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| COURTESY DELTA STATE ATHLETICS |
GAME NOTES: Albany State (1-2) at No. 5 Delta State (3-0)
Complete weekly release with notes, stats, rankings and more in PDF format.
| STATESMEN FOOTBALL GAME DAY | |
| Date/Location: | Sept. 26, 2015 | Parker Field-McCool Stadium | Cleveland, Miss. |
| Kickoff Time: | 2 p.m. CST |
| Radio: | Statesmen Sports Network | Matt Jones (PxP), Mark Williams (Color), Philip Tang (Producer/Host), and Lane Quinton (Sidelines) |
| Rankings: | Delta State: No. 5 - AFCA | No. 6 - D2Football.com Albany State: NR - AFCA | NR - D2Football.com |
| Series History: | Second Meeting | DSU leads series 1-0 Last Meeting: W, 28-7 - Dec. 4, 2010 (NCAA Qtrs) |
| Coaches: | Delta State: Todd Cooley (19-5, 3rd season) Albany State: Dan Land (1-2, 1st season) |
| Live Audio: | Statesmen Sports Network (Click Here) |
| Live Stats: | DSU Live Stats (Click Here) |
| Live Video: | DSU Web Stream (Click Here) |
INSIDE THE SERIES: While the Statesmen and Golden Rams will meet for the second time on the gridiron Saturday, Sept. 26, it's the first time the two schools have met in the regular season. In the first meeting between the Super Region II powers, the Statesmen defeated ASU 28-7 in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Dec. 4, 2010 at The Coliseum in Albany, Georgia. DSU finished the day with 348 yards of total offense on 66 plays, including 156 yards rushing. The Statesmen held the ASU "Gold Rush" offense to 307 yards on the day, while shutting down its power run game to the tune of 104 yards on 33 carries.
LAST TIME OUT: Delta State University held Kentucky Wesleyan to just 194 total yards in a 51-18 victory on Pig Pickin', Saturday night at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. The Statesmen forced five turnovers, including a season-high four interceptions in the victory. KWC managed to rush for a mere eight yards on 33 carries, while passing for 186 yards on 18 completions. Junior running back D'Juan Bellaire rushed for a career-high three touchdowns to pace the Statesmen.
PACING THE GSC: Delta State enters Saturday's contest with Albany State leading the Gulf South Conference in scoring at 50.0 points per game. Led by Tyler Sullivan's 340.3 yards per contest, the Statesmen also lead the league in passing (379.7 ypg). DSU also tops the league's charts for interceptions (8) and sacks (8.0).
PULLING THEM DOWN: With four receivers ranked in the GSC's top 10, DSU's passing offense has been nearly unstoppable this season. Jarvis York and Justin Leavy rank No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in receptions entering the weekend, while Patrick Bethley sits at No. 6 and Darius Powell at No. 8.
AGAINST NONCONFERENCE FOES: The Statesmen face their 11th nonconference opponent under Todd Cooley, as Delta State welcomes Albany State to Parker-McCool. Cooley and the Statesmen have posted a 9-1 record against nonconference foes, including a 51-44 win at Texas A&M-Commerce and a 51-18 thumping of Kentucky Wesleyan last week. Cooley's lone nonconference loss came at the hands of TAMUC, 45-37, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 13, 2013. Delta State is an unblemished 6-0 against out of conference opponents at Parker Field-McCool Stadium under Cooley.
BECKWITH PACES BALL HAWKS: Junior safety Joreco Beckwith has shown early on this season why many in the GSC consider him one of the best defensive backs in the league. The Winnsboro, Louisiana native is pacing the Statesmen with 17 tackles and leads the GSC in interceptions with three.
GSC PREDICTIONS: Delta State was picked to finish second in the annual Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll behind league favorite West Georgia. UWG is the first team other than Delta State, North Alabama and Valdosta State to top the poll since 2000 when former league member Southern Arkansas finished first. The Statesmen placed five Preseason All-GSC honorees in Mose Countryman, Randall Boyd, Wilson Curtis, Romelo Wilson, and Richard Nash.
COURTESY DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
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