CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University senior kicker Taylor Crabtree accounted for 16 points and tied a school ands Gulf South Conference record for field goals in a game to lead the Statesmen to a 30-28 win over Florida Tech at home on Saturday in the Gulf South Conference TV Game of the Week.

Crabtree went 5-for-5 on field goals (28, 24, 33, 31, 38) and added one extra point kick to his final totals. His five field goals also tied a GSC record. The last Statesman kicker to have five field goals in a game was Trey Crum against Southern Arkansas in 2003. The last kicker in the GSC to accomplish the feat was North Alabama's Michael Schuster in 2012.

There were eight lead changes in the contest and a combined total of 872 yards of offense. The Statesmen (2-1, 1-0 GSC) outgained the Panthers (2-1, 0-1 GSC) 491-381 in total yards, highlighted by a 284-72 margin in rushing yards. The Panthers had a 309-207 margin in passing yards, led by freshman quarterback Mike Dielello's 17-for-29 performance with three touchdowns.

The Statesmen are now 25-15 all-time in TV games. Saturday's win over FTU is the second of the three ESPN3 appearances for DSU this season.

  
THE BASICS
Score: Delta State 30, Florida Tech 28
Records:  Statesmen (2-1, 1-0 GSC), Panthers (2-1, 0-1 GSC)
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2019 | 6:05 p.m. Kickoff | TOG: 3:36
Location: Parker Field-McCool Stadium (Cleveland, MS) | Attendance: 6,665
Series: Statesmen lead 4-3
Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateFB | Facebook – DSUStatesmen | Instagram – DSUAthletics


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Junior running back Deion Dampier recorded his first Statesmen touchdown on the first drive of the game, a 27-yard score to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took just under four minutes. He started the game with a 13-yard rush on the first play from scrimmage.
• Panther quarterback Mike Diliello tied the game on the ensuing drive on a zone-read keeper for an 11-yard touchdown run, capping a six-play, 70-yard drive that used 2:38.
• Statesmen kicker Taylor Crabtree put DSU up 10-7 on the next drive on a 28-yard field goal to cap a six-play 64-yard drive that was aided by 46-yard rush by Kelon Wilson.
• Crabtree added another three points for the Statesmen with 12:03 left in the second quarter with a 24-yard field goal to cap a short scoring drive following a Panther fumble.
• The Panthers took their first lead of the game with 9:24 remaining in the second quarter on a nine-yard touchdown run by Daniel Richardson to cap a five-play, 67-yard drive.
• Crabtree nailed his third field goal of the first half, this time a 33-yarder, to put the Statesmen back on top 16-14 with 3:56 remaining before halftime. It was his fifth field goal of the season.
• FTU took a 21-16 lead early in the third quarter on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Mike Diliello to Miles Kelly.
• Crabtree nailed his fourth field goal of the game with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter, this time from 31 yards, to pull the Statesmen to within two points at 21-19.
• The Statesmen regained the lead with 2:12 remaining in the third on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Breck Ruddick to Leon Green. Deion Damper's two-point conversion rush was successful to put DSU up 27-21.
• The lead changed for the seventh time with 11:40 left in the game when Panther quarterback Mike Diliello linked up with Damien McGhee for a 17-yard touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 75-yard drive.
• Crabtree tied the DSU and Gulf South Conference record with his fifth made field goal of the game with 8:15 remaining, this time from 38 yards out to put the Statesmen up 30-28.

 
OFFENSIVE NOTEABLES:

• DSU running back Deion Dampier finished the game with 121 rushing yards on 20 carries. With 109 rushing yards in last week's loss to Grand Valley State, Dampier becomes the first Statesman to have back-to-back 100-yard games since Chris Robinson rattled off four straight to end the 2017 season.
• Quarterback Breck Ruddick ended with the game 12-for-19 on passing with 133 yards and one touchdown. Patrick Shegog went 7-for-14 for 74 yards.
• The favorite receiving target for the Statesmen in the win was Leon Green, who hauled in six receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown.

 
DEFENSIVE NOTEABLES:

• Junior defensive back Tim Hall forced a Panther fumble early in the second quarter, which was recovered by junior teammate Marvin Terry. That turnover led to three points for the Statesmen, a 24-yard field goal by Taylor Crabtree.
• The Statesmen defense came up with a sack and a forced fumble on the final drive of the game to preserve the win. DSU had three sacks in the win and six tackles for losses.
• Marvin Terry led the Statesmen with nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Terry also had three quarterback hurries in the win.
• Vada King added six tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEABLES:

• In addition to Taylor Crabtree's record-tying performance on field goals, DSU punter Sam Barge had five punts for an average of 39.2 yards, including two punts downed inside the Panther 20-yard line.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Statesmen are on the road for their next two matchups. DSU travels to Tigerville, South Carolina next Saturday, September 28 to take on North Greenville for a 6 p.m. kickoff.