LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Football team is set to put their undefeated record and No.10 ranking on the line on Saturday when they travel to Cleveland, Mississippi for a 4:00 p.m. clash against Delta State.
No.10 West Alabama (5-0, 2-0 GSC) enters after a dominant 26-0 win over Mississippi College last week, while Delta State (4-2, 1-1 GSC) comes into the weekend after a 40-28 loss to West Florida.
"Playing at Delta State is always a tough place to play," said head coach
Brett Gilliland. "We are excited for the challenge and opportunity to go play a great GSC team on the road."
With UWA and DSU standing as two of the best teams in the GSC, all eyes will be on the matchup between the Tigers and Statesmen on Saturday. We are slated for a classic battle of defense vs offense as West Alabama brings one of the best defenses in the country into Cleveland, allowing 14.2 points per game, which sits them 14th in the nation. Delta State possesses one of the better offensive units, averaging 36.3 points per game,which ranks 20th in the country.
The Tigers defense is filled with speed, strength, size, and quickness which has overpowered all of their opponents this season. After an eight tackle performance against the Choctaws last week,
Ishmael Naylor remains the team and conference leader in tackles with 37. On the defensive line,
Trevon Lambert continues to shine as an edge rusher, leading the GSC with 5.5 sacks while ranking third in the conference in tackles for loss with 7.0. We can talk on and on about the talent on the defensive side of the ball for UWA, and they continue to find playmakers such as
Delawrence Butler who produced a career-performance against Mississippi College. With the Choctaws implementing a rush heavy offensive attack, Butler was instrumental as a run stopper, recording a career and game-high 13 tackles which led to the graduate student earning his first GSC Defensive Player of the Week nod.
On the offensive side of the ball for West Alabama, they continue to play productive and mistake free football. With
Spencer Arceneaux at the helm, the Tigers have only turned the ball over three times in five games. UWA has been fairly balanced in their offensive attack this season, mixing up the pass and run while excelling in getting the ball into the hands of their playmakers.
Caeleb Bass has emerged as one of the best Tight Ends in the GSC and serves as a touchdown machine in the redzone. The 6'6" Tight End is nearly impossible to cover one-on-one near the goal line, resulting in the junior catching four touchdowns this season which ranks third in the league.
After losing one of the best Quarterbacks in school history in Patrick Shegog over the offseason, Delta State's offense hasn't missed a beat, with junior Quarterback Kirk Cole filling Shegog's shoes. Cole comes into Saturday's game with 12 touchdowns and 1,160 yards through the air along with 388 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground through six games. Cole is surrounded by talent at all positions, but Wide Receiver Jaylen Green and Running Back Kelvin Smith stand out above the rest. Green leads the Statesmen and the conference with six receiving touchdowns while ranking second in the league with 421 receiving yards on 23 catches. In the backfield, Smith is at the top of the heap as he brings a league-high 425 rushing yards into Saturday's contest. The senior Running Back is currently averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has found the endzone seven times for Delta State this year.
DSU brings the best rushing attack to the table that West Alabama has seen this year, making Saturday afternoon's contest all that more intriguing with UWA carrying run stoppers such as Lawrence, Naylor, Lambert, and
Trevon Stanford on their roster.
"We know we will have to play well in all three phases to be successful," Gilliland continued. "I am excited to see our guys compete and continue to find ways to get better."
Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 4:00 p.m. from Parker Field at McCool Stadium in Cleveland, Mississippi.
