Oct. 8, 2016 l Tiger Stadium | Livingston, Ala. | 4 p.m. CDT l ESPN 104.9
THE SERIES
This is the 62nd meeting between the Tigers and Statesmen, with DSU holding a 35-23-3 lead in the series. Delta State has won seven of the last 11 meetings, but UWA has won three of the last four.
WEST ALABAMA
West Alabama is 2-3 overall, 2-1 in the GSC after a 43-28 win at Shorter last week.
DELTA STATE
Delta State is 3-2 overall, 2-1 in the GSC after a 61-31 win over Mississippi College last week.
THE COACHES
Brett Gilliland is 14-13 in his third season at UWA, his third as a head coach. Todd Cooley is 24-9 in his fourth season at DSU.
COVERAGE
Radio: ESPN 104.9 or
www.espn1049.com
Twitter: @UWAAthletics
Live Stats and Video:
www.uwaathletics.com
HOMECOMING MEANS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Each year at Homecoming, UWA greats are inducted into the University of West Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame. Current Tiger head baseball coach
Gary Rundles, head athletic trainer Brad Montgomery, as well as former Tiger women's basketball player and current Rice head coach Tina Langley are honored this year as the 70th, 71st and 72nd members of the UWA Athletic Hall of Fame. Rundles and Montgomery will serve as honorary captains for the DSU game. Langley will not be in attendance.
FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETES HONORED
In the neighborhood of 100 former UWA student-athletes are expected to be honored in pregame ceremonies prior to the game. L-Club Director
Christi Wade began the initiative two years ago and it has been a well-received new addition to Homecoming festivities.
FOUR OF TOP 10 GSC RUSHERS
This game features four of the top 10 ball carriers in the GSC. DSU's Chris Robinson leads the league with 107.0 yards per game, followed by UWA's Lakendric Thomas in third at 71.6, DSU's D'Juan Bellaire in seventh at 58.2 and UWA's
Rashaad Lee in 10th at 42.8. Robinson also leads the league and is third nationally in scoring with 12 TDs
KEEPING SCORE
UWA's defenders have a tough task facing a DSU offense that leads the GSC and is 14th in Division II in scoring at 42.0 points per game. The Tigers are fifth in the league in scoring defense at 28.0 points per game.
NCAA DEFENDERS
UWA defensive end
Darius Ellis is 13th in Division II averaging 1.9 tackles for loss per game. Cornerback
Dee Virgin's three interceptions has him tied for 15th nationally.
COACH G vs DELTA STATE
Tiger head coach
Brett Gilliland is 1-1 against Delta State, having beaten the Statesmen in Cleveland, Mississippi last season and losing to DSU at home in 2014.
HOME AGAIN
This game is just the second home game of the season for West Alabama, with the Tigers playing four of the first five away from Tiger Stadium. UWA is 0-1 at home, losing 45-7 to North Alabama on Sept. 24. Next week … back on the road to West Georgia.
COMMON OPPONENTS
UWA and Delta State have played two common opponents, Mississippi College and Shorter. Both the Tigers and Statesmen recorded lopsided wins over the Choctaws and Hawks.
UNIFORM COMBINATION RECORDS
Red Jersey, Red Pants: 0-0
White Jersey, Red Pants: 0-1
White Jersey, White Pants: 1-1
Red Jersey, Black Pants: 1-0
Red Jersey, White Pants: 0-1
White Jersey, Black Pants: 0-0
TOP PASSERS
This game features two of the top passers in the GSC. Delta State's Tyler Sullivan leads the league with a completion percentage of 70%, connecting on 101-of-144 passing attempts. UWA's
Austin Grammer is third in the league in passing yards per game at 240.3
SAVAGE RETURNS
Tiger sophomore
CJ Savage leads the GSC in kickoff returns yards at 27.3 per return.
DONTA IN NCAA TOP 20
UWA receiver
Donta Armstrong's 8.0 receptions per game is 18th in NCAA Division II football.
HOMECOMING HISTORY LESSON
The University of West Alabama was chartered as a church-related female academy in 1835 and admitted its first students in 1839. The institution has been known as Livingston Female Academy and State Normal College, State Teachers College, Livingston State Teachers College and Livingston University. In 1995 the name of the institution was changed to the University of West Alabama.
