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2024 Delta State vs West Florida

West Florida Defeats No. 19 Delta State In Gulf South Conference Matchup

West Florida Defeats No. 19 Delta State In Gulf South Conference Matchup

West Florida gets a big win against Delta State for another conference win and making a big case to get back into the NCAA Division II rankings.

Oct 13, 2024 by Cameron Belcher
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West Florida collects a much-needed win against Delta State on PenAir Field in Pensacola, FL, in a back-and-forth affair to improve to 2-1 in GSC play and sends a message to all of Division II.

The loss will cause the Delta State football team to drop 4-2 overall and 1-1 in GSC competition, and most importantly, it may very well knock them out of the top 25.

This game had exciting moments happening from start to finish. West Florida kicked things off with a touchdown on their first two drives, leaving the Statesmen reeling early. However, with a long rushing touchdown from Kelvin Smith to get them on the board, Delta State would eventually take the lead for a bit, but West Florida made the primetime plays when they were needed the most.

Quarterback Marcus Stokes had a pro-level performance with five total touchdowns (three passing and two rushing) and 326 yards. The Argonauts also got a nice performance from defensive tackle Traevon Mitchell after he had seven tackles in the game. 

Delta State's opponent last week, Chowan, is the next on the West Florida football schedule next week, and No. 11 West Alabama will go to Cleveland, Miss, as the Statemen will look to bounce back next week after this hard-fought loss.

Subscribe to watch the replay, or review the recap below.

Final Game Team Stats

Total Yards: Delta State 261, West Florida 533

Pass Yards: Delta State 143, West Florida 326

Rush Yards: Delta State 118, West Florida 207

Penalties: Delta State 7-65, West Florida 5-50

1st Downs: Delta State 13, West Florida 26

3rd Downs: Delta State 6-13, West Florida 8-14

4th Downs: Delta State 0-0, West Florida 1-2

Total Plays: Delta State 52, West Florida 73

Avg Yards/Play: Delta State 5.02, West Florida 7.30

Avg Yards/Completion: Delta State 11.9, West Florida 19.2

Avg Yards/Rush: Delta State 3.9, West Florida 4.0

Sack-Adjusted Rush Yards: Delta State 118 (3.9), West Florida 207 (4.0)

Red Zone: Delta State 0-0, West Florida 1-1

Time of Possession: Delta State 20:28, West Florida 39:32

Turnovers (Def Pts Off): Delta State 0 (0), West Florida 0 (0)

Fumbles-Lost: Delta State 0-0, West Florida 2-1

Sacks (Def Yards): Delta State 0 (0), West Florida 0 (0)

TFL (Def Yards): Delta State 0 (0), West Florida 0 (0)

Final: West Florida 40, Delta State 28

West Florida pulls off the "upset" against Delta State. Follow the action below to see what happened.

Marcus Stokes Has Been Unstoppable

Delta State 28, West Florida 33

West Florida Get One Step Closer To Pulling Off The Upset Win! - 4Q 5:46

Delta State 28, West Florida 33

Another touchdown between the quarterback and wide receiver duo, Marcus Stokes and Corey Scott, puts West Florida up by 12 points. This time with a 26-yard touchdown pass.

70-Yard Touchdown From Stokes To Scott

Delta State 28, West Florida 33

Argos Get The Stop - 4Q 10:15

Delta State 28, West Florida 33

A stop is made by West Florida after giving up that long drive to the Statesmen the drive before to give the offense the ball back with about 10:00 left remaining in the fourth quarter.

West Florida Comes Right Back At With One Play Touchdown - 4Q 11:20

Delta State 28, West Florida 33

Marcus Stokes has been lighting it up all day and comes up big for West Florida and throws a 70-yard bomb to Corey Scott after an offsides penalty on Delta State to take the lead and momentum right back in just one play. The 2-pt conversion is no good.

Delta State Takes The Lead For The Second Time - 4Q 11:31

Delta State 28, West Florida 27

Cole Kirk punches it in on a QB draw for the Statesmen after a long 10-play 80-yard drive to open up the final quarter and put the pressure back on West Florida.

End Of 3rd Quarter

Delta State 21, West Florida 27

Another defensive stop gives Delta State a chance at the lead going in to the forth.

We Have A Game Going Into The Fourth - 3Q 1:30

Delta State 21, West Florida 27

Holding the Argos to a short drive leads to good field position for Delta State and they use that to their advantage with a touchdown by running back Tamaj Hoffman to give them back the momentum.

The Statesmen Get A Much Needed Stop - 3Q 7:02

Delta State 14, West Florida 27

West Florida can't capitalize on the opportunity to go up three possessions and will give Delta State another chance to cut into the lead midway through the third quarter.

Delta State Gets Stopped On The First Drive Of The Second Half - 3Q 11:22

Delta State 14, West Florida 27

Only one first down on that drive from the Statesmen and a clutch defensive stop to get, or this game could get out of hand going down three touchdowns.

See The Quillen Touchdown Catch

Delta State 14, West Florida 27

Team Stats At Half

 Total Yards: Delta State 159, West Florida 335

Pass Yards: Delta State 91, West Florida 203

Rush Yards: Delta State 68, West Florida 132

Penalties: Delta State 4-40, West Florida 4-35

1st Downs: Delta State 6, West Florida 17

3rd Downs: Delta State 2-5, West Florida 6-9

4th Downs: Delta State 0-0, West Florida 1-2

Total Plays: Delta State 21, West Florida 42

Avg Yards/Play: Delta State 7.57, West Florida 7.98

Avg Yards/Completion: Delta State 13.0, West Florida 15.6

Avg Yards/Rush: Delta State 6.8, West Florida 4.7

Sack-Adjusted Rush Yards: Delta State 68 (6.8), West Florida 132 (4.7)

Red Zone: Delta State 0-0, West Florida 1-1

Time of Possession: Delta State 07:29, West Florida 22:31

Turnovers (Def Pts Off): Delta State 0 (0), West Florida 0 (0)

Fumbles-Lost: Delta State 0-0, West Florida 1-0

Sacks (Def Yards): Delta State 0 (0), West Florida 0 (0)

TFL (Def Yards): Delta State 0 (0), West Florida 0 (0)

West Florida Goes Two For One To Give Them A Two Possession Lead At The Half - Halftime

Delta State 14, West Florida 27

Once forcing Delta State to another three-and-out, Marcus Stokes adds another touchdown to his stat sheet with a 58-yard touchdown to Jakobe Quillen right before teams head into the locker room.

The Argonauts Take Back The Lead Just Before The Half - 2Q 1:15

Delta State 14, West Florida 20

After getting the tough stop after turning the ball over on downs, West Florida takes the lead with a long drive capped off with another Marcus Stokes scramble for a touchdown.

West Florida Gets Stuffed On Promising Drive - 2Q 8:38

Delta State 14, West Florida 13

West Florida gets greedy and goes for it on fourth down after not taking the field goal and getting to the line to gain. Delta State will take over at its 22-yard line.

Look At Cole Kirk-Jaylen Green Impressive Throw and Catch For A TD

Delta State 14, West Florida 13

Delta State Takes The Lead Away From The Argonauts - 2Q 13:47

Delta State 14, West Florida 13

Quarterback Cole Kirk gives the Statesmen the lead after a 24-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Jaylen Green.

Better Look At Smith's Long Run 

Delta State 7, West Florida 13

End Of The 1st Quarter

Delta State 7, West Florida 13

The Statesmen will have the ball on UWF 28 yard line looking to take the lead.

Delta State Answer Back With An Explosive Play - 1Q 2:29

Delta State 7, West Florida 13

After a three-and-out on the first possession, running back Kelvin Smith totes a 66-yard rushing touchdown up the middle to cut the lead to six.

Look At Marcus Strokes Rushing TD

Delta State 0, West Florida 13

West Florida Punches In Another One - 1Q 3:30

Delta State 0, West Florida 13

Marcus Stokes scrambles again near the goal line and this time keeps possession of the ball and scores the second touchdown of the day for West Florida. The PAT is no good.

Delta State Go Three-And-Out On Its Drive - 1Q 7:00

Delta State 0, West Florida 7

The Statesmen don't gain a single positive yard on their first drive, as West Florida will get the ball back with the early momentum on its side.

Visual Representation Of Play Below

Delta State 0, West Florida 7

West Florida Scores A TD On The First Drive - 1Q 9:10

Delta State 0, West Florida 7

After quarterback Marcus Stokes fumbles on the goal line, tight end Jack Robinette recovers it for the touchdown.

Delta State Kicks Off To West Florida - 1Q 15:00

Delta State 0, West Florida 0

The Argonauts will have the first drive of the game.

West Florida's Punt Return TD Last Week

Take A Look Of How Dominant Delta State's Offense Was Last Week

Series History Between West Florida and Delta State

This will be the 10th time these teams will play each other with West Florida owning slim 5-4 head-to-head lead and today couldn't be a better one for the Statesmen to tie the series up.

Oct 15, 2016: Delta State 51, West Florida 55 

Oct 14, 2017: Delta State 25, West Florida 28 

Sep 29, 2018: Delta State 21, West Florida 30 

Oct 5, 2019: Delta State 48, West Florida 3 

Oct 2, 2021: Delta State 39, West Florida 33 

Sep 24, 2022: Delta State 42, West Florida 45 

Nov 26, 2022: Delta State 27, West Florida 38 

Oct 21, 2023: Delta State 21, West Florida 24 

Nov 18, 2023: Delta State 14, West Florida 49 

Three Delta State Statesmen Earned GSC Honors Last Week

Delta State balled out last week against Chowan on both sides of the ball, and its players got rewarded for it, with Ahmir Taylor, Jonathan James, and Nick Clark all taking home GSC honors in the GSC Football Weekly Awards: Week 5. All winners and nominees have been listed for each of the awards won by the Statesmen from the GSCsports website.

Defensive Player of the Week

Ahmir Taylor, Sr., DL, Delta State & Larry Elder, Gr., DB, Valdosta State

Taylor accounted for a team-high six tackles, while tying a personal season-high with 1.5 tackles for loss in the Statesmen 54-9 win at home over Chowan in conference-play. The senior also notched his first sack of the campaign and had a forced fumble in the outing.

Elder earned his second GSC Defensive Player of the Week honor after finishing with five tackles including three solo stops, and a season-high 2.5 sacks in a 59-6 Blazer road win over Shorter. The graduate also recorded his first career interception as Blazer. 

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Jonathan James, Jr., DB, Delta State

James contributed to the Delta State 54-9 win by blocking a Chowan field goal and extra point attempt on Saturday. The junior thwarted the Hawks' attempt of getting on the scoreboard late in the first quarter and preserved a 14-0 DSU advantage. Then early in the fourth quarter, James stopped a Chowan PAT which led to teammate Tavian Moore's two-point scoop and score. 

Other nominees: Brandon Bowman, North Greenville; Virgil Lemons, West Florida.

Freshman of the Week:

Nick Clark, Fr., RB, Delta State

Clark chipped in on Saturday's Delta State win at home over Chowan. The rookie had a pair of season-highs as he rushed 42 yards on eight carries, helping the Statesmen offense tally 248 yards on the ground and 463 total yards of offense. Clark punctuated the performance by punching in his first career touchdown from three yards out. He becomes the first Statesmen to earn top freshman weekly honors since Omar Mantelli was recognized on Nov. 8, 2011.

Other nominees: Brandon Bowman, North Greenville; Keeshaun Glanton, West Florida

West Florida 2024 Football Schedule

  • Sep. 5: McKendree 6, West Florida 38 (W)
  • Sep. 21: West Alabama 35, West Florida 33 (L)
  • Sep. 28: at Grand Valley State, 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT (L)
  • Oct. 5: Mississippi College 0, West Florida 31 (W)
  • Oct. 12: Delta State at West Florida, 4 p.m.
  • Oct. 19: at Chowan, 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 26: Shorter at West Florida, 4 p.m.
  • Nov. 2: at Erskine, 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET
  • Nov. 9: North Greenville at West Florida, 2 p.m.
  • Nov. 16: at Valdosta State, 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

Delta State 2024 Football Schedule 

  • Aug. 29: Mars Hill 16, Delta State 47 (W)
  • Sep. 7: Missouri S&T 18, Delta State 55 (W)
  • Sep. 14: Delta State 7, Wingate 21 (L)
  • Sep. 21: Fort Valley State 24, Delta State 27 (W)
  • Sep. 28: Canceled: Erskine vs. Delta State (Hurricane Helene)
  • Oct. 5: Chowan 9, Delta State 54 (W)
  • Oct. 12: at West Florida, 4 p.m.
  • Oct. 19: West Alabama at Delta State, 4 p.m.
  • Oct. 26: at North Greenville, 1 p.m.
  • Nov. 9: Valdosta State at Delta State, 2 p.m.
  • Nov. 16: at Mississippi College, 12 p.m.

Delta State 2024 Football Roster

This is where fans can find the Delta State roster.

West Florida 2024 Football Roster 

This is where fans can find the West Florida roster.

How To Watch Delta State Vs. West Florida 

You can catch this game streaming live on FloSports and on the FloSports app at 5:00 p.m. EST. 

Watch Gulf South Football On FloFootball

Here's the Gulf South broadcast schedule on FloFootball for week 7 of the college football season.

October 12, 2024

AFCA NCAA Division II Football Rankings In Week 7

  1. Harding (Ark.) (30) - Prev. 1
  2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) - Prev. 2
  3. Valdosta St. (Ga.) - Prev. 3
  4. Ferris St. (Mich) - Prev. 5
  5. Kutztown (Pa.) - Prev. 8
  6. Slippery Rock (Pa.) - Prev. 9
  7. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) - Prev. 10
  8. Western Colorado - Prev. 13
  9. Central Washington - Prev. 11
  10. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) - Prev. 14
  11. West Alabama - Prev. 15
  12. Colorado School of Mines - Prev. 4
  13. Central Oklahoma - Prev. 17
  14. Charleston (W.Va.) - Prev. 16
  15. Minnesota St. - Prev. 7
  16. Colorado St.- Pueblo - Prev. 18t
  17. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) - Prev. 6
  18. Emporia St. (Kan.) - Prev. 18t
  19. Delta St. (Miss.) - Prev. 20
  20. Findlay (Ohio) - Prev. 23
  21. Indianapolis (Ind.) - Prev. 22
  22. Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) - Prev. 24
  23. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) - Prev. 25
  24. Frostburg St. (Md.) - NR
  25. Indiana (Pa.) - Prev. 21

Dropped Out: Central Missouri (12)

Others Receiving Votes: Central Missouri, 45; Augustana (S.D.), 28; West Florida, 19; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 17; Virginia Union, 13; Southern Arkansas, 11; Henderson St. (Ark.), 9; Northwest Missouri St., 5; New Haven (Conn.), 4; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 4; Wayne St. (Neb.), 4; Assumption (Mass.), 3; Colorado Mesa, 2; Davenport (Mich.), 2; Michigan Tech, 2; Angelo St. (Tex.), 1; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 1; Limestone (S.C.), 1.

How To Watch College Football 2024

Hundreds of FCS, Division 2 and Division 3 games will stream live on FloFootball and the FloSports app.

Game replays, highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms. 

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

Watch The 2024 College Football Season On FloFootball 

FloFootball is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloFootball schedule page for the lastest games. 

Join the College Football Conversation