GAME NOTES: Delta State @ No. 10 Valdosta State
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (0-5, 0-3 GSC) of Delta State University will face their fourth ranked opponent of the season on Saturday, Oct. 6, as the Green-and-White travel to Valdosta, Ga., to play No. 10 Valdosta State University (5-0, 3-0 GSC). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EST/Noon CST at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. Valdosta State's offense enters Saturday's game with the top scoring offense in all of NCAA Division II (54.6 ppg) and the Gulf South Conference's top total offense, averaging 541.4 yards per game. VSU amassed 614 yards of offense in last week's 63-42 win at MC, including 319 rushing and 295 passing. After leading 21-6 at halftime, Delta State dropped a 30-21 decision to No. 11 West Florida last Saturday. The Statesmen amassed 384 yards of total offense, including 219 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns by Patrick Shegog.     

Delta State and No. 10 Valdosta State are meeting for 38th time in the series on Saturday, Oct. 6 in Valdosta, Ga., at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The Statesmen lead the series 20-16-1, but the Blazers have held the recent advantage, winning the last three meetings between the two schools. In last season's class, VSU claimed a 34-13 victory at Parker Field-McCool Stadium.
 
The Statesmen have gotten off to an uncharacteristically slow start at 0-5 this season. In the 84-year history of the program, Delta State has gone 0-5 to start a campaign only four times, including the 1997 club that got off to the worst start in school history at 0-7 under Todd Knight before winning its last three games. Knight's 1998 squad would go on to win the program's first Gulf South Conference title. In 1958 with coach Gene Chadwick at the helm, DSU went 0-6 to start the year and in 1926 under coach W.J. Parks, the Statesmen lost their first five contests before defeating the Cleveland Independents, 6-0.


BEHIND ENEMY LINES: VALDOSTA STATE

• Delta State and No. 10 Valdosta State are meeting for 38th time in the series on Saturday, Oct. 6 in Valdosta, Ga., at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The Statesmen lead the series 20-16-1, but the Blazers have held the recent advantage, winning the last meetings between the two schools. VSU claimed a 34-13 victory over DSU in last year's match-up at Parker-McCool.
   
• Valdosta State enters Saturday's game with the Gulf South Conference's top ranked scoring (54.6) and total offense (541.8). The Blazers are also tied with West Georgia for league lead in scoring defense (17.2) and rank second in total defense (306.2).
   
• Jamar Thompkins is one of two runnings backs in the GSC averaging more than 100 yards per game. The redshirt freshman from Miami, Fla., is averaging 109.0 yards per game after rushing for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just eight carries in last week's 63-42 win at Mississippi College.
   
• Three-time and reigning GSC Offensive Player of the Week Rogan Wells has been nearly unstoppable at quarterback this season for the Blazers. The sophomore from Fort Mills, S.C., has completed 82-of-144 passes for 1,231 yards with 19 TDs and three interceptions. He tossed six TDs and threw for 295 yards in last week's win at Mississippi College.
   
• The Blazers vaunted defense has been wreaking havoc on opposing backfields this season, recording 20 sacks through the first five games. Iseoluwapo Jegede leads VSU with 3.5 sacks and is currently tied for third in the GSC.             

INSIDE THE HUDDLE: DELTA STATE

• AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: The Statesmen are set to face their fourth ranked opponent of 2018 this Saturday, Oct. 6, as Delta State travels to No. 10 Valdosta State University. DSU is 0-3 this season against ranked opponents after losses to No. 3 Grand Valley State (21-10), No. 11 West Florida (30-21) and No. 21 Tarleton State (44-13). The Statesmen are still scheduled to face No. 5 West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 3. The Statesmen and 11-10 all-time under coach Todd Cooley against teams in the nation's top 25.
   
• McDONALD & HERRINGTON HAVE BREAKOUT PERFORMANCES VERSUS NO. 11 UWF: Junior tight end Jake McDonald had a career-high seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown in last week's game versus No. 11 West Florida. The New Albany, Miss., native and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC transfer put the Statesmen up 7-0 with a 42-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter. He is second on the team with 16 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown this season. Senior linebacker David Herrington recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and three pass breakups versus the Argos. The Senatobia, Miss., native is second on the team with  33 tackles, ranking fourth in the GSC.
      
• CLEDANORD LEADING WAY ON DEFENSE: Senior outside linebacker Ovenson Cledanord enters Saturday's game versus No. 10 Valdosta State second in the Gulf South Conference in tackles with 46 (9.2 tpg) and fifth in sacks (2.5). The 6-foot-2 senior from Greenacres, Fla., finished last week's game with UWF with six tackles and a forced fumble. He turned in a season-high 13 stops, including one tackle-for-loss and one sack, in a 21-10 loss to No. 8 Grand Valley State earlier this season, while recording 12 tackles and a TFL versus North Greenville. Cledanord finished 2017 ranked in the GSC's top five in tackles (85), tackles-for-loss (13.0/71 yards) and sacks (7.5/50 yards).
   
• SHEGOG CONTINUES GROWING AT QB: Patrick Shegog, a 5-foot-11 freshman from Batesville, Miss., continues to grow into his role as Delta State's starting quarterback. A week after setting career-highs for completions (23), attempts (44) and passing yards (295) versus North Greenville, the former South Panola High star completed 16-of-26 passes for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns versus No. 11 West Florida. He also ran for 64 yards on 15 carries. Saturday's outing versus UWF was his first career multiple touchdown performance and his second-straight over 200 yards passing. Shegog has completed 73-of-142 passes for 785 yards with three touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also rushed 77 times for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
   
• ECTOR APPROACHING MILESTONE: Outside linebacker Chandler Ector needs two tackles to eclipse 200 in his career at Delta State. The Decatur, Ga., native enters the week with 198 career stops, 24.5 tackles-for-loss and 7.0 sacks in 36 games. He's averaged 5.5 tackles per game during his career. He is currently third on the team this season with 29 tackles, including 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.
   
• MILLS PACING GSC PACK: Senior punter Cody Mills has been a major weapon for the Statesmen this season, nailing a GSC leading 1,716 yards on 37 kicks. The Oxford, Miss., native is averaging 46.4 yards per punt, including 16 kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. He's also booted 13 punts greater than 50 yards, including the fourth longest punt in school history, a 76-yard effort at Tarleton State. In last week's matchup with No. 11 West Florida, Mills averaged 49.1 yards per punt, including a long of 65 yards.
   
• KING CLIMBING STAT RANKINGS: Junior middle linebacker Vada King is currently tied for third in the GSC in tackles-for-loss with 5.5 for minus 11 yards. The Smiths Station, Ala., native has played in all five games for DSU, recording 23 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and six QB hurries.
   
• PICKETT POUNCING: One week after recording his first career interception versus North Greenville, sophomore defensive back Chris Pickett enters Saturday's game at No. 10 Valdosta State ranked third in the GSC in passes defended with five (1.0 pg). The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native also recorded a career-high seven tackles against the Crusaders, while turning in six tackles and a career-high four passes defended.
     
• ON THE BIG SCREEN: Delta State will appear three times this season on ESPN3 in the GSC-TV Game of the Week, presented by Florida's Space Coast. The Statesmen fell to Florida Tech, 30-12, in their first appearance on ESPN3 this year. DSU will also appear on ESPN3 at No. 8 West Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 13 and again versus Shorter on Thursday, Oct. 25 at Parker-McCool. The Statesmen are 22-12 all-time in televised contests, including a 11-5 mark under coach Cooley.
            
• WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: Delta State is 25-2 under head coach Todd Cooley when winning the turnover battle.
       
• RACE TO 30: The Statesmen are 31-5 all-time when scoring 30 or more points against an opponent under head coach Todd Cooley.
   
• CRADLE OF COACHES: Delta State University has more than 300 alumni coaching football at every level of the game? In fact, Cleveland has become a "Cradle of Coaches" as several high-profile jobs have been filled recently by Statesman alums or former assistants. This summer former Delta State standout Pete Golding was hired by Nick Saban as his co-DC at the University of Alabama. From 2002-2005, Golding anchored the Statesman secondary, racking-up 285 tackles with five career interceptions. The two-time All-Gulf South Conference selection ranks fourth in school history in career tackles. He began his career as a graduate assistant under former head coach Rick Rhoades and thrived as DC for four-time GSC champion head coach Ron Roberts at DSU and SE Louisiana before heading to UT-San Antonio.