CLEVELAND, Miss. — Delta State University football earned a hard-fought 37-33 victory over West Alabama on Saturday at Parker Field at McCool Stadium, using a strong rushing attack and key defensive plays to secure the Gulf South Conference win.
The Statesmen improved to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play, overcoming multiple momentum swings in a back-and-forth contest.
Delta State opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal from
Price Nixon with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter. West Alabama answered immediately, returning the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead.
The Statesmen responded in the second quarter when
Jordan Bradley recovered a fumble and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown, putting Delta State ahead 10-7. West Alabama regained the lead with a 56-yard interception return, but the Statesmen answered before halftime.
Qualon Farrar capped a five-play, 23-yard drive with a 7-yard rushing touchdown, giving Delta State a 17-14 advantage.
West Alabama opened the second half with another 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, moving back in front 20-17. Delta State answered with a pair of rushing touchdowns to regain control. Farrar scored on a 6-yard run with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter, and
Nick Clark added a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:31 left in the period. The Statesmen carried a 31-20 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers cut into the deficit with a 1-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth, but Nixon connected on field goals of 41 and 27 yards to extend Delta State's advantage to 37-27.
West Alabama added a late touchdown with 1:32 remaining to make it a four-point game. The Statesmen held on in the closing moments to secure the victory.
Clark powered the Delta State offense with 178 rushing yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. Farrar added 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries as the Statesmen finished with 274 yards on the ground and 387 yards of total offense.
Defensively, Bradley's 62-yard fumble return for a touchdown proved to be a pivotal play. Delta State also recovered two West Alabama fumbles and forced three turnovers overall, including the fumble return for a score. The
Statesmen held the Tigers to 237 total yards and just 64 rushing yards.
Nixon finished 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, connecting from 26, 41 and 27 yards, and converted all four of his extra-point attempts.
