CLINTON, Miss. – The Delta State Football team (6-4, 3-3 GSC) made a defensive stand on fourth and three at their own seven yard line en route to win the Heritage Bell 20-14 over Mississippi College Saturday afternoon at Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton.
 
The Statesmen would get an explosive day from junior wide receiver Curtis Rearden. Rearden would have four receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Choctaws would strike first on their second possession with a 64-yard touchdown pass out of the wildcat formation to give Mississippi College a 7-0 lead.
 
The Green and White would respond on the ensuing possession as freshman quarterback Garrett Ames would find Curtis Rearden on a 39-yard touchdown pass that would even the game up at 7-7.
 
Delta State would force a three and out on the ensuing possession going into the end of the first frame tied at 7-7.
 
DSU would pull ahead in the second quarter as the offense would go on a 10-play 52-yard drive ending in a Nick Herber would drill a 26-yard field goal, giving the Green and White a 10-7 lead.
 
The Statesmen would slow down the Choctaw rushing attack, with back-to-back three and outs before Cole Kirk would find Michael Carley for a 21-yard touchdown pass, capping a seven-play 64-yard drive that would extend the Statesmen lead to 17-7.
 
Delta State would grab a third straight three and out getting the ball back with 1:31 remaining in the half. The Statesmen would get a 27-yard field from Herber to take a 20-7 lead into the break.
Coming out of the break, the Choctaws would score on the opening drive to cut the Statesmen lead to 20-14.
 
The Green and White and Mississippi College would exchange punts in the third quarter keeping the game at 20-14.
 
Starting the fourth, the Choctaws would go on a nine-minute drive down to the DSU seven. On a fourth and three, Tylenn Bridges would make a stop at the Statesmen five-yard line, giving Delta State the ball back with just over 5:00 to go in the game.
 
The Statesmen would go on a 12-play drive with runs from Kelvin Smith for a drive that would take 4:42 off the game clock.
 
Delta State would make one last defensive stand, as an Ahmir Taylor would take down MC's Eli Anderson at the 50-yard line with five seconds to end the game, keeping the Heritage Bell in Cleveland for the fourth year in a row.
 
The Statesmen would finish the season with a 6-4 overall record and a 3-3 Gulf South Conference record.