GAME 1: DELTA STATE @ TARLETON STATE
Complete game notes, roster, depth chart & more in PDF

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (0-0, 0-0 GSC) of Delta State University travel to Stephenville, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 30 to face the Texans (0-0, 0-0 LSC) of Tarleton State University in the season-opener for both schools. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Thursday's meeting marks the fourth time the two schools have met on the gridiron, with the Statesmen owning a 3-0 record versus TSU. In last year's matchup with the Texans, Delta State built a 20-3 first half lead and cruised to a 34-16 victory. Back in 2013 in just his second home game as head coach, Todd Cooley directed the Statesmen to a thrilling 38-36 come-from-behind win over TSU.    
 
Delta State is picked to finish fourth in the 2018 Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Statesmen received 41 poll points, while West Alabama (62) is picked to repeat as league champions. West Florida, coming off an NCAA national runner-up finish in 2017, is picked second followed by West Georgia (44), DSU, Valdosta State (38), Florida Tech (32), North Greenville (24), Mississippi College (16) and Shorter (8).

Junior offensive lineman Innis Claud, senior defensive end Tramond Lofton and senior linebacker Ovenson Cledanord were named to the Preseason All-GSC team by a vote of the league's head coaches. Claud played in nine games, all starts on the offensive line at guard in 2017, garnering First-Team All-GSC honors. Cledanord was a First-Team All-GSC selection at linebacker, finishing second on the team with 85 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. The Greenacres, Fla., native led the Statesmen with 7.5 sacks and four fumbles forced with one interception. Lofton missed the first three games of the season before playing the final nine games in 2017. The Waynesboro, Miss., native had 38 tackles, including four sacks and nine stops behind the line.
 
As the 2018 campaign gets underway this week at Tarleton State, Todd Cooley enters his sixth year as head coach at Delta State. The Nashville, Ark., native has guided the Statesmen to a 35-20 record during his tenure, including a share of the 2014 Gulf South Conference championship and two appearances in the NCAA Division II Football Championship Playoff. In 2017, Cooley led the Statesmen to a 9-4 overall record and a second round appearance in the NCAA DII playoffs. Off the field, Delta State has produced record numbers of academic honorees during Cooley's time at DSU, including 52 graduates. 

FACE THE FOE: TARLETON STATE
• Delta State and Tarleton State are meeting for the fourth time in the history of the series and the second at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, with DSU leading the series 3-0. In DSU's last visit to TSU, the Statesmen claimed a 38-35 come-from-behind victory on Matt Dean's game-winning field goal.
• Tarleton State is picked to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll at the LSC Football Media Day at the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio. The Texans received 130 votes from the media, head coaches, and sports information directors in the conference. The Texans are coming off a 6-6 season in 2017 where they went 4-4 in the LSC and were selected to play in the Corsicana Bowl, the fifth bowl game in school history. Head coach Todd Whitten is returning 40 lettermen from last year's roster, including seven offensive starters and six defensive starters.
• Tyrell Thompson, a 6-foot-4 senior defensive lineman, returns to Tarleton State after leading the Texans with 4.5 sacks in 2017.
• Xavier Turner, a 5-foot-10 senior running back, accounted for 942 yards and 13 touchdowns, including 11 rushing scores.
• Todd Whitten is 81-63 all-time in his collegiate coaching career, including a 56-35 record at Tarleton State.

SEASON-OPENERS UNDER COOLEY: Delta State University opens the 2018 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 30 in Stephenville, Texas at Tarleton State University. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. The Statesmen are 5-0 under head coach Todd Cooley in season-openers, including a 34-16 victory over Tarleton State last year.  

STATESMEN PICKED FOURTH IN GULF SOUTH PRESEASON COACHES POLL: Delta State University is picked to finish fourth in the 2018 Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Statesmen received 41 poll points, while West Alabama (62) is picked to repeat as league champions. West Florida, coming off an NCAA national runner-up finish in 2017, is picked second followed by West Georgia (44), DSU, Valdosta State (38), Florida Tech (32), North Greenville (24), Mississippi College (16) and Shorter (8).

DELTA STATE PLACES THREE ON ALL-GSC PRESEASON TEAM: Junior offensive lineman Innis Claud, senior defensive end Tramond Lofton and senior linebacker Ovenson Cledanord were all named to the Preseason All-GSC team by a vote of the league's head coaches. Claud played in all 13 games with 11 starts on the offensive line at guard in 2017, garnering First-Team All-GSC honors. Cledanord was a First-Team All-GSC selection at linebacker, finishing second on the team with 85 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. The Decatur, Ga., native led the Statesmen with 7.5 sacks and four fumbles forced with one interception. Lofton missed the first three games of the season before playing the final nine games in 2017. The Waynesboro, Miss., native had 38 tackles, including four sacks and nine stops behind the line.
 
FOUR SELECTED TO GSC TOP NEWCOMERS LIST: Newcomers Donovan Carter (Sr., OL, McNeese State), Vada King (Jr., LB, Holmes Community College), Brandon Rodgers (Jr., WR, East Mississippi Community College), and Isaac Warren (Jr., DB, Northwestern State University) were named to the GSC's Top Newcomers' List. All four are expected to be major contributors in 2018 for the Statesmen.

STATESMEN LOOKING TO BUILD ON 2017 RUSHING NUMBERS: Led by two-time All-American running back Chris Robinson, Delta State finished last season as the GSC's top rushing offense at 228.7 yards per game. As the 2018 campaign begins, offensive coordinator Joel Williams is looking to build upon last season's successes. Senior quarterback Breck Ruddick, who ranked fourth in the GSC in rushing yards per game in 2017, returns to anchor the offensive attack. A trio of new running backs will be competing to replace Robinson's production as well.

RUDDICK READY TO LEAD STATESMEN OFFENSE: A year removed from starting 11 games for the Statesmen, senior Breck Ruddick seems poised to have a breakout campaign for Delta State as one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks. The Marion, Ark., native had a solid year in 2017, leading DSU to a 9-4 record and a second round appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The speedy quarterback rushed for 778 yards and seven touchdowns, while passing for 1,422 yards and 10 touchdowns.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER AT LINEBACKER: One of the most solidified positions on  defensive coordinator Jerry Partridge's depth chart this fall is at linebacker, where DSU returns three starters. Ovenson Cledanord, who was named to the All-GSC and All-Super Region II teams in 2017 at outside linebacker, closed last year with 85 tackles, 13.0 tackles-for-loss and 7.5 sacks. David Herrington anchored the outside linebacker spot, where he totaled 42 stops with 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. Chandler Ector, a three-year starter at middle linebacker, had a another banner year with 84 tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks.

GROUND & POUND: The Statesmen have been nearly unbeatable when out-rushing the opposition, posting a 26-2 record under head coach Todd Cooley. Delta State went 9-1 in 2017 when out-rushing its opponents.

LEADING AT THE HALF: Delta State is 28-0 under head coach Todd Cooley when leading at half-time. The Statesmen are 4-16 when trailing and 0-2 when tied at the half.
        
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: Delta State is 25-2 under head coach Todd Cooley when winning the turnover battle, including a 7-0 mark during the 2017 season.     

RACE TO 30: The Statesmen are 31-5 all-time when scoring 30 or more points against an opponent under head coach Todd Cooley.

EYSTER, BANKSTON TO BE INDUCTED INTO DELTA STATE HALL OF FAME: Record-setting quarterback Scott Eyster (2003-2006) and former standout running back Londale Bankston (1986-1988) are among the 11 inductees to the 2018 class of the Delta State Athletics Hall of Fame. Eyster, a three-time All-American and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist, finished his career at Delta State as the GSC's all-time leader in passing yards (13,889), passing touchdowns (116) and total offense (14,342). Bankston ranks third on the career rushing yards list with 3,180, including a personal best 1,120 as a junior in 1987.

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-defensive coordinator 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 defensive coordinator for four-time GSC champion head coach Ron Roberts at DSU and SE Louisiana before heading to Texas-San Antonio.