Week 5 Preview: Delta State
Delta State, Gulf South (D2)
Broadcast: FLOSPORTS 6 PM EST/7PM CST
When We Last Saw Delta State
2021 Record: 2-2 (0-1)
Delta State went on the road last weekend to take on FCS Jackson State, falling 24-17 after being shut out in the first half, before outscoring the Tigers 17-7 to finish the game and coming up just short on a potential game tying drive in scoring position to end the game. The Statesmen were lead by RB Deion Dampier who lead all rushers in the game with 93 yards on just 8 carries and a 64 yard TD. Overall DSU finished with 154 yards rushing on 28 attempts (minus sacks) and a very good 5.5 ypc average. However, they had less than 100 yards passing on 33 attempts, and QB Patrick Shegog, who has been the offensive engine for the Statesmen this year, was sacked twice. DSU’s defense was really good at creating chaos for the Tiger offense, racking up 4 sacks and recovering a fumble. Overall the Statesmen are just 2-2 but both losses came in one score games against a top 15 West Georgia (1 point) and FCS JSU (7 points). They’ve been pretty balanced with 688 yards rushing and 791 yards passing, but they are 7th of 8 in conference for yards per play and 6th in passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, and total offense per game (369.8) in the GSC. On defense the Statesmen similarly have not been exceptional giving up 343.8 yards per game, which is also 6th in the GSC, but they’ve been among the best in the conference in Chaos plays, leading the league in sacks with 13 and INT with 7. So far in 2021 Delta has been the kind of team that is good enough at everything to be scary, but not great in any one specific phase of the game. They are lead on offense by Shegog (669 yards 7 TD passing 157 yards 2 TD rushing) and a trio of Running Backs Rico Owens (33 for 221 2 TD), Deion Dampier (29 for 139 2 TD), and Kory Gainwell (27 for 121 3 TD). Dampier has also contributed 79 yards and 2 TDs as a pass catcher, while Senior WR Dohnte Meyers leads all pass catchers with 14 catches for 258 yard 3 TDs and impressive 18.4 yards per reception. Defensively the trio of OLB Marvin Terry (more on him below), DT Tim Williams Jr, and Nose Tackle Stanley Talley lead a really disruptive front. They like to bring Terry from different angles, and Williams (6-4 265) and Talley (6-1 300) bring excellent size and athleticism to the line, where they’ll run some defensive games to confuse opposing OLs and QBs. On the back end the team has equal playmaking capabilities and a lot of experience. Graduate Junior Faulk (1 INT 5 PBU) at Corner and Junior Sherrod Page (2 INT 3 PBU) RS Senior Ty Woods (2 INT 3 PBU) at Safety are all off to terrific starts to the season.
Three Players to Know
Graduate Junior Faulk, Cornerback 6-1 206
2021 Stats: 14 tackles (14 solo) 3 TFL 1 INT 5 PBU
Faulk really stood out in the UWG game, routinely playing tight coverage on the outside against a potent Wolves passing attack. He finished that contest with 7 tackles and 1 PBU. He was a 2019 1st Team All-GSC selection and a D2 All-American by multiple publications following a 9 INT 13 PBU season. The 9 INTs lead the GSC by 5 over the next highest individual total. He is a big time playmaker on the outside, and has tremendous size to go along with his ball hawking ability.
Delta plays a 5 man backfield on defense, and Faulk will be responsible for taking away his side of the field from the Argos. You can’t just go to the other side, because their other starting Corner Snow is also a playmaker. West Florida is going to have to attack Faulk with the combo of Coates and Ashley, and try to win some one on one matchups against the talented 5th year player.
Grad Marvin Terry, Linebacker 6-2 220
2021 Stats: 26 tackles (19 solo) 9.0 TFL 3.5 sacks 2 PBU 3 hurries
Terry was a top returning starter from the 2019 season, when he garnered 2nd Team All-GSC after a 13.5 TFL 6 sack season. Back for his final year as in Cleveland and he is off to a great start. He is currently leading the Statesmen in TFL and is 2nd in sacks. Last week’s game against Jackson State was his best so far, totaling 11 tackles (5 solo) 4.0 TFL 2.5 sacks 1 hurry and garnering GSC Defensive Player of the Week. He was similarly impactful the week before against UWG racking up 4.0 TFL in the loss. Terry, who wears #0 is a playmaking outside linebacker, has had at least one TFL in each game this season.
The Argos have faced a number of really good pass rushers, and Terry is the next big challenge. He is rangy and bends well on the edge. He will be a little different challenge than anyone they’ve faced this year as a blitzing backer, rather than a hand in the dirt D Lineman. The duo of Bruce and Roman have been very stout so far this season and will be looked upon to step up again. Terry will line up stacked and blitz inside as well, so the UWF Guards will have to pitch in this week as well.
RS Junior Patrick Shegog, Quarterback 5-11 200
2021 Stats: 63-108 669 yards 7 TD 2 INT, 35 carries 157 yards 2 TD
Shegog, who was the 2018 GSC Freshman of the Year, hasn’t quite been as productive as that first season, but on film you still see flashes of what makes him so dangerous. He is a compact runner, who is pretty shifty and works the read option well. He has three solid RBs, which will help in that read option/RPO game that they like to play. As a passer, he isn’t asked to go downfield often, they like to throw a variety of outside WR screens, and use motion to both open up pass catchers and also provide extra blockers. But he can be efficient, if not explosive, throwing at over an 80% rate twice this season against Bethel and West Georgia. In 2018 he averaged over 50 yards rushing and 220 yards passing per game, and his totals this season 36 and 206 are lower than that, but he has that capability.
UWF has faced a c0uple decent runners at QB in Cody Orgeron and Callis Cooper, but Shegog is much more dynamic. He will be asked to run out of read option looks, he can scramble, and he is still a good enough thrower that he will probably open some passing lanes for himself if plays break down. West Florida is going to need to contain him and slow down the running game, force him to sit in the pocket to throw the ball. Trent Archie and the Defensive Line will have to step up in week 1 of GSC play.
Matchup of the Week
Delta State’s Defense vs UWF’s Passing Attack
What has UWF done best in 2021? Protecting Austin Reed (0 sacks against) and throwing the ball all over the yard (325 yards per game, 10 TDs-1 INT).
What has Delta State done best in 2021? Getting after the QB (13 sacks) and picking off the ball (7 INT).
It would appear another test is lined up for the Argos offense. As mentioned above, the main guy to look for is probably Marvin Terry, a pass rushing Outside Linebacker who has made a lot of plays behind the line this season. Whereas the Argos have faced a couple of good, hand in the dirt type Defensive Linemen in Isaiah Chambers (McNeese State) and Elijah Earls (TAMUC), Terry will line up on the edge, or as a stacked backer in DSU’s 3-3-5 defense and will attack your offense from different angles. He is backed up on the line with two productive interior DL in Tackle Tim Williams Jr (team leading 4.5 sacks) and Nose Stanley Talley (2.0 sacks). In the JSU game Delta used quite a few stunts and blitzes to try to take Tigers QB Shadeur Sanders off his rhythm, and were able to get home 4 times.
But it isn’t just a disruptive front that Austin Reed and Co. will have to deal with, the secondary is also a dangerous group. Their 7 INTs lead the conference, and 6 of the 7 come at the hands of the backfield. They’re also disrupting the passing game even when not forcing turnovers, with 21 PBUs from the secondary, lead by starting Corners Junior Faulk and Dayreke Snow with 5 each. These guys can really cover, on the outside, and that allows guys like Sherrod Paige to make plays all over the field.
On the flip side we have seen what the UWF offense is capable of against good a really good secondary, when the Argos passed for 274 yards on 8.6 yards per attempt against TAMUC. That Lions team is otherwise giving up just 148 yards per game through the air and only 5.2 yards per attempt against non-UWF opponents. I think this is a game when you’re going to see David Durden again be used heavily, both as a target and a diversion, because his speed in the slot will cause issues. It’ll be interesting to see if Ashley can finally get hot, he had his best game of the season so far last time we saw the Argos, with 7 catches for 73 yards, but of the Big 3 WRs, he is the only one to have not had a 100 yard game, and only has 1 TD on the season. JSU did beat up on the Statesmen through the air a bit last week, 251 yards 7.0 yards per attempt and 3 TDs, can the Argonauts find similar success this weekend?
Prediction
The Statesmen have played bend don’t break defense so far this season, giving up more yards than the final scores would indicate with 343 yards per game but just 20.5 points per game allowed. I think that bodes poorly when you’re going up against an offense that not only gets yards (461 yards per game) but also converts drives into points well, scoring TDs on 70% of their drives (excluding running out the clock at half or end of game). They’ve also been good in the red zone with 16 of 19 red zone appearances ending in touchdowns, with two missed FGs and one failed 4th down conversion. On offense, the Statesmen will try to get their athletes in space, expect a heavy dose of WR screens trying to get to the edge against the Argos. They lean heavily on a zone based run scheme, with a lot of read option and RPO that maximizes what Shegog can do for them. I don’t see DSU being able to out-athlete the West Florida second level defenders, so it could turn into a lot of option football for the Statesmen. In the end the Argos win on the road in a tough environment 45-21, and similarly control the second half as they have the last two times we have seen them.
