GAME NOTES: Delta State (3-2, 2-1 GSC) @ West Alabama (2-3, 2-1 GSC)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - Two of the Gulf South Conference's founding institutions and oldest rivals square-off in a key showdown on Saturday, Oct. 8, as the Statesmen (3-2, 2-1 GSC) of Delta State University travel to Livingston,

Ala., to face the Tigers (2-3, 2-1 GSC) of the University of West Alabama. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Tigers Stadium and UWA will be observing Homecoming. The game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 3 p.m. with "Statesmen Game Day" powered by the Delta State University National Alumni Association. Matt Jones, Philip Tang, Cody Clark and Lane Quinton will have the call.       

Saturday's clash marks the 62nd meeting all-time between Delta State and West Alabama, the most for any opponent. The series dates back to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 20, 1940 in Cleveland, with the Statesmen leading the all-time series 35-23-3. UWA owns a 12-11-2 edge in games played in Livingston. The Tigers claimed a 41-38 victory over DSU in last year's meeting after out-scoring the Statesmen 24-3 in the fourth quarter.       

The Statesmen claimed their third-straight win over Mississippi College, after crushing the Choctaws, 61-31, last Thursday, Saturday, Sept. 29 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium in the 37th Heritage Bell Classic. Chris Robinson rushed for 140 yards and scored four touchdowns, while D'Juan Bellaire added 112 yards and another score to pace the offense. Decory McGee picked-off two passes, returning one 58 yards for a touchdown, to lead the defense.

Delta State will begin a stretch of three-straight Homecoming games in the month of October on Saturday at West Alabama.  DSU will host West Florida next Saturday, Oct. 15 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium before closing out the run with a road trip to No. 25 Valdosta State.  

Coach Brett Gilliland is in his third season at West Alabama, where he has led the Tigers to a 14-13 record. UWA has been one of the GSC's most productive teams, averaging 27.0 points and 376.6 yards per game. Middle Tennessee State-transfer quarterback Austin Grammer is averaging 240.3 yards passing per game while throwing seven touchdowns against one interception. Jordan Jones leads UWA defensively with 28 tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks. The Tigers defeated Shorter, 43-28, last week in Rome, Ga., at Barron Stadium. 

 

STATESMEN FOOTBALL GAME DAY
Date/Location:	• Oct. 8, 2016 | Tigers Stadium | Livingston, Ala.
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 Alabama: NR - AFCA | NR - D2Football.com
Series History:	• 62nd Meeting | DSU leads series 35-23-3  • Last Meeting: L, 41-38 - Oct. 24, 2015 (Cleveland)
Coaches:	• Delta State: Todd Cooley (25-12, 4th season)  • West Alabama: Brett Gilliland (14-13, 3rd season)
Live Audio:	• Statesmen Sports Network (Click Here)
Live Stats:	• Live Stats (Click Here)
Live Video:	• Web Stream (Click Here)

NOTES, STORYLINES, & SIDEBAR STATS...
ROBINSON NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Robinson claimed the GSC Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time this season after leading DSU to a 61-31 win over MC. In the win, the Bude, Miss.,

native accounted for 189 yards and scored four first half touchdowns. He rushed for 140 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns and caught three passes for 49 yards and one touchdown. Robinson leads the league in rushing yards per game at 107.0 yards per contest and in rushing touchdowns, scoring 11 times on the ground. His 11 rushing touchdowns are tied for the third most in all of Division II.

SULLIVAN NAMED CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMI-FINALIST: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced today the 156 semifinalists, including Delta State University senior quarterback Tyler Sullivan, for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation and is prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club. Sullivan, who is the only semifinalist from the Gulf South Conference, moved into second place in career passing yards (8,267) and completions (671) after connecting on 25-of-33 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown versus Shorter. 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. Sullivan has thrown for 8,267 yards and rushed for 487 more in 30 career games for the Statesmen.

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.

FOUR TOPS: Delta State had four defenders record double-digit tackles in last week's 61-31 win over the Choctaws. Landry Tullo paced the unit with 11 stops while Chandler Ector, Keith Flanigan, and De'Quan Reddick all finished with 10 tackles each.

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.

EVANS DEVELOPING AT RECEIVER: Senior wide out K'Shun Evans is starting to emerge as a go-to weapon for the Statesman offense. The Raleigh, Miss., native hauled in four passes for 42 yards in last week's 61-31 win over MC. Evans leads DSU with 24 receptions, which ranks fifth in the GSC, for 239 yards and a score this season.   
 

LEAGUE LEADERS: Running back Chris Robinson enters this week leading the Gulf South Conference in scoring (12 TD/14.4 ppg), rushing yards (535), and rushing yards per game (107.0). Punter/kicker Cody Mills also leads the league in average yards per punt (44.0). Delta State also boasts the league's top scoring offense, averaging 42.0 points per game.

FULL HOUSE BACKFIELD: Junior Chris Robinson  and seniors D'Juan Bellaire, Justin McArthur, and Tim Foy are powering a Statesman ground game averaging 194.6 yards per game and 3.6 touchdowns. Robinson enters the week leading the GSC in rushing touchdowns (12) and rushing yards per game (107.0). Bellaire has rushed for 291 yards a pair of scores, while McArthur and Foy have scored two touchdowns each.

TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE: Senior corner Romelo Wilson intercepted his ninth career pass and second of the season, returning it 80 yards for a touchdown in DSU's 47-7 win over Shorter. The Ewa Beach, Hawaii native grabbed one as a freshman in 2013, led the GSC with four interceptions in 2014, had two picks in 2015. Wilson, who ranks fifth on the career interceptions chart, needs five more to tie the school record of 14 held by former All-American Dominique Davenport (2008-2011).

TULLO TURNING UP: After a slow start to the season, junior linebacker Landry Tullo has turned in back-to-back season-best performances for the Statesmen. In last week's 61-31 win over Mississippi College, Tullo recorded a team-best 11 tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack and picked-off an MC pass. The Hoover, Ala., native, who is tied for the team lead with 29 tackles, finished the game versus Shorter with eight tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss to top 100 tackles for his career. In 29 games, Tullo has recorded 112 tackles, 22.0 tackles-for-loss with 7.5 sacks

BALL HAWKS: Delta State's defense has been turning over the opposition at an incredibly high rate over the last two games, posting a 9 ratio. The Statesmen forced Shorter into six turnovers two weeks ago, while MC coughed-up four. In that span, DSU has recorded six interceptions and forced four fumbles.      

MR. DO-IT-ALL: Junior Cody Mills has found himself in an odd spot this fall, as the Oxford, Miss., native is handling all of DSU's kicking assignments. Mills is 5-for-5 on field goals attempts, while averaging a GSC-leading 44.0 yards per punt. He has also kicked-off 30 times for an average of 55.9 yards per kick.

GREEN ZONE EFFICIENCY: Delta State is 25-for-25 inside the "Green Zone" this season in scoring situations. In fact, the Statesmen have scored 20 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 23-4 all-time when scoring 30 or more points against an opponent under head coach Todd Cooley.

TELEVISED RESULTS: Thursday'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.