CLEVELAND, Miss. - Round two of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs will feature an impromptu GSC Championship game between co-champions Delta State and Valdosta State. Both teams finished 2023 GSC play with 7-1 conference records, a feat which garnered DSU their first back-to-back GSC title claims since the 2010-2011 seasons. 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 avenged their only loss of the regular season with last week's round one win over West Florida. Patrick Shegog threw six passing touchdowns while the defense created four takeaways in DSU's 49-14 win over the Argonauts.

Kickoff between the Delta State Statesmen and the Valdosta State Blazers is scheduled for Saturday, November 25 at 1:00 pm.



SERIES NOTEBOOK: VALDOSTA STATE
•  This is the 43rd meeting all-time between Delta State and Valdosta State since 1982. The Statesmen lead the series 22-19-1 after the Statesmen claimed a 49-25 win in Valdosta earlier this season on October 7. The series has no real home-field advantage throughout its history as DSU is 10-10-1 vs the Blazers in Cleveland and 12-9 in Valdosta.

• The Blazers opened up their season at home with a 63-10 win over Point. Quarterback Sammy Edwards completed 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 347 yards and 4 TDs with 2 INTs while also leading the team in rushing with 73 yards and a score.

• VSU held on late for a 21-16 win at Albany State in week two. Edwards only passed for 79 yards with an INT, but his main support came from rushers Eric Watts (123 yds & 1 TD) and Isaiah Flowers (95 yds & 2 TDs).

• Valdosta State returned home for a 49-25 win over Keiser in week three. Edwards had a stellar day with 28 completed passes for 479 yards and 4 TDs. Rusher Bud Chaney only ran for 36 yards, but found the endzone twice.

• VSU opened GSC play in week four with a 28-3 win at North Greenville. Edwards was 18-for-28 with 293 yards and a touchdown. Chaney again only rushed for 26 yards, but scored three times.

• The Blazers held just a two-point lead in the third at Chowan the following week, but added scores late and held on for a 51-36 win. Edwards completed 20 of his 29 passes for 393 yards and 6 TDs with 1 INT. Council Allen reeled in two of those touchdown passes along with two more for a 118-yard day

• The Blazers dropped their only decision of the season the following week when Delta State came to town the following week. The Statesmen rushed for 417 yards, led by Kelvin Smith who earned GSC Player of the Week honors with 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

• VSU picked up two more conference wins in the following weeks, beginning with a 21-10 road win over Mississippi College. Valdosta State kept the new streak alive the following week with a 42-14 win at home over Shorter.

• Valdosta traveled to West Florida for a game that would likely decide the fate of the GSC title down the road. The two teams were tied at the end of the third, and the Argos scored with 13 minutes left to lead by seven. VSU would get a field goal back on their next drive and were down four with 9 minutes left. UWF was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the VSU-22 with 4:01 left in the game, setting up the Blazers for one last drive. VSU converted on a fourth-and-five play and then scored on a 28-yard pass from Sammy Edwards to Ted Hurst with just 36 seconds left. The Argos had enough time to attempt a 51-yard field goal, but the attempt went wide right, giving the Blazers the win.

• The Blazers played another close game the following week, but secured another 20-14 win at West Alabama. The Blazers closed the regular season with a 58-28 home win over West Georgia to seal a share of the GSC title.

• VSU opened their playoffs with a high-scoring 62-41 win over Limestone last week. The teams combined for nearly 1,100 yards of offense with the Blazers accumulating 352 passing and 233 rushing yards in the game. Sammy Edwards completed 27 of his 40 pass attempts for 344 yards and 6 touchdowns. Bud Chaney rushed 14 times for 132 yards and a score.


ON THE MARCH: Delta State has been successful against the Blazers on the ground in their last two meetings with 287 rushing yards in the 2022 meeting and 417 yards on the ground in the previous game earlier this season. The Statesmen lead the GSC in rushing offense at 224.3 yards per game while the VSU defense ranks 5th in rushing defense with an average of 161.5 yards allowed per game.

THROUGH THE AIR: Valdosta State leads the GSC in passing offense at 321.1 passing yards per game. They were held to 285 passing yards in October against a DSU passing defense ranked 5th in the GSC at 192.9 yards per game. The Statesmen defense does have the distinction of being one of two in the entire GSC with more interceptions than passing touchdowns allowed. The Statesmen have picked off 13 passes this season while only giving up 10 scores through the air.

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!