CLEVELAND, Miss. - Delta State secured its second GSC title in as many years last Saturday with a 41-3 win over Mississippi College. The Statesmen earned the number two seed in Super Region Two for the NCAA Playoffs, but will be continuing GSC play out of the gate having drawn West Florida in the first round. Michael Gross will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network. Postseason football games will be broadcast live at NCAA.com for $9.95 a game.

The Statesmen kept the Heritage Bell Classic trophy in Cleveland after accumulating 535 yards of offense against the Choctaws. Delta State kept MC out of the endzone and allowed just three points total in the game. The GSC championship represented the first time Delta State football has won back-to-back conference titles since the 2010-2011 seasons.

Kickoff between the Delta State Statesmen and the West Florida Argonauts is scheduled for Saturday, November 18 at 1:00 pm.



SERIES NOTEBOOK: WEST FLORIDA
•  This is the 9th meeting all-time between Delta State and West Florida since 2016. The Statesmen trail the series 3-5 after October's meeting at Parker-McCool ended in a 24-21 win for the Argos. Delta State won the first matchup of the 2022 season in Pensacola 45-42 in two overtimes. Delta State is 2-1 against the Argos in Pensacola, but just 1-4 when the series is in Cleveland.

• The Argos started of their season with a pair of matching 35-3 wins over DII opponents Kentucky Wesleyan at home and McKendree on the road. UWF quarterback Peewee Jarrett threw for 230 and 329 yards respectively in the two games with GSC offensive player of the week honors in week two. Defensive lineman John McMullen was named defensive POTW with four tackles, three of which were sacks.

• West Florida traveled to Tallahassee week three for a meeting with FCS Florida A&M. The Rattlers held UWF to just 213 yards of offense (134 pass, 79 rush) while accumulating 469 yards of their own.

• GSC play began in week four as West Georgia traveled to Pensacola. The Argos blew out the Wolves 49-21 as Jarrett threw for 298 yards, mainly to that week's GSC offensive POTW John Jiles. Jiles caught 8 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Ralph Ortiz was also named Freshman of the week with 3 tackles and an interception.

• The Argos traveled to North Greenville the following week, picking up 21 fourth quarter points in their 48-24 win over the Crusaders. Jarrett threw for 419 yards and 5 touchdowns. West Florida received three Player of the Week honors in the win over NGU including offensive POTW WR John Jiles (11 rec, 277 yd, 3 TDs), defensive POTW DB Quincy Milhomme (5 tack, 2 INTs, 1 PBR), and freshamn POTW LB Ralph Ortiz (3 tack, 1 INT).

• West Florida held their homecoming night in week six against Shorter and rewarded the home crowd with a 42-3 win over the Hawks. Jarrett passed for 257 yards and 3 TDs with 1 INT. Ortiz again won freshman of the week with three tackles and an INT at linebacker.

• UWF suffered an unexpected loss just one week before their trip to Cleveland at West Florida. The Argos were kept out of the endzone for the first time since November 12, 2016 as West Alabama's defense held strong in the Tigers' 10-6 upset victory. West Florida slightly out-gained UWA 214-210 in total offense as Jarrett threw for 158 yards and an INT.

• The Argos dropped their second conference game of the season the week after playing Delta State, falling 31-28 at Valdosta State. UWF out-gained the Blazers 444-272 in total offense, but the Argos turned the ball over twice in key situations and missed a 51-yard field goal as time expired. The West Florida defense held Valdosta to -3 rushing yards for the game.

• West Florida finished their regular seasons with two convincing wins at Mississippi College (42-14) and at home against Chowan (52-6). The Argos finished the regular season with 8-3 overall and 6-2 GSC records.


STRENGTH VS STRENGTH: Delta State and West Florida boast two of the best offenses and defenses that the GSC has. The Statesmen rank first in the conference in scoring offense at 43.5 points per game while UWF's defense ranks first, allowing just 15.2 points per game. Delta State's defense is second at just 17.4 points per game, compared to the West Florida offense which ranks third at 33.7 points per game. The two teams also rank first and second in total offense with DSU averaging 464.2 yards per game and UWF at 443.3 yards per game.

WEAR GREEN: DSU fans are asked to wear GREEN for this week's playoff game!

WHAT TO BRING: Only clear bags are permitted in McCool Stadium. No outside food/drink, pets, or weapons are permitted.

TICKETS:  Visit https://deltastatetickets.universitytickets.com/ to purchase in advance or visit the ticket booths next to gates 3 or 4 on the west side, or gate 14 on the east side on game day. Regular season tickets and parking passes are not valid for the postseason, so be sure to purchase tickets and parking passes at the DSU ticket website or by calling the ticket office at 662-846-4901.

GETTING THERE: Kickoff is at 1 pm. Gates open two hours pregame. A limited number of Lot 6 parking spots will be available beginning two-and-a-half hours before kick-off Saturday for $15. Additional parking will be available at Shumate Park, Walter Sillers Coliseum, Kent Wyatt Hall, and across MS Highway 8 on campus. Delta State student parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in the grass lot next to Lot 1 for vehicles with current Resident or Commuter parking decals. All game-day traffic should enter via Statesman Boulevard.

TAILGATING: Register for FREE tailgating in Statesmen Park at https://forms.office.com/r/N87YW2dzPW.

FOOD AND DRINK: Concessions will be available on both the west and east sides of McCool stadium. Beer and wine will be available at kiosks on the west, north, and east concourses.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: Kids can join the Statesmen Football team as they take the field at 10 minutes on the game clock.

NO FIELD ACCESS: No fans will be permitted access to the playing surface before, during, or after Saturday's game.

STAY IN THE KNOW: You can listen or watch along! Visit www.GoStatesmen.com > Sports > Football > Schedule and click the speaker (Magic 107.5) in the game information and follow the prompts. Download the Statesmen Nation app where you can listen to or stream the event, see rosters and stats, receive notifications about promotions and partnerships, and much more!