GAME NOTES: West Alabama @ Delta State (10.19.19)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (3-3, 2-2 GSC) of Delta State University welcome their longest running rival to Parker Field-McCool Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, as the Tigers (4-2, 1-2 GSC) of the University of West Alabama travel to Cleveland for the GSC-TV Live Game of the Week. Kickoff is set for 6:05 PM. Don Russel (PxP) and former DSU head coach Rick Rhoades (Color) will have the call on ESPN+. Matt Jones, Philip Tang and Lane Quinton will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network (WMJW 107.5 FM) and online at GoStatesmen.com.

While their have been several team gatherings during his tenure, coach Todd Cooley and his staff are hosting their first program-wide #DSUFamily Reunion this Saturday at Parker-McCool. Football alumni from every era have been invited back to campus for the event that includes a team meeting, tour of the facilities, tailgating at Statesmen Park and a special on-field recognition. For more information, please visit GoStatesmen.com.     

Delta State and West Alabama are meeting for the 66th time on the gridiron, in a series that dates back to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 20, 1940 in Cleveland. In fact, the two teams have met every year since 1968 and both are charter members of the Gulf South Conference (1972). The Statesmen hold a 35-27-3 edge in the series standings, including a 24-11-1 margin in Cleveland. The Tigers have won five straight in the series and seven of the last 10 meetings, including a 17-14 victory on Oct. 13, 2018 at Tigers Stadium in Livingston.      

Despite Breck Ruddick's 293 yards of total offense, including a season-high 123 yards rushing, the Statesmen (3-3, 2-2 GSC) fell, 34-13, to No. 1 ranked Valdosta State (6-0, 4-0 GSC) on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. The Blazers rushed for a season-high 358 yards in the win, including 104 by Rogan Wells and 103 from Seth McGill. Wells also completed 16-of-24 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, but did throw his 1st interception of the season to Tim Irvin in the win. DSU freshman tight end Cam Shelton caught a career-high eight passes for 70 yards.

The Tigers (4-2, 1-2 GSC) earned their first Gulf South Conference victory of the year last week, smashing Shorter (0-6, 0-4 GSC), 41-0, on Homecoming at Tigers Stadium. West Alabama rolled up 555 yards of total offense while holding Shorter to 279. Jack McDaniels completed 25-of-33 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Bayley Blanchard led the UWA receivers with seven receptions for 109 yards and a score. James Smith had 10 carries for 150 yards rushing as well.

Delta State will appear for the final time this season on ESPN3 or ESPN+ in the GSC-TV Game of the Week, this Saturday, Oct. 19 versus West Alabama. DSU's previously televised contests included Florida Tech on Saturday, Sept. 21 and a non-conference match-up at Grand Valley State on Sept. 14.  The Statesmen are 25-15 all-time on TV, including a 14-7 record under coach Cooley.


SERIES NOTEBOOK: WEST ALABAMA
• Delta State and West Alabama are meeting for the 66th time on the gridiron this Saturday, Oct. 19 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. The Statesmen hold a 35-27-3 edge in the series standings, including a 24-11-1 margin in Cleveland. The Tigers have won five straight in the series and seven of the last 10 meetings, including a 17-14 victory on Oct. 13, 2018 at Tigers Stadium in Livingston.   

• The Tigers (4-2, 1-2 GSC) earned their first Gulf South Conference victory of the year last week, smashing Shorter (0-6, 0-4 GSC), 41-0, on Homecoming at Tigers Stadium. West Alabama rolled up 555 yards of total offense while holding Shorter to 279. Jack McDaniels completed 25-of-33 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Bayley Blanchard led the UWA receivers with seven receptions for 109 yards and a score. James Smith had 10 carries for 150 yards rushing as well.

• Senior tight end Qua Boyd moved to 5th on the UWA all-time receptions list last week. The two-time All-American has 118 receptions for 1,446 yards.

• West Alabama enters Saturday's game averaging 35.7 points and 430.0 yards of total offense while surrendering 20.2 points and 363.0 yards.

• Junior quarterback Jack McDaniels is 2nd in the GSC in passing yards per (246.5) while leading the league with 1,479 yards.

• Former Peidmont HS star Bayley Blanchard (6-1, 197) enters the week leading the GSC with 27 receptions for 409 yards and four touchdowns.

• Jeremiah Boyd, a 6-1 junior defensive back, leads the Tigers & ranks 4th in the GSC with 43 tackles (7.2 TPG).


TOP-RANKED BLAZERS SLIDE PAST DSU 34-13: Despite Breck Ruddick's 293 yards of total offense, including a season-high 123 yards rushing, the Statesmen (3-3, 2-2 GSC) fell, 34-13, to No. 1 ranked Valdosta State (6-0, 4-0 GSC) on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. The Blazers rushed for a season-high 358 yards in the win, including 104 by Rogan Wells and 103 from Seth McGill. Wells also completed 16-of-24 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, but did throw his 1st interception of the season to Tim Irvin in the win. DSU freshman tight end Cam Shelton caught a career-high eight passes for 70 yards.

ON THE BIG SCREEN: Delta State will appear for the final time this season on ESPN3 or ESPN+ in the GSC-TV Game of the Week, this Saturday, Oct. 19 versus West Alabama. DSU's previously televised contests included Florida Tech on Saturday, Sept. 21 and a non-conference match-up at Grand Valley State on Sept. 14.  The Statesmen are 25-15 all-time on TV, including a 14-7 record under coach Cooley.

KING ON HIS THRONE: Senior linebacker Vada King continues to lead the Statesmen defense, ranking 2nd in the GSC in tackles (51) entering week seven of the campaign. He totaled 6.5 tackles and 1.0 TFLs last week versus Valdosta State. King posted back-to-back 13 tackle performances against Tusculum and No. 9 Grand Valley State earlier this year. The Smiths Station, Ala., native, also eclipsed the 100-career tackles plateau at West Florida and is currently 2nd in the GSC in tackles (51) and tackles-for-loss (8.5).

HAWKING THE BALL: Junior Faulk has had a phenomenal start to the season, intercepting four passes and defending 12 in DSU's first six games. The Jayess, Miss., native, leads the GSC in interceptions and passes defended while totaling 25 tackles for the Statesmen in six starts at corner.

RUNNING PAST THE OPPOSITION: The Statesmen enter this week's game versus West Alabama averaging 189.3 yards rushing per game, which ranks 3rd in the GSC. Delta State has topped 200 yards rushing for 3-of-6 games this season, including a season-high 255 yards versus Florida Tech. The Statesmen rushed for 230 yards at Grand Valley State and 224 yards at North Greenville.

RUDDICK TOPS 3,000 YARDS: Senior Breck Ruddick has been solid since taking over the quarterbacking duties, completing 74-of-101 passes for 606 yards with a pair of touchdowns and three interceptions. The Marion, Ark., native, topped 2,000 career passing yards at West Florida and eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards last week versus No. 1 Valdosta State. In 20 games, Ruddick has completed 251-of-438 passes for 2,217 yards while rushing 219 times for 1,042 yards. He joined an exclusive club of former DSU quarterback's with at least 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing with his 170 yards passing and 123 yards rushing versus the Blazers. Josh Bright (1998-2001) totaled 4,027 yards passing and 2.336 yards rushing during his illustrious DSU career.

STINGY AGAINST THE RUN: Delta State is allowing just 139.0 yards rushing a game to rank 2nd the GSC. The Statesmen have held 4-of-6 opponents under 150 yards, with Florida Tech's 42 yards rushing a season-low. Grand Valley State entered the game on Sept. 14 averaging 319.0 yards rushing but was held to a mere 76 yards on 30 carries. North Greenville tallied 100 yards on 37 carries, a 2.7 yards per carry average. West Florida rushed for 177 yards while Valdosta State rushed for 358 yards in last week's matchup.    

FEROCIOUS DEFENSIVE FRONT: The Statesman defensive front has been filthy through the first six games, racking up a conference-leading 18 sacks (91 yards) and 49 tackles-for-loss (212 yards).  Vada King (2nd/8.5), Zane Samuel (4th/8.0), Marvin Terry  (4th/7.0) and Eric Sadler (4th/7.0) all rank in the top 10 in the GSC in TFLs. Sadler Terry, & Samuel are 4th, 5th & 7th as well in sacks.
    
CRABTREE HAVING SPECIAL SENIOR CAMPAIGN: Taylor Crabtree has made a league-best 12-of-16 field goals and 11-of-11 PATs this season for the Statesmen. His 2.0 FGs per game average ranks 5th in NCAA DII while he ranks 3rd in the GSC in scoring at 8.0 points per game. The Pascagoula, Miss., native was named GSC Special Teams Player of the Week after outstanding performances versus Florida Tech, where he tied the GSC record for FGs in a game (5-of-5), and North Greenville (2-of-2 FG).

SHELTON HAS CAREER NIGHT: Cameron Shelton, a freshman tight end from Milton, Fla., turned in a career-high eight receptions for 70 yards versus No. 1 Valdosta State on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium.

THUNDER & LIGHTNING: Deion Dampier, a junior from Pinola, Miss., and Rico Owens, II, a junior from Greenwood, have combined to give the Statesmen a dramatic 1-2 punch at running back. Dampier enters the week ranked 4th in the GSC at 66.2 yards rushing per game while Owens is 11th (49.2).    

NEGATIVE PLAYS: Under new defensive coordinator Kelvin Green, the Statesmen have been relentless in their pursuit of the opposing quarterback, racking up a league-leading 18.0 sacks for 91 yards through their first six games. DSU has also recorded 49 tackles-for-loss, accounting for 212 negative yards.

HAWKINS EMERGING AS TOP TARGET: Junior wide receiver L.J. Hawkins has caught 18 passes for 188 yards and a TD in his last three games, including a career-high eight passes for 76 yards and a 9-yard touchdown in DSU's 34-9 win at North Greenville. The Water Valley, Miss., native, hauled in a team-high seven passes for 56 yards at West Florida. His 22 grabs are tied for 5th most in the GSC.  

100-CAREER TACKLES CHART: Junior linebacker Dante Williams eclipsed the 100 tackles plateau with 8.0 tackles and 1.0 TFL at West Florida. The Bossier City, La., native, has recorded 106 tackles and 9.0 tackles-for-loss in 29 career games.    

CRADLE OF COACHES: Delta State 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. A list of head coaches, coordinators and key coaches is below. This past summer, former All-GSC safety Pete Golding, who also served DSU as DC under Ron Roberts, was named defensive coordinator at the University of Alabama for Nick Saban.
   

COACH	SCHOOL	POSITION
Steve Campbell	South Alabama	Head Coach
Mark Hudspeth	Austin Peay	Head Coach
Mike Bloomgren	Rice	Head Coach
Jay Hopson	Southern Miss	Head Coach
Ron Roberts	Louisiana	Defensive Coordinator
Pete Golding	Alabama	Defensive Coordinator
Dave Aranda	Louisiana State	Defensive Coordinator
Brian Brown	Louisville	Defensive Coordinator
Jerry Mack	Rice	Offensive Coordinator
Greg Stewart	South Alabama	Defensive Coordinator
Tim Edwards	Memphis	Defensive Line
Reed Stringer	Southern Miss	Tight Ends
Mike Kershaw	Rice	Wide Receivers
Karl Scott	Alabama	Cornerbacks
Chad Huff	South Alabama	Tight Ends

COOLEY COLLECTS 40TH CAREER VICTORY: Delta State head coach Todd Cooley became the fourth coach in the program's 90-year history to record 40 victories when he led the Statesmen to a 34-9 win at North Greenville on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Younts Stadium in Tigerville, S.C. The Nashville, Ark., native has led the Statesmen to two NCAA postseason appearances and a share of the 2014 Gulf South Conference championship during his seven seasons as head coach. He trails Horace McCool (76), Gene Chadwick, and Ron Roberts (47) in career wins while only Roberts (2007, 2008, 2010, & 2011) and Cooley (2014) have led the Statesmen to a league title.
 

COACH (Minimum 15 Wins)	YEARS	RECORD
Horace McCool	14	76-48-3
Gene Chadwick	13	67-46-1
Ron Roberts	5	47-16
Todd Cooley	7	40-31
Rick Rhoades	4	38-20
Jim "Red" Parker	6	34-26-4
Todd Knight	6	28-32-2
Steve Campbell	3	27-8-0
Herman Zimonski	7	27-30-5
Robert McGraw	4	22-19-1
Don Skelton	5	21-27-3
A.D. Dickson	6	16-38-3

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: The Statesmen faced their third ranked opponent of the year in top-ranked Valdosta State on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Parker-McCool, falling 34-13. DSU fell 28-24 at No. 10 Grand Valley State, and, 48-3 to No.  25 West Florida. Delta State is 11-15 against ranked opponents under coach Todd Cooley.