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GAME NOTES: West Georgia @ Delta State (11.9.19)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (5-3, 4-2 GSC) of Delta State University are set to host their 87th Homecoming Classic on Saturday, Nov. 9, as the Wolves (6-3, 4-2 GSC) of the University of West Georgia travel to Cleveland for a pivotal Gulf South Conference showdown. Kickoff is set for 2 PM at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. DSU will recognize its 16 seniors, featured at right, prior to the game as well. Matt Jones, Philip Tang and Lane Quinton will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network.

Delta State and West Georgia are meeting for the 34th time on the gridiron this Saturday, Nov. 9 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium, as the Statesmen host the Wolves in the 87th Homecoming classic. The Statesmen hold a 19-14 edge in the series standings, including a 10-8 mark in Cleveland. DSU caged UWG, 17-7, on Sept. 16, 2017 in West Georgia's last trip to Parker-McCool.    

The Wolves (6-3, 4-2 GSC) roared back from a 21-7 deficit last Saturday to defeat Mississippi College, 35-21, at Ra-Lin Field in Carrollton. In his first collegiate start, Garrett Bass went 25-for-37 for 349 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in a crucial GSC win for the Wolves. John Hurst caught five passes for 93 yards and three touchdowns in the win for UWG.

Delta State rolled up a season-high 510 yards, as the Statesmen (5-3, 4-2 GSC)  defeated Shorter, 38-6, at historic Barron Stadium. Rico Owens II finished the game with nine carries for a career-high 149 yards and one touchdown. Owen's 90-yard touchdown run was the first 90+ yard run for the Statesmen since 1955. Breck Ruddick added 203 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for an additional 42 yards. Defensively, Junior Faulk picked-off two passes and the Statesmen held the Hawks to 136 yards, including a mere 10 yards rushing. Marvin Terry led all DSU defenders with six tackles, including 3.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack.  

Senior Breck Ruddick has been solid since taking over the quarterbacking duties. The Marion, Ark., native, topped 2,000 career passing yards at West Florida and eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards versus No. 1 Valdosta State. In 22 games, Ruddick has completed 301-of-504 passes for 2,549 yards while rushing 242 times for 1,133 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 career.

Junior Faulk was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after picking-off two passes at Shorter. The Jayess, Miss., native, leads the GSC in interceptions (6) and passes defended (19) while ranking 1st in NCAA DII in passes defended and 6th in INTs.


SERIES NOTEBOOK: WEST GEORGIA
• Delta State and West Georgia are meeting for the 34th time on the gridiron this Saturday, Nov. 9 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium, as the Statesmen host the Wolves in the 87th Homecoming classic. The Statesmen hold a 19-14 edge in the series standings, including a 10-8 mark in Cleveland. DSU caged UWG, 17-7, on Sept. 16, 2017 in West Georgia's last trip to Parker-McCool.     

• The Wolves (6-3, 4-2 GSC) roared back from a 21-7 deficit last Saturday to defeat Mississippi College, 35-21, at Ra-Lin Field in Carrollton. In his first collegiate start, Garrett Bass went 25-for-37 for 349 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in a crucial GSC win for the Wolves. John Hurst caught five passes for 93 yards and three touchdowns in the win for UWG.

• Redshirt freshman Chauncey Williams has turned in a spectacular season for the Wolves, rushing 104 times for 653 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 180 pound tailback ranks 2nd in the GSC in rush yards (653), rush yards per game (72.6) and rushing touchdowns (10).

• John Hurst, a 6-2 wide receiver from Milton, Ga., enters Saturday's game ranked 2nd in the GSC with 31 receptions for 538 yards and five touchdowns.

• Safety Chris Blackston and linebacker Korie Rogers have been a dynamic duo for the Wolves' defense, totaling 102 tackles between them. Each defender has turned in 51 stops on the year, with Rogers adding 8.0 TFLs.

• David Dean is in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach and his 3rd at West Georgia. The two-time national champion is 104-36 in his career.    


87TH HOMECOMING SET FOR SATURDAY: The #DSUFamily will be observing its 87th Homecoming game on Saturday, Nov. 9, as the Statesmen (5-3, 4-2 GSC) welcome West Georgia (6-3, 4-2 GSC) to Parker Field-McCool Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. DSU is 54-30-2 all-time in Homecoming games, including a 2-0 record against the Wolves. DSU defeated Mississippi College, 28-21, on Nov. 10 in last year's Homecoming Classic. A complete listing of Homecoming results may be found on page 7.

STATESMEN CAGE HAWKS 38-6: Delta State rolled up a season-high 510 yards, as the Statesmen (5-3, 4-2 GSC)  defeated Shorter, 38-6, at historic Barron Stadium. Rico Owens II finished the game with nine carries for a career-high 149 yards and one touchdown. Owen's 90-yard touchdown run was the first 90+ yard run for the Statesmen since 1955. Breck Ruddick added 203 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for an additional 42 yards. Defensively, Junior Faulk picked-off two pases and the Statesmen held the Hawks to 136 yards, including a mere 10 yards rushing. Marvin Terry led all DSU defenders with six tackles, including 3.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack.

KING ON HIS THRONE: Senior linebacker Vada King continues to lead the Statesmen defense, ranking No. 2 in the GSC in tackles (68/8.5 pg) entering week nine of the campaign. He totaled 13 tackles and 2.0 TFLs in DSU's 14-7 win over West Alabama. 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 (68) and 3rd in tackles-for-loss (11.5). In 18 career games, the two-year starter has tallied 125 tackles with 20.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.

FEROCIOUS DEFENSIVE FRONT: The Statesman defensive front has been filthy this season, racking up a conference-leading 26 sacks (154 yards) and 73 tackles-for-loss (320 yards).  Zane Samuel (2nd/12.0), Vada King (3rd/11.5), Marvin Terry  (4th/10.0) and Eric Sadler (5th/9.0) all rank in the top 10 in the GSC in tackles-for-loss. Sadler, Terry, & Samuel are all in the top five in sacks in the Gulf South Conference as well.

FAULK NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Faulk was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after picking-off two passes at Shorter. The Jayess, Miss., native, leads the GSC in interceptions (6) and passes defended (19) while ranking 1st in NCAA DII in passes defended and 6th in INTs.  

RUN AND TELL THAT: The Statesmen enter this week's game versus West Georgia averaging 202.0 yards rushing per game, which ranks 3rd in the GSC. Delta State has topped 200 yards rushing in 5-of-8 games this season, including a season-high 280 yards last week at Shorter. The Statesmen had a previous high of 255 yards versus Florida Tech. DSU rushed for 230 yards at Grand Valley State, 224 yards at North Greenville and 200 yards versus West Alabama.

RUDDICK TOPS 3,000 YARDS: Senior Breck Ruddick has been solid since taking over the quarterbacking duties. The Marion, Ark., native, topped 2,000 career passing yards at West Florida and eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards versus No. 1 Valdosta State. In 22 games, Ruddick has completed 301-of-504 passes for 2,549 yards while rushing 242 times for 1,133 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 career.

AGAINST THE RUN: Delta State is allowing just 113.8 yards rushing a game to rank 1st the GSC. The Statesmen have held 6-of-8 opponents under 150 yards, with Shorter's 10 yards rushing a new season low. Florida Tech's 42 yards rushing was the previous mark. North Greenville tallied 100 yards on 37 carries, while DSU held the vaunted rushing offense of West Alabama to a mere 67 yards in its 14-7 victory over the Tigers.

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. Owens, coming off a career-best 149 yards at Shorter, has rushed for 547 yards and six TDs this year while Dampier has totaled 509 yards. Both running backs rank in the GSC's top 10 in yards per game.

CRABTREE HAVING SPECIAL SENIOR CAMPAIGN: Taylor Crabtree has made a league-best 13-of-16 field goals and 19-of-19 PATs this season for the Statesmen. His 1.6 FGs per game average ranks 6th in NCAA DII while he ranks 2nd in the GSC in scoring at 7.3 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).  

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 26.0 sacks for 154 yards through eight games. DSU has also recorded 73 tackles-for-loss, accounting for 320 negative yards.

HAWKINS EMERGING AS TOP TARGET: Junior wide receiver L.J. Hawkins has caught 32 passes for 295 yards and a TD in his last six 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 32 grabs are tied for 4th most in the GSC.  

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
Chris Willis	North Alabama	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	42-31
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

ON THE BIG SCREEN: Delta State appeared for the final time this season on ESPN3 or ESPN+ in the GSC-TV Game of the Week, defeating West Alabama, 14-7, on Saturday, Oct.  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.  DSU is 26-15 all-time on TV, including a 15-7 record under coach Cooley.

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. Delta State is 11-15 against ranked opponents under coach Todd Cooley.