CLEVELAND, Miss. - A little over an hour into Saturday's session at Parker Field-McCool Stadium, heavy rains and lightning in the area forced the Delta State University football team indoors for the remainder of their practice period. It was DSU's second practice in helmets since opening fall camp on Friday, Aug. 9. 

"You never want to have your momentum stopped by the weather, but we can't control that and it becomes a teachable moment for our family," head coach Todd Cooley said. "I was proud of the way our guys came out today. The energy level was great and we carried that through our rain delay. The goal is to improve a little each day and I would say we did that despite the weather."

With full contact drills beginning on Tuesday, reps and conditioning are the primary focus of this week's acclimation period.

"Everything we do over these first few days is in prep for putting on the pads come Tuesday," Cooley added. "You want to get the missteps out of the way and the routine down before going live. We've done a good job of that thus far."

The Statesmen return to the turf on Sunday for practice three at 9:30 AM. All practices are free and open to the public.     
 
Delta State welcomes Tusculum University to Cleveland on Thursday, Sept. 5 to kick off the campaign. Game time is set for 6 PM at Parker Field-McCool Stadium.
 
CAMP DELTA SCHEDULE (DAY | TIME | LOCATION)
Sunday, Aug. 11 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Monday, Aug. 12 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Tuesday, Aug. 13 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Wednesday, Aug. 14 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Thursday, Aug. 15 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Friday, Aug. 16 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Saturday, Aug. 17 – 9:30 AM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Sunday, Aug. 18 – 5 PM – Parker Field-McCool Stadium
Monday, Aug. 19 – Classes begin