ITTA BENA, Ms.  -- Statesmen Football (3-0 overall, 0-0 GSC) continues to live up to their self-given 'Road Warrior' moniker, improving to 3-0 on the road with a 28-17 win over Mississippi Valley State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) in the 2022 Duel in the Delta. The Statesmen were able to enjoy one game in front of their fans that made the trip to Leflore County, but will be back on the road next weekend as they open Gulf South play at West Florida.
"We didn't have our best game tonight, but we were able to overcome a lot of things and win the football game," Head Coach Todd Cooley said. "Hats off to Mississippi Valley, they played extremely hard tonight. Anytime you go against an FCS opponent, it's not going to be easy. I was excited about how we handled that."
 
THE BASICS
Score: Delta State 28 | Mississippi Valley State 17
Records: Statesmen (3-0, 0-0 GSC) | Delta Devils (0-3, 0-0 SIAC)
Date: Saturday, Sep. 17, 2022
Location: Rice-Totten Stadium | Itta Bena, Ms.
Get Social: Twitter - @DeltaStateFB | Instagram - @DeltaStateFB
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A bad snap for the Devils sends the ball out of the back of the endzone for a Statesmen safety to lead 2-0 at the 11:58 mark in the first.
• Delta State Kicker Nick Herber's 22-yard field goal pushes the lead to 5-0 with 47 seconds left in the opening quarter.
• Statesmen quarterback Patrick Shegog shows off his feet on a 3-yard scoring scamper to go up 12-0 with 6:49 left in the second.
• Herber hits his second field goal of the night with 1:26 to go in the half to make the Statesmen lead 15-0.
• The Delta State defense holds on 4th-and-1 just before the end of the half. The offense then get Herber in position once again for a 26-yard make to end the half. Delta State leads 18-0.
• MVSU forces a Statesmen punt on the opening drive of the third and uses their following possession to make a 23-yard field goal with 9:15 left in the third.
• Delta State responded four plays later on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Shegog to Tremell Withrow to push the Statesmen up 25-3 at 7:33 in the third.
• The Delta Devils' Caleb Johnson finds the endzone on a 3-yard rush on their next drive to trim the Delta State lead to 25-10.
• MVSU adds seven more at 9:01 in the fourth on a 4-yard pass from Jamari Jones to Sylvester Campbell. Delta State leads 25-17.
• Herber splits the uprights for a fourth time with 5:10 left in the game to end the scoring for the night. Statesmen win 28-17.

OFFENSIVE NOTABLES:

• Patrick Shegog was 21-for-31 for 246 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also led the team in rushing with 15 carries for 62 yards and a score.
• Dohnte Meyers caught five passes for a game-high 75 yards.
• Todd Lee Battle reeled in four passes for 47 yards.
• Tremell Withrow made two catches for 61 yards and a score.
• Kelvin Smith carried the ball 10 times for 40 yards.
• Alfonso Franklin had seven rushes for 37 yards.

DEFENSIVE NOTABLES:

• Demario Martin led the Statesmen solo tackles with seven and tackles for loss with two of the team's six sacks.
• Tomas Stevenson recorded six total tackles.
• Malik Jones is credited with 5.5 total tackles including one for a loss.
• Timaje Porter made his way to the scoresheet with a tackle and a fumble recovery.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTABLES:

• Kicker Nick Herber 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts from 22, 25, 25, and 32 yards out.
• Parker Burleson averaged 43 yards per attempt on his four punts.
• Kory Gainwell gained 70 yards in his three kickoff return attempts.

OTHER NOTABLES:

• Statesmen hold the Delta Devils off the scoreboard in the first half.
• Delta State wins third straight road game to start the season.

UP NEXT:
 
Delta State travels to Pensacola, Florida to open up conference play against the #6 West Florida Argonauts next Saturday, September 24 at 6pm.