Chris_Robinson_FB_111117
Elisabetta Zengaro
20
Florida Tech FIT 5-6 , 3-5
42
Winner Delta State DSU 8-3 , 6-3
Florida Tech FIT
5-6 , 3-5
20
Final
42
Delta State DSU
8-3 , 6-3
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
FIT Florida Tech 13 0 0 7 20
DSU Delta State 0 21 14 7 42

Game Recap: Football | | Matt Jones

Robinson Rushes Statesmen Past Panthers 42-20 on Homecoming

CLEVELAND, Miss. – Chris Robinson rushed for a career-high 210 yards and four touchdowns to power the Statesmen (8-3, 5-3 GSC) of Delta State University to a 42-20 Homecoming victory on Saturday, Nov. 11, over the Panthers (5-6, 3-5 GSC) of Florida Tech at Parker Field-McCool Stadium.
 
19023
Chris Robinson

"After falling behind early, we made the adjustments necessary to find our stride and win this football game," DSU head coach Todd Cooley said. "We won the battle up front today at the line of scrimmage and Chris Robinson was electrifying at times for us. As I said last week, we ain't dead yet!"
 
DSU swung momentum in its favor with a dominant second quarter, outscoring FIT 21-0. The Statesmen held the Panthers to a mere 18 yards on 14 plays, but racked-up 161 yards and three scores.  
 
The victory, which snapped a two-game losing streak to FIT, kept Delta State in postseason contention with an 8-3 overall record. The NCAA will announce the 2017 field for the Division II Football Championship Playoffs on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/football/d2.
 
Prior to Saturday's contest, Delta State honored its 2017 senior class, which included: 31 football student-athletes, seven cheerleaders, eight members of the marching band and three Delta Belles.
 
Brinley Henry, a senior from Greenville, was crowned Miss Green & White at halftime. She is an elementary education major and a member of Kappa Delta sorority. Jalen Bankhead was voted earlier this week as the school's first Mr. Green & White.
 
Saturday's game was the third and final of the regular season to be televised on ESPN3 as the GSC-TV Live Game of the Week. The Statesmen are 3-0 this season on TV and 25-11 all-time.       
 
THE BASICS
  • Score: Delta State 42, Florida Tech 20
  • Records: Statesmen (8-3, 5-3 GSC) | Panthers (5-6, 3-5 GSC)
  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 11 | 2 p.m. Kickoff
  • Location: Parker Field-McCool Stadium | Cleveland, Miss.
  • Attendance: 6,555
  • Series: Series is tied 3-2
  • Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateFB | Facebook – DSUStatesmen | Instagram – DSUAthletics
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Mark Cato's 46-yard pass to Kevin Purlett set the Panthers up at the Statesmen 1-yard line. Two plays later, Cato crashed into the endzone off the left side to put Florida Tech up 7-0 with 8:13 to play in the first quarter.
  • Daniel Welch's 65-yard fumble return to the DSU 4-yard line jumped started FIT's second scoring drive. On 3rd-and-Goal, Sekai Lindsay rushed for a 3-yard score to put FIT up 13-0 . The extra point attempt was blocked.
  • Chris Robinson's 11th touchdown run of the season capped a 13 play, 50-yard drive with a 4-yard run off the left side. The scoring drive cut FIT's lead to 13-7 with 7:55 to go in the half.
  • Robinson's 18-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the quarter, put the Statesmen up 14-13 on the Panthers with 4:00 remaining in the half. The drive, set up by Wilson's 71-yard interception return, covered 29 yards on seven plays in 2:53.
  • After the Statesmen defense forced a quick three-and-out for FIT, Breck Ruddick hit Mario Lanier in stride for a 77-yard touchdown with 1:53 to go in the half to extend DSU's lead to 21-13. Ruddick's scoring strike was the longest of the season.
  • Delta State marched 67 yards on nine plays in 3:27, as Robinson scored his third touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run up the middle. His 13th rushing touchdown of the season put the Statesmen up 28-13.
  • The ground game continued to pound away late in the third, as Robinson rumbled 27 yards for his fourth touchdown of the game to extend DSU's advantage to 35-13 with 35 seconds to play in the quarter.
  • With 6:28 to play in the game, Cato hooked up with Demetrius Frazier on a 9-yard touchdown pass, cutting Delta State's lead to 35-20. FIT's drive covered 61 yards on 10 plays in 3:49 and was the first sustained drive of the second half for the Panthers.
  • DSU slammed the door on the Panthers with 1:41 to play, as Breck Ruddick bootlegged to left for a 4-yard touchdown. The scoring strike extended DSU's lead to 42-20.                                                                

Offensive Notables:
  • Delta State finished the game with 418 yards of total offense after racking up 302 yards rushing on 54 carries. The Statesmen also passed for 116 yards, as Breack Ruddick completed 9-of-14 attempts with a touchdown and an interception.
  • Robinson finished the day with a career-high 210 yards on 28 carries with four touchdowns. The senior from Bude, Miss., topped 2,000 career yards rushing in the win, amassing 2,055 on 400 carries with 33 rushing touchdowns. He moved past David Yeates (1,896) into eighth place on the career list at Delta State. His 1,079 yards are 11th on the single season rushing list and he is the first Statesmen to top 1,000 in a season since Trevar Deed in 2011.  
  • LaDarion Peterson added 50 yards rushing on 13 carries.
  • Mario Lanier caught the longest pass from scrimmage this season, hauling in a 71-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
  • Kam Myers, a senior from Charleston, led the Statesmen with four receptions.
  • FIT's Mark Cato closed his career by completing 18-of-35 passes for 223 yards with a pair of interceptions and one touchdown.
  • Antwuan Haynes, who entered the weekend leading the GSC in rushing, ran for 53 yards on 19 carries.
  • Demetrius Frazier led all receivers and the Panthers with six receptions for 82 yards and a score.     
 
Defensive Notables:
  • After allowing a quick 13-0 lead to the Panthers, the Statesmen defense clamped down on Florida Tech for the remainder of the game. FIT ran 77 plays to finish with 288 yards of total offense.
  • Saturday's game marked the 11th consecutive contest that DSU held an opponent to under 450 yards of total offense and 35 points.
  • David Herrington recorded a career best 10.5 tackles with 4.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles-for-loss.
  • Brandon Tillman totaled 8.5 tackles, while Landry Tullo had eight stops.
  • Keith Flanigan intercepted a pass and finished with 5.5 tackles, including 1.0 tackles-for-loss in the win.
  • Tramond Lofton tallied 2.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles-for-loss, while Brandon Gaddy had 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
  • Devontae Wilson intercepted his third pass of the season, ripping a would-be touchdown away from FIT's Buck Watkins and returning it 71 yards to the Panthers' 29-yard line.
  • FIT's Evan Thompson led all defenders with 12 tackles and Adonis Davis finished with 9.0 tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss.     
 
Special Teams:
  • Sciorrotta moved into second place on the GSC's career scoring list with 323 points after connecting on all six of his extra point attempts. The senior from Gainesville, Ga., broke former Valdosta State kicker Will Rhody's mark of 308 points, who established the previous record from 2002-2004.
  • Sam Barge punted seven times for an average of 35.4 yards per attempt.
  
Up Next:
 
  • The Statesmen will learn their postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. on the NCAA Division II Football Championship Playoff Selection Show. Fans may access the show at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/football/d2.
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