ROLLA, Mo. -- Delta State picks up their first win of the season after a complete performance from all three phases of the Statesmen team. The Statesmen offense found the endzone six times, the defense forced four turnovers, and the special teams saw two field goal makes and a punt block.
Statesmen head coach Todd Cooley noted that while his team fought hard against a tough Missouri S&T team, there is still room for improvement.
"We hit a big play early, but they kept us in check for a while and that's a credit to their defense," said Cooley. "We got the win, we came out in the second half and did what we're supposed to do. Our guys can play a lot better, and they will."
THE BASICS
Score: #10 Delta State 48 | Missouri S&T 20
Records: Statesmen (1-0, 0-0 GSC) | Miners (0-1, 0-0 GLVC)
Date: Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023
Location: Allgood-Bailey Stadium | Rolla, Mo.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
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The Statesmen received the opening kickoff and did not waste time in finding the endzone. It took the Statesmen just five plays to go 73 yards, mainly provided by a 64-yard pass from Patrick Shegog to Todd Lee Battle. The drive was capped by a 4-yard scoring pass to Tycen Gray and the PAT from Nick Herber. 7-0 Delta State, 13:07 left in the first quarter.
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S&T's redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Gioia led the Miners down the field on the following drive. They used a 13-play, 76-yard drive of their own to find the endzone, but the point-after was no good. 7-6 Delta State, 5:23 left in the first quarter.
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Delta State was forced to punt on the following drive, but DSU's Adrian Hill forced a fumble to give the Statesmen the ball back before the end of the quarter. The Statesmen and Miners traded punts on their next possessions.
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Statesmen kicker Nick Herber split the uprights on the next DSU drive from 45 yards out after a 12-play drive. 10-6 Delta State, 5:56 left in the second quarter.
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An MST fumble led to another recovery for Adrian Hill. The Statesmen scored three plays later on a 4-yard rush from Alfonso Franklin. It would also be the last scoring play of the first half. 17-6 Delta State at halftime.
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Delta State forced a Miner punt on their first drive of the third quarter. Shegog connected with Jaylen May three plays later on a 59-yard dime for a Green and White touchdown. 24-6 Delta State, 11:11 left in the third quarter.
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The Statesmen got the ball back at their own 31-yard line after an interception from Jarvis Townsend. The Statesmen scored five plays later on a drive highlighted by a 36-yard rush from Shegog and a 24-yard scoring rush from Christian Malloy. 31-6 Delta State, 8:48 left in the third quarter.
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The Miners drove all the way down to their own 4-yard line, but were stopped on a 4th-and-goal attempt at their own 2-yard line by Freddrick Hervey. The Statesmen scored just two plays later on a 92-yard pass from Shegog to Calvin Lockett. 38-6 Delta State at the end of the third quarter.
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Tamaj Hoffman blocked an MST punt to start the fourth quarter. Delta State scored on the next play off the feet of Kelvin Smith from 15 yards out. 45-6 Delta State, 14:06 left in the fourth quarter.
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The Miners found the endzone once more after a 9-play, 74-yard drive. 45-13 Delta State, 10:02 left in the fourth.
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A 7-play, 54-yard drive helped the Miners find the endzone once more with 6:11 left in the game. 45-20 Delta State.
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Herber ended the final DSU drive of the night with a 35-yard field goal. 48-20 Delta State.
OFFENSIVE NOTABLES:
DEFENSIVE NOTABLES:
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTABLES:
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Kicker Nick Herber went 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts from 45 and 35 yards out
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Parker Burleson averaged 40.7 yards per attempt on his three punts
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Tamaj Hoffman blocked an MST punt attempt in the fourth quarter
OTHER NOTABLES:
UP NEXT:
Delta State travels to Murfreesboro, NC for its first Gulf South Conference game of the season against its newest member, the Chowan Hawks. Kickoff on Saturday, September 9, is scheduled for 1:00 pm ET (12 CT).
