CLEVELAND, Miss. - The No. 18 Delta State University Statesmen put on a show for the home crowd Saturday afternoon, rolling past Ferrum College 51–10 behind a complete team effort that saw points in all four quarters and contributions on both sides of the ball.
The Statesmen (6-1) wasted no time setting the tone when Joshua Phillips returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown on Ferrum's opening drive. From there, Delta State's offense took control — Cole Kirk scored on a 1-yard keeper and later connected with Nick Clark on an 11-yard touchdown pass, as DSU stormed to a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
Clark added a rushing score to open the second quarter before Garrett Ames sprinted 41 yards to the end zone to make it 34-7. Ferrum managed a field goal before halftime, but the Statesmen entered the locker room firmly in control, leading 34-10.
Delta State added to its cushion after halftime with a 21-yard field goal from Dean Roberts, and the Statesmen defense held Ferrum scoreless the rest of the way. Fourth-quarter touchdowns from Qualon Farrar (5-yard run) and Lawrence Armstrong (13-yard reception from Reed Miller) capped off the dominant performance. The touchdown from Miller to Armstrong marked the first of their careers for the duo as Statesmen.
The Statesmen racked up 504 yards of total offense, including 310 through the air and 194 on the ground. Kirk led the passing attack, completing 10-of-14 for 185 yards and a score, while Ames threw for 112 and ran for 58 more with a touchdown. Clark tallied 57 rushing yards and two total touchdowns, and Armstrong led the receivers with a score, while Matt Rozier led the receivers in yards (51).
Defensively, Delta State limited Ferrum to 293 yards and forced two interceptions — one each by Phillips and Kendall Lee, who returned his pick 35 yards to set up a late touchdown. Tavian Moore paced the defense with eight tackles and two tackles for loss, while Jacquez Tucker added a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Delta State will begin Gulf South Conference play with a road game against nationally ranked West Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. in Livingston, Ala.
