The Gulf South Conference was turned on its head last week when West Florida made the trip up to West Alabama and fell victim to the dreaded trap game, leaving Delta State alone atop the league, and putting three teams a game back of the Statesmen in the race for the GSC crown.

And wouldn’t you know it, West Florida gets set to take on Delta State in a game that could have major implications in the GSC, and perhaps in the playoffs down the line.

No. 18 West Florida (5-2, 3-1) at No. 5 Delta State (7-0, 5-0), 3 PM CT

• Where: Parker-McCool Field; Cleveland, Mississippi
• Last Week: West Florida lost to West Alabama, 10-6; Delta State defeated North Greenville, 49-27.
• Series History: West Florida leads 4-3. Last season the two split, Delta State winning 45-42 in 2OT in the regular season, and West Florida won 38-27 in NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Things could be really simple as a result of this game, or it could become endlessly complicated and chaotic to the finish line.

A win by Delta State would push the Statesmen to 8-0, 6-0 in the league with just conference games left, and already having a win over one of the 3-1 teams in the league chasing them. It would put them squarely in the driver’s seat for the outright Gulf South title, and potentially one of the four highest-ranked teams as the postseason looms.

A win by West Florida would mean four teams tied atop the league that would each have one loss, and a massive game in each of the last three weeks to try and break those ties and determine who the champion or champions might be.

Needless to say, there is a lot on the line Saturday in Cleveland, Mississippi.

It’s not always easy going from the hunter to the hunted, but @DeltaStateFB hasn’t let that affect them in 2023.

Read more: https://t.co/nRcOy1NQuk pic.twitter.com/5kBLQwwUsi

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 12, 2023

The host Statesmen come in rolling, 7-0, and really not having had to sweat out a win yet this season. That continued last week with a 49-27 win over a solid North Greenville team, who has a quality defense that’s kept them in games with some of the tougher GSC opponents on the schedule.

All DSU did was score multiple touchdowns in three quarters, rack up 526 yards of offense, and crush the Crusader rushing defense with 288 yards on the ground, over seven yards per carry, while finding paydirt six times on the ground.

Quarterback Patrick Shegog continues to be one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation, totaling over 300 total yards and four scores in the win.

Delta State Dominates✅@DeltaStateFB | @GulfSouth | @DeltaState #GulfSouthonFlo pic.twitter.com/CMiO8oxGq3

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 10, 2023

You name the offensive category, and the Statesmen are near the top of the category in the entire country. It’s been an efficient machine in all seven games so far, and the big challenge facing a West Florida defense that leads the league in points allowed, and yards per game.

For the first time all season against Division II competition, West Florida was absolutely shut down on offense. One of the GSC and nation’s best offenses coming into last week, the Argonauts managed just six points and only 214 yards of offense. Both their passing and running games were completely blanketed by the host Tigers, averaging just 3.5 yards per play, and being forced to punt nine times.

Despite that slowdown, the Argos and quarterback Peewee Jarrett are still third in the league in scoring and yardage.

But they again face a tough defense in Delta State, who despite giving up 27 last week to North Greenville, sit second in the league in points allowed, and third in the league in yards given up. For as high-scoring as the offenses for both teams have been, it could be the defenses that decide this one should either team figure out a way to get a couple of stops.

To sum it up, the edge on offense goes to the Statesmen, while the edge on defense goes to the Argonauts, but both units for both teams are elite.

As if you needed a reminder of just how even these teams are, the two teams split last season, with Delta State taking a 45-42 double-overtime thriller in the regular season, before UWF got revenge in the playoffs with a 38-27 victory. In both those games, the offenses were clicking, but the deciding factor, as it could be Saturday, was the turnover battle. In Delta State’s win the Statesmen won that battle 4-0, while in UWF’s win, the Argos had a 3-0 edge.

Saturday’s game is the FloFootball Game of the Week and can be streamed for free on the FloFootball YouTube and Facebook page.

Gulf South Games at a Glance

*All games scheduled for Saturday

Shorter (3-4, 1-3) at Valdosta State (6-1, 3-1), 3 PM ET

One of the teams who will be keeping a close eye on the West Florida-Delta State game is Valdosta State, who despite a loss to the Statesmen earlier in the year, could find themselves even in the loss column should UWF pull out the win.

The Blazers will need to take care of a tough Shorter team and come in off a narrow 21-10 win over Mississippi College. It was the first time the Blazers had leaned on their defense in a win, holding the Choctaw's high-powered rushing attack to under 200 yards, while forcing a pair of turnovers.

Shorter managed a defensive victory of its own last week to snap a two-game skid, topping Clark Atlanta by a 19-13 margin, in which the Hawks defense gave up just 276 yards, while the offense rushed for 251 yards.

Valdosta State swept a pair from the Hawks last season, but both were nailbiters, with the combined winning margin in those two games just six total points.

North Greenville (3-4, 2-3) at West Georgia (4-2, 3-1)

Another team that has a lot of interest in the UWF-DSU outcome, West Georgia needs a win to keep pace regardless of the outcome and comes in after holding off a winless Chowan team last week, 35-24. The Wolves had a bit more trouble with the winless Hawks than they would have preferred, but a 14-7 edge in the fourth, and 238 rushing yards proved to be the difference.

North Greenville hung tough with league-leading Delta State a week ago, pulling within a score in the fourth quarter before the Statesmen slammed the door. The Crusaders were efficient with their drives in the loss, getting just over 320 yards of offense, but managing 27 points.

The two teams met twice last season, with the Wolves taking both games, but only by a combined 10 points.

Chowan (0-7, 0-5) at Mississippi College (2-4, 1-3)

Chowan put up a tough fight against West Georgia last week, twice pulling within a touchdown of the Wolves, but was unable to pull off the upset in what was their best performance of the season to date. The Hawks passed for 303 yards in the loss, over 11 yards per attempt, showing they have the ability to hit for big plays.

Mississippi College was unable to cash in against Valdosta State, netting just 10 points despite over 350 yards. A pair of turnovers hurt them, as did going 1 of 4 on fourth downs. The Choctaws will look to the ground game against the league's worst rush defense.