CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Lions (6-1, 5-0 GSC) of the University of North Alabama used a 28-point third quarter to claim a 49-19 victory over the Statesmen (4-5, 3-4 GSC) of Delta State University on Saturday, Oct. 29 in the final home game for 24 seniors at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. Junior running back Chris Robinson tied the Gulf South Conference's single-season touchdown record with his 24th of the year, equaling University of Central Arkansas running back Kentrel Rogers' 2005 mark.    
 
THE BASICS

• Score: North Alabama 49, Delta State 19
• Records: No. 3 Lions (6-1, 5-0 GSC) | Statesmen (4-5, 3-4 GSC)
• Date: Saturday, Oct. 29 | 2:00 p.m. Kickoff
• Location: Parker Field - McCool Stadium | Cleveland, Miss.  
• Series: North Alabama leads 33-26-1
• Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateFB | Facebook – DSUStatesmen | Instagram – DSUAthletics

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Scoring:

• The Statesmen took the opening drive 63 yards to take a 3-0 lead on Cody Mills' 26-yard field goal with 11:06 remaining in the first quarter.
• UNA scored the game's first touchdown, as Jacob Tucker connected with Julius Jones, on a 3-yard scoring strike with 5:10 left in the first to give the Lions a 7-3 lead.
• Mills connected on his second field goal of the game, a 19-yard effort, to cut UNA's lead to 7-6 with 12:28 on the clock in the second quarter.  
• UNA's Ray Beasley rumbled in for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Lions up 14-6 with 10:59 to play in the first half.
• Chris Robinson hauled in Tyler Sullivan's pass and ran 22 yards for DSU's first touchdown of the game with 7:59 to play in first half, cutting UNA's lead to 14-13.
• With :30 seconds remaining in the half, UNA's Tucker found Jones on a 22-yard scoring strike, his second of the game, to put the Lions up 21-13.
• The Lions opened the second half marching 65 yards on four plays, capped by Damon Cox's 15-yard rushing touchdown. The scoring play extended UNA's lead to 27-13 with 13:53 to play in the third quarter.
• UNA scored 16 seconds later to extend their lead to 35-13, as Eddrick Harris returned a Tyler Sullivan interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
• Tucker tossed his third touchdown of the game, hitting Jacob Thomas on a 9-yard pass. The scoring play gave UNA a 42-13 lead with 12:37 to play in the third.
• D'Juan Bellaire scored Delta State's first touchdown of the second half, a 4-yard rush with 8:51 to go in the third. It was DSU's first rushing touchdown of the game.
• Dre Hall grabbed a 31-yard touchdown pass from Tucker, his fourth scoring strike of the game, to extend UNA's lead to 49-13 with :41 seconds to play in the third.                                                  

Offense:

• Delta State used three quarterbacks on the day, passing for 206 yards on 19 completions in 28 attempts with three interceptions. Tyler Sullivan was 11-of-17 for 91 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Jabe Burgess finished 7-of-10 for 69 yards with an interception.
• Chris Robinson amassed 117 all-purpose yards, extending his streak to six straight games with 100-plus all-purpose yards. The junior rushed for 71 on 20 carries and caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.
• Chris Cooley (47 yards) and K'Shun Evans (40 yards) led the Statesmen with four receptions each. Josh Pinkston closed the afternoon with 54 yards on three grabs.
• UNA's Tucker finished the day with 207 yards passing (13-of-20) with four touchdowns while rushing 16 times for 74 yards.
• Dre Hall led UNA and all receivers with five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Ray Beasley also paced all rushers with 79 yards on five carries with a touchdown.   
• North Alabama accounted for 437 yards of total offense, 230 rushing and 207 passing, on 66 plays while Delta State finished with 379 yards on 79 plays. The Statesmen ran for 173 yards while throwing for 206.
• D'Juan Bellaire rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in his final performance at Parker-McCool.

 
Defense:

• North Alabama forced four Delta State turnovers, including three interceptions and a fumble recovery. The Lions converted two of the three interceptions into touchdowns.
• Tyrell Brown led the Statesmen with 11 tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss while Chandler Ector ended the afternoon with eight stops and 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
• Erin Brown had a monster performance on Senior Day, posting five tackles including 1.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles-for-loss.
• UNA's James Rivers led all defenders with 12 tackles. Sheldon Lewis added 10 tackles, a sack and a tackle-for-loss.
• Eddrick Harris, Johnne Anderson and Bud Coleman all recorded interceptions for the Lions.     

 
Special Teams:

• In a key moment in the first quarter, Philbert Martial's 96-yard punt return for a touchdown was negated by an unsportsmanlike penalty on UNA with 2:04 on the clock.
• UNA's Martial finished the day averaging 20.0 yards per punt and kick return.
• LaDarion Peterson collected his sixth game of 100-plus kick return yards, totaling 168 yards on six returns.
• Cody Mills was 2-of-2 on field goal attempts and punted five times for an average of 38.8 yards per attempt.
• UNA's Jeb Millender averaged 40.2 yards per punt on four attempts.    

Key Stat:

• Delta State committed four turnovers leading to 14 North Alabama points, with both touchdowns coming in the decisive third quarter.

 
Game Changer:

• The Lions scored four touchdowns in less than three minutes of clock time at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half. The four scores gave UNA a commanding 42-13 lead with 12:27 to play in the third quarter.  

 
Notables:

• Robinson tied the Gulf South Conference single season touchdown mark, equaling Central Arkansas' Kentrel Rogers (2005), with 24. The Bude, Miss., native scored on a 22-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. In an interesting note, DSU head coach Todd Cooley was the offensive coordinator at the time Rogers set the record at UCA.  
• Coach Todd Cooley and Delta State Football honored its 24 seniors prior to Saturday's kickoff. This year's senior class includes: Joreco Beckwith (S), D'Juan Bellaire (RB), Javon Bradford (DE), Erin Brown (DE), Austin Campbell (LS), Chris Cooley (WR), Marquis Coston (LB), Wilson Curtis (LB), Jamel Dennis (LB), K'Shun Evans (WR), Laren Fairley (DT), Tim Foy (RB), Macarell Hickinbottom (LB), Dekendrick Johnson (OL), De'Monterius Kendrick (CB), Justin McArthur (RB), Kevin Muzzi (WR), Latrell Peterson (DE), Josh Pinkston (WR), De'Quan Reddick (S), Jesse Smithson (OL), Tyler Sullivan (QB), Romelo Wilson (CB), and Jeterrian Wren (DE).
• Head cheer coach Kim Logan recognized her six seniors during halftime of Saturday's game with UNA. This year's class includes Brianna Bess, Portia Gatson, Emily Goss, Morgan Harper, Kelsa Powell, and Tarayanna Thomas.   
• Delta State also hosted Military Appreciation Day, including a group of 75 service men and women from Mississippi's National Guard.

 
Up Next:

• Delta State will enjoy an open week next Saturday, Nov. 5 before traveling to Melbourne, Fla., to face the Panthers (5-2, 2-2 GSC) of Florida Tech on Saturday, Nov. 12. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 as the Florida's Spacecoast Beaches GSC-TV Game of the Week.