CLEVELAND, MISS. – The Delta State University football team will make their second of four road trips to the Carolinas this weekend to face off against the Bulldogs of Wingate University. Kickoff is set for 2 (CT)/3 (ET) Saturday (Sept. 14) from Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, N.C.

The Voice of the Statesmen, Michael Gross will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network and Wingate will stream the game on the Flo Sports Network.

The Statesmen are coming off of a 55-18 home opening victory over Missouri S&T. In the 55-18 victory, senior quarterback Cole Kirk had 416 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns while the defense pitched a second half shutout against the Miners.
The Bulldogs of Wingate enter this week after a bye week. The Bulldogs went on the road in week 0 and earned a 17-12 win over UNC Pembroke.

 The Coaches
Todd Cooley enters his 11th season as head coach at Delta State.
He was hired as the program's 19th all-time head coach on January 25, 2013. In his first campaign as head coach, Cooley guided the Statesmen to a 7-3 overall record and a second-place finish in the Gulf South Conference. Inheriting a team that went 3-7 the year before, the high-energy Cooley built a cohesive family atmosphere in less than nine months. That energy helped feed a program's turnaround in just one season. In 2014, Cooley led the Statesmen to a 9-2 record, along with DSU's seventh Gulf South Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, the school's first since 2011.
For his efforts, Cooley was named Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year by his peers in the league. In all, 11 Statesmen were named to the All-GSC squad, including GSC Freshman of the Year Tyler Sullivan, who quarterbacked DSU to a 4-1 mark as a starter.
DSU averaged 40.0 points per game offensively, while averaging 472.2 yards per game. The Statesmen pulled off three victories over nationally ranked opponents after defeating No. 21 North Alabama 37-34, No. 14 Tarleton State 38-36 and No. 24 Valdosta State 63-55.  
In 2014, Cooley earned his second consecutive GSC Coach of the Year accolade, sharing the honor with Florida Tech's Steve Englehart. Twelve Statesmen were selected to the All-GSC squads, while Trey Shaw captured the league's Defensive Freshman of the Year honor. DSU put up an impressive 5,395 yards of total offense, outscoring opponents 491-215.
With expectations riding high entering the 2015 season, the Statesmen raced out of the gate to a 4-0 record and No. 5 national ranking. Unfortunately, the ride would be short-lived, as injuries began to mount and derailed a title run for DSU. The Statesmen finished the year 6-5 overall and 2-5 in GSC play.
The Statesmen finished the year leading the GSC in passing (312.4), while ranking second in scoring (36.4) and third in total offense (426.7).
In 2016, DSU finished its season ranked No. 3 in the GSC in scoring offense (36.9), total offense (446.8) and passing offense (287.7).
After an injury filled 2018 season that saw the Statesmen post a 2-8 mark, Cooley's Statesmen rebounded to finish 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the GSC in 2019. Overall, nine Statesmen earned All-GSC laurels and two were selected to the D2Football.com All-Americans.  Additionally, 13 Statesmen made the GSC Academic honor roll for a GPA of 3.0 or higher while four were selected to the GSC All-Academic football team.
Rashaan Jordan moving into the head coaching job after spending 18 years as the Wingate defensive coordinating, leading one of the most dominant defenses in the nation over the last several years. He takes over as the head coach after Joe Reich announced he would be taking over as the school's full-time Director of Athletics in November of 2023.
Three Bulldogs made first team All-SAC in 2019: Davion Washington, Robbie Wallace and Jordon Anderson. Wingate's defense was second in four statistical categories: rushing defense (111.1), scoring defense (21.9), team sacks (3.08) and fewest first downs allowed (198). The Bulldogs made the NCAA Division II playoffs for the third consecutive season.
 Jordan and the Bulldog coaching staff helped defensive end Cardell Rawlings become a consensus All-American and the SAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. Rawlings led the SAC in sacks and ranked fourth nationally. Six Bulldog defenders made the All-SAC teams. Wingate led the SAC in rushing defense (123.6), team sacks (3.54), team tackles for loss (8.4), third down defense (.264) and defensive touchdowns (three).

STATESMEN on the road
Delta State holds a 31-21 (.596) record in 52 games at on the road under Head Coach Todd Cooley. Delta State currently holds a 1-0 record on the road in 2024 as they defeated Mars Hill 47-16 on Week 0. The Statesmen currently hold a 13-game road winning streak dating back to 2022.
Wingate is 35-15 (.700) in its last 50 home games dating back to the start of the 2014 season. The Bulldogs were 3-2 at home in the 2023 season. This will be the home opener for the Bulldogs, as they went on the road defeated UNC Pembroke 17-12 to start the 2024 campaign
 
The DELTA STATE-WINGATE SERIES
This will mark the first ever meeting between the two teams. This matchup will be the 12th meeting between the Statesmen and a School from North Carolina.
 
Statesmen Against The SAC
Delta State has compiled a 5-0 (1.000) record against a school from the South Atlantic Conference (The SAC)
The Statesmen recently defeated SAC opponent Mars Hill 47-16 on Thursday August 29 at Mars Hill, N.C.
The history of both programs
 The Statesmen, who are embarking upon their 94th season of intercollegiate competition, have compiled a 501-411-23 overall record, winning 54.8 percent of their 934 all-time games.
Delta State is one of just 38 NCAA Division II institutions to have recorded 500 all-time victories. The Statesmen have the second most program victories out of any Gulf-South Schools
Wingate has a 219-184 (.543) record in 38 seasons of intercollegiate play.
 
Statesmen on Offense
Senior quarterback Cole Kirk had 416 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns in the week one 55-18 win at home against Missouri S&T. Kirk took a bootleg play 89 yards on the second play from scrimmage for one of his two TDs on the Ground. Kirk threw for 301 yards and four TDs in the winning effort as well. With his efforts, Kirk earned Gulf South Offensive Player of the Week along with D2Football.com's National Offensive Player of the Week. Kirk currently ranks fourth in the nation averaging 379 total yards of offense per game. The Statesmen's Scoring offense ranks the highest out of any Division II Program who had played two games as they average 50 points per game. 
The Depth in the Statesmen's skilled positions showed in the season opener. Senior wide receiver, Jaylen Green had three catches for 105 yards and a 53-yard touchdown reception. Sophomore tight end Carter Coullard had a perfect night as he had two receptions both ending with six points on the board. Preseason All-GSC running back Kelvin Smith had 127 all-purpose yards and two TDs for the Statesmen.  Smith had 10 carries for 74 yards as a part of a Statesmen ground attack that had 311 yards in the 55-18 win. Smith's two touchdowns came on two of his three receptions against the Miners as he had three receptions for 53 yards and two TDs.
 In the second half, the Statesmen continued to shine just like their week zero win against Mars Hill. On the defensive end, the Statesmen pitched a second-half shutout, outscoring the Miners 24-0 and only allowing 64 yards from the Miner offense. The Statesmen offense scored on four of their five drives with the fifth drive ending in victory formation.

Statesmen on Defense
 On the defensive side of the ball, The Statesmen were led by GSC Defensive Player of the Week JJ Hudson. Hudson led the Statesmen with eight tackles on the night and two QB Hurries.  The Statesmen had three TFLs from Mario Martin, Joseph Barton, and Tylenn Bridges. In the secondary, Sophomore defensive back Tye Holsey leads the Statesmen defense with 14 totals tackles on the season. Holsey had six tackles in the Pig Pickin' victory last Saturday.

Statesmen Special Teams.
Preseason All-GSC Kicker Nick Herber was a perfect 2/2 on Field Goals in the win. Herber connected from 30 and 34 yards. Senior Punter/Kickoff Specialist Parker Burleson averaged 61.0 yards on his kickoffs and five touchbacks. On the returner side, sophomore running back Tamaj Hoffman had a 34-yard kick return to start the second half marking the longest of the season.