Mississippi Valley hosts Delta State in Home Opener

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GAME ONE NOTES: Delta State University (0-0, 0-0 GSC) at Mississippi Valley State (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)Complete weekly release with notes, rankings, stats and more in PDF

CLEVELAND, Miss. - Change is inevitable and the Delta State University football team is ready to leave behind the disappointments of 2012, as first-year head coach Todd Cooley begins his tenure with the Statesmen on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Mississippi Valley State. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Rice-Totten Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network beginning at noon with the DSU Alumni Association Statesmen Game Day. Matt Jones, Mark Williams and Lane Quinton will have the call.

STATESMEN GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date/Location: Sept. 7, 2013 | Rice-Totten Stadium
Kickoff Time: 1 p.m. CST
Radio: Statesmen Sports Network | Matt Jones (PxP), Mark Williams (Color), Lane Quinton (Sidelines)
Rankings: Delta State (NR - D2Football.com / NR - AFCA Top 25)
Mississippi Valley State (NR - Black College FB / NR - AFCA Top 25)
Series History: Delta State leads series 3-1; 1-1 at Rice-Totten Stadium
Live Audio: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/dsu.portal#
Live Stats: Not available
Television: None

A Series Renewed: The Statesmen and Delta Devils are rekindling a series that saw record crowds for both institutions from 2000-2003. DSU owns a 3-1 edge in the series standings, including a 45-0 victory in the last matchup between the two schools during the 2003. However, DSU's lone series loss came in 2002, as the Delta Devils claimed a 28-26 victory in Itta Bena in former head coach Rick Rhoades debut with the Statesmen. The Statesmen have out-scored the Delta Devils 131-54 in the previous four meetings for an average score of 33-14.

Cooley Begins Delta State Tenure: The Statesmen (0-0, 0-0 GSC) of Delta State University open the 2013 season Saturday, Sept. 7 at Mississippi Valley State University against the Delta Devils (0-0, 0-0 SWAC). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Rice-Totten Stadium. Saturday's "Delta Clash" will be the first in Todd Cooley's career as a head coach and the 81st season-opener in school history. DSU is 41-35-4 all-time to open a season.

Unfamiliar Territory: Delta State begins the 2013 campaign in unfamiliar territory, as the Gulf South Conference league coaches picked the Statesmen to finish fourth this season. Valdosta State, defending NCAA DII National Champions, and defending GSC champion West Alabama both received 23 points in the annual preseason poll. The Statesmen received 12 points, tying with West Georgia for fourth, and were picked to finish behind North Alabama (14). Florida Tech (6), which is in their first season competitively with the GSC and is picked to finish last.

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