CLEVELAND, Miss. –  The No. 9 Delta State football team suffered its first loss of the season Saturday night, falling to No. 21 West Alabama at home, 29-26.  While the Statesmen rallied back from a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter, Vince Sciorrota's 29-yard field goal attempt to tie the game with a minute left soared just right to give the Tigers the road upset.
 
THE BASICS
• Score: No. 21 West Alabama 29 | No. 9 Delta State 26, 
• Records: Statesmen (5-1, 3-1 GSC) | Tigers (5-1, 4-0 GSC)
• Date: Saturday, October 7 | 6:00 p.m. Kickoff
• Location: Parker Field-McCool Stadium | Cleveland, Miss.
• Attendance: 7,826
• Series: Delta State leads the all-time series 35-25-3, including a 23-13-1 record at home.  With Saturday night's win, however, the Tigers have now claimed five of the last six meetings between the conference opponents.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
2nd Quarter, 10:08
• After a scoreless first quarter that saw West Alabama fail to earn a single first down while the Statesmen managed just four, the Tigers put together a successful 10-play, 60-yard drive to open the second period.  West Alabama quarterback Harry Satterwhite strung together five passes for 45 yards to get the Tigers into the red zone; kicker Colin Douglas finished the drive with a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 UWA edge.

2nd Quarter, 4:21
• West Alabama found the end zone for the first time late in the second quarter, when Satterwhite connected with wide receiver Tra Fletcher on a long ball to the center of the DSU end zone for a 42-yard touchdown.  The 7-play, 71-yard drive followed Delta State's seventh straight punt of the game.  Douglas tacked on the extra-point to give the Tigers a 10-0 lead.

2nd Quarter, 2:42
• The Statesmen's offensive struggles continued on the next drive.  Breck Ruddick rolled right on second-down from the DSU 26-yard line, but the ball slipped between the quarback fingers as he attempted a pass.  Running back Chris Robinson just missed falling on it, as Tiger safety Taderion Myhand scooped up the ball and took it back for a West Alabama score.  While Douglas' PAT was blocked, the Tigers extended their advantage to 16-0.

2nd Quarter, :41
• Delta State escaped a first-half shutout when quarterback Collin Willis dropped back at the DSU 46-yard line and found an open Willis Chambers in the middle of the field.  Catching the ball near the West Alabama 20-yard line, the senior wide receiver outsprinted the Tigers' backfield and ran into the end zone untouched.  Kicker Vince Sciorrota converted the extra-point, cutting the Tigers' lead to 16-7 heading into halftime.  Cornerback Jamoral Graham's second interception of the year set up the drive for the Statesmen.

3rd Quarter, 13:00
• After relying on the passing game for much of the first half, the Tigers turned to their run game early in the third quarter.  Lakendric Thomas, who rushed for just 32 yards in the first half, broke free at the UWA 38-yard line.  The senior running back sprinted all the way to the Delta State end zone for a 62-yard score on the Tigers' first possession of the second half, increasing the visitors' lead to 22-7.

3rd Quarter, 7:24
• Following a critical three-and-out stop by the Statesmen defense, the DSU offense put together one of its longest drives of the game.  While the 10-play, 46-yard possession still only took 2:20 off the clock, it ended in a successful 38-yard field goal by Sciorrota and drew the Statesmen within two scores, at 22-10 UWA.

3rd Quarter, :09
• After the Delta State defense stopped Thomas three straight times inside its own 10-yard line, the Tigers elected to go for it on fourth-down from the 1 yard-line.  Thomas would not be denied on his fourth attempt, bulldozing through the center of the Delta State defensive line for the touchdown.  Douglas' extra-point at the end of the 10-play, 88-yard drive increased the Tigers' lead to 29-10.

4th Quarter, 11:25
• An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Tigers moved Delta State from the West Alabama 43-yard line to the 28-yard line.  Willis then strung together three straight completions for 24 yards, advancing the Statesmen to the 4-yard line.  After a run for no gain by Chris Robinson and an incomplete pass, the senior quarterback elected to keep the ball on third-down.  Rolling right, Willis broke one tackle and then leapt over another defender for the touchdown.  Willis found Robinson in the far left corner of the end zone to convert on the two-point conversion and cut the UWA lead to 29-18.

4th Quarter, 8:06
• The Delta State defense held the Tigers to another three-and-out.  While a 28-yard rush from Willis and four straight complete passes moved the Statesmen to the UWA 16-yard line, a critical offensive holding call halted the drive.  Sciorrota converted a 43-yard field goal, making the score 29-21.

4th Quarter, 6:44
• On the Tigers' first play from scrimmage following Sciorrota's field goal, Thomas fumbled the ball after a handoff from Satterwhite.  Defensive tackle Brandon Gaddy recovered at West Alabama 31-yard line to set up another Sciorrota kick, this one good from 32 yards out and drawing the Statesmen within 29-24.

4th Quarter, 3:53
• The Tigers' offense managed just one first down before their drive stalled at their own 38-yard line.  On fourth down, a high snap soared over West Alabama punter Zach Gaines' head and carried all the way into the UWA end zone.  While Gaines wisely kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone, the miscue resulted in a safety and brought the Statesmen to within a field goal, at 29-26 UWA.
    
Offensive Notables:
• After entering the game in the second quarter, senior quarterback Collin Willis completed 20 of 37 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown.  Willis also had 11 carries for 53 yards.
• Senior wide receivers Willis Chambers and Kam Myers led the Statesmen receiving corps.  While Chambers notched four catches for 94 yards, Myers had a game-high of 9 catches for 78 yards.

Defensive Notables:
• West Alabama failed to earn a single first down during the first quarter, as the Statesmen defense forced five straight three-and-outs to open the game.  The Tigers managed just 34 yards of total offense in the opening period.
• Defensive tackle Ovenson Cledanord had a career-high of 16 tackles against UWA, while Landry Tullo added 15.

Special Teams:
• Vince Sciorrotta surpassed the 300-point mark, converting three field goals and an extra-point against the Tigers.  Already the Delta State record holder in the category, the senior kicker is just the sixth Gulf South Conference player ever to achieve the milestone.  Sciorrotta needs seven points to break the GSC record of 308 career points.
• Statesmen punter Sam Barge saw plenty of action Saturday.  The freshman had 10 punts against West Alabama, averaging 38.9 yards per kick with a long of 50 yards.

Other Notes:
• Offensive tackle Derrick McClelland, cornerback Decory McGee, and kicker Vince Sciorrotta served as captains Saturday.
• Delta State celebrated its inaugural Hall of Fame Weekend, recognizing this year's 10 inductees at halftime of Saturday's game.  Delta State honored Karl Balls (FB), Rory Bell (FB), Meredith Coleman (SB), Shorlone Crockam (WBKB), Petya Petrova (WSWD), Brian Rea (BSB), Clark Richardson (Golf), Sean Spiegel (MSWD), Chris Sykes (MBKB), Joe Wun (MTN) and long-time Delta State men's and women's tennis coach Asa Atkinson for their outstanding performances as members of green-and-white athletics.
 
Key Stats:
• Entering the game as the conference leader in rushing, averaging 261.6 yards per game, the Statesmen managed only 91 yards against the Tigers.  Senior running back Chris Robinson had 16 yards on 12 carries, falling short of the century-mark for just the second time this year.
• West Alabama punter Zach Gaines was arguably one of the Tigers' most valuable players.  The sophomore averaged 46.8 yards per punt, with a long of 59, and continually put the Statesmen offense at a starting disadvantage.
• The Statesmen offensive line had a difficult time against the physical West Alabama defense, allowing a season-high seven sacks and 12 tackles for a loss.
 
Game Changer:
• After the Statesmen roared back from a 19-point deficit, senior kicker Vince Sciorrotta had a chance to knot the score at 29-all with 1:05 remaining in the game.  The 27-yard attempt pushed wide left, however.  With no timeouts remaining, Delta State watched as West Alabama took two knees to end the game and score the road upset.

Up Next:
• The Statesmen travel to Pensacola, Florida, next Saturday, October 14, for a conference matchup against West Florida.  Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.; the game will be available on the Statesmen Sports Network.