GAME NOTES: Delta State (3-1, 2-0 GSC) @ West Florida (3-1, 2-0 GSC)
Complete weekly release with notes, rankings, stats & more in PDF format

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (3-1, 2-0 GSC) of Delta State University face their second-straight Gulf South Conference road test on Saturday, Oct. 5 versus the Argonauts (3-1, 2-0 GSC) of the University of West Florida. Kickoff is set for 6 PM at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola. UWF will be observing Homecoming as part of the game's events. 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.

Delta State and West Florida are meeting for the 4th time on the gridiron this Saturday, Oct. 5 in Pensacola, Fla., at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Statesmen hold a 2-1 edge in the series standings, including a 28-25 victory in their last trip to Pensacola on Oct. 14, 2017. The Argonauts defeated DSU, 30-21, in the last meeting between the schools on Sept. 29, 2018 in Cleveland.  

Behind a dominating defensive performance that allowed only one score and a season-low 179 yards of total offense, Delta State (3-1, 2-0 GSC) throttled North Greenville, 34-9, at Younts Stadium. Rico Owens rushed for a career-high 99 yards and two TDs, including a back-breaking 73-yard touchdown in the decisive 3rd quarter. Breck Ruddick completed 23-of-30 passes for 198 yards and accounted for two TDs while L.J. Hawkins caught a career-best eight passes for 76 yards and a TD. The Statesmen defense also totaled 4.5 sacks and 12.5 TFLs. The Crusaders rolled up 83-yards and a touchdown on their first possession, but managed just 96 more over the remaining 52:43 of the game.

The Argonauts (3-1, 2-0 GSC) remained perfect in Gulf South Conference play, edging Mississippi College (2-2, 1-1 GSC), 27-21, in overtime at Blue Wahoos Stadium last Saturday. Austin Reed's 18-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Grant in overtime sealed the win for UWF. The Argonauts out-gained the Choctaws 392 to 227.

SERIES NOTEBOOK: WEST FLORIDA
• Delta State and West Florida are meeting for the 3rd time on the gridiron this Saturday, Oct. 5 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Statesmen hold a 2-1 edge in the series standings, including a 28-25 victory in their last trip to Pensacola, Fla.,  on  Oct. 14, 2017. The Argonauts defeated DSU, 30-21, in the last meeting between the schools on Sept. 29, 2018 in Cleveland.
• The Argonauts (3-1, 2-0 GSC) remained perfect in Gulf South Conference play, edging Mississippi College (2-2, 1-1 GSC), 27-21, in overtime at Blue Wahoos Stadium last Saturday. Austin Reed's 18-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Grant in overtime sealed the win for UWF. The Argonauts out-gained the Choctaws 392 to 227, including 100 yards rushing and a touchdown from Jervon Newton.
• West Florida enters Saturday's game with Delta State ranked No. 2 in the GSC in total offense (445.8), scoring offense (37.8), and total defense (272.5). The Argonauts are No. 1 in the GSC in scoring defense, allowing just 13.8 points per game.
• Austin Reed, a 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman quarterback, leads the GSC in passing, averaging 257.0 yards per game. The St. Augustine, Fla., native, has completed 71-of-116 passes for 1,028 yards with 10 TDs and three INTs.
• The trio of Quentin Rudolph (13), Tate Lehtio (16) and Rodney Coates (16) has combined to catch 45 passes for 676 yards and 4 TDs.
• Freshman linebacker Gael Laurent comes into Saturday's contest ranked 3rd in the GSC in TFLs (5.0) and 8th in sacks (1.5).



STATESMEN THROTTLE CRUSADERS: Behind a dominating defensive performance that allowed only one score and a season-low 179 yards of total offense, Delta State (3-1, 2-0 GSC) throttled North Greenville, 34-9, at Younts Stadium. Rico Owens rushed for a career-high 99 yards and two TDs, including a back-breaking 73-yard touchdown in the decisive 3rd quarter. Breck Ruddick completed 23-of-30 passes for 198 yards and accounted for two TDs while L.J. Hawkins caught a career-best eight passes for 76 yards and a TD. The Statesmen defense also totaled 4.5 sacks and 12.5 TFLs. The Crusaders rolled up 83-yards and a TD on their first possession, but totaled just 96 more over the remainder of the game.  

STINGY AGAINST THE RUN: Delta State is allowing just 74.8 yards rushing a game to lead the GSC and rank 12th in NCAA DII. The Statesmen have held 3-of-4 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.   
   
RUNNING PAST THE OPPOSITION: The Statesmen enter this week's game at West Florida averaging 209.8 yards rushing per game, which ranks 2nd in the GSC. Delta State topped 200 yards rushing for a third-straight week after totaling 224 yards in a crushing 34-9 victory at North Greenville. The Statesmen rushed for a season-high 255 yards versus Florida Tech and 230 yards at No. 10 Grand Valley.

RUDDICK SOLID IN FIRST START: Senior Breck Ruddick shined in his first start of 2019, completing 23-of-30 passes for 198 yards with a TD and an INT. The Marion, Ark., native, also rushed for 27 yards and a TD. Ruddick is 35-of-53 passing for 331 yards and a pair of TDs this year. The three-year letterman has completed 212-of-373 passes for 1,942 yards and 12 TDs while rushing for 871 yards and eight TDs. He is now 10-5 as a starter at DSU.

BALL HAWKS: Delta State has picked-off six passes, including Tim Irvin's first career pickoff last week at North Greenville.  Junior Faulk leads the GSC in interceptions with three while Jakwon Lipscomb, R.J. Jarrett, and Irvin have one each.

CRABTREE HAVING SPECIAL SENIOR CAMPAIGN: Taylor Crabtree was named GSC Special Teams Player of the Week for a 2nd-straight week after making 2-of-2 FGs and 4-of-4 PATs in DSU's 34-9 win at North Greenville. The Pascagoula, Miss., native has made a league-best 9-of-12 field goals and 11-of-11 PATs. His 2.25 FGs per game average ranks 2nd in NCAA DII while leading the GSC in scoring at 9.5 points per game. He tied the school and GSC record with five FGs versus Florida Tech on Sept. 21, 2019.
        
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 2nd in the GSC at 89.0 yards rushing per game while Owens is 4th (57.8). The former Copiah-Lincoln CC transfers combined for 175 yards an d a pair of TDs in last week's 34-9 throttling of North Greenville. Owens rushed for a career-high 99 yards and two TDs, including a back-breaking 73-yard touchdown in the decisive 3rd quarter.  

STILL ON HIS THRONE: Senior linebacker Vada King is leading the GSC in tackles (37) entering week five of the campaign. He totaled 5.0 tackles and 1.5 TFLs last week at North Greenville. King posted back-to-back 13 tackle performances against Tusculum and No. 9 Grand Valley State. The Smiths Station, Ala., native, is tops in the GSC in tackles (33) while ranking 2nd in  tackles-for-loss (7.0).

FEROCIOUS DEFENSIVE FRONT: The Statesman defensive front has been filthy through the first four games, racking up a conference-leading 13 sacks (73 yards) and 35 tackles-for-loss (177 yards).  Vada King (2nd/7.0), Zane Samuel (5th/6.0), Marvin Terry  (7th/5.5) and Eric Sadler (8th/5,0) all rank in the top 10 in the GSC in tackles-for-loss. Samuel, Sadler and Terry are 4th, 5th & 6th as well in sacks this season. In last week's 34-9 win at North Greenville, DSU accounted for 4.0 sacks and a 14.5 tackles-for-loss. The previous high for TFLs this season had been 8.0 versus Florida Tech.
    
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 13.0 sacks for 73 yards through their first four games. DSU has also recorded 35 tackles-for-loss, accounting for 177 negative yards.

HAWKINS HAS CAREER NIGHT: Junior wide receiver L.J. Hawkins caught a career-high eight passes for 76 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown in DSU's 34-9 win at North Greenville. The Water Valley, Miss., native, has hauled in 12 receptions for 113 yards and a TD through the first four games.

APPROACHING 100: Junior linebacker Dante Williams needs six tackles to eclipse 100 in his career at DSU. The Bossier City, La., native, has recorded 94 tackles and 8.0 tackles-for-loss in 27 career games. He is currently 5th on the team with 10 stops after totaling four tackles versus Florida Tech.

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	40-29
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

      
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

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

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: The Statesmen are set to face four ranked opponents in the preseason 2019 AFCA Top 25, including defending national champion and No. 1 Valdosta State.  DSU also squares off against No. 10 Grand Valley State, No.  15 West Georgia, and No. 20 West Alabama. Florida Tech  and West Florida are among schools receiving votes. Delta State is 11-13 against ranked opponents under coach Todd Cooley.