooley's six receptions this season have gone for scores.

ECTOR CLEANING UP: Sophomore linebacker Chandler Ector has flourished in new-DC Raleigh Jackson's system. The Decatur, Ga., native is tied for the team lead with 39 tackles. This past weekend at UWA, Ector finished with a game-high 9.5 stops.

MCGEE TIMES TWO: Delta State's Decory McGee finished last week's 61-31 win over Mississippi College with two interceptions, returning one 58 yards for a touchdown. The Bolton, Miss., native also recorded three tackles, broke-up two passes and recovered a fumbled punt.

SULLIVAN ALONE AT N0. 2: Senior quarterback Tyler Sullivan completed 14-of-22 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns in DSU's 61-31 win over Mississippi College to push him into second place in every major career passing statistic. In 30 career games, Sullivan has completed 671-of-1,044 passes for 8,267 yards with 69 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He has also rushed for 16 career scores to push his TD-responsible for to 85. Previously, the Louisville, Miss., native passed Micah Davis (8,238/29 games) to take over second place in career total offense with 8,764 yards. Scott Eyster (2003-2006) holds the school-record with 14,342 yards. He also holds every career passing statistic in Delta State history, with the exception of completion percentage.

MR. BROWN TO YOU: Senior defensive end Erin Brown is turning in his best performance as a Statesman, totaling 19 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.  The Monroe, La., native ranks third in the GSC in tackles-for-loss and sacks. Brown recorded 3.0 tackles, a sack and a tackle-for-loss in DSU's 61-31 win over MC.    

LEAGUE LEADERS: Running back Chris Robinson enters this week leading the Gulf South Conference in scoring (14 TD/14.0 ppg), rushing yards (560), and rushing yards per game (93.3). Punter/kicker Cody Mills also leads the league in average yards per punt (42.8). Delta State also boasts the league's top scoring offense, averaging 42.0 points per game.

GREEN ZONE EFFICIENCY: Delta State is 28-for-28 inside the "Green Zone" this season in scoring situations. In fact, the Statesmen have scored 23 touchdowns and converted five field goals inside the opposition's 20-yard line.

LEADING AT THE HALF: Delta State is 20-0 under head coach Todd Cooley when leading at half-time. The Statesmen are 5-10 when trailing and 0-2 when tied at the half.

RACE TO 30: The Statesmen are 23-5 all-time when scoring 30 or more points against an opponent under head coach Todd Cooley.

TELEVISED RESULTS: Delta State's clash with Mississippi College was the 33rd game televised by the GSC/NCAA/ESPN. The Statesmen are 22-11 all-time in televised contests, including a 3-0 mark again the Choctaws. In his three-plus seasons at DSU, coach Todd Cooley is 7-4 in televised games.