October 23rd, 2024 6:00am
Through seven weeks of action, the Gulf South standings are taking shape and it’s set to be an exciting race to the conference title. We have five teams in the hunt for the crown with just a few games left to play. In addition to vying for the GSC crown, there is the potential for multiple League teams to make it into the Division II playoffs as Valdosta State and West Alabama lead the pack with Delta State and West Florida close behind.
Week Seven Results (home team in bold)
West Florida 35, Chowan 6*
North Greenville 52, Erskine 35*
No. 3 Valdosta State 35, Mississippi College 10*
Delta State 21, No. 12 West Alabama 6*
Week Eight Schedule (all times Eastern)
*indicates Gulf South Conference game
Delta State (5-2, 2-1 GSC) at North Greenville (3-3, 2-1 GSC)*
Saturday, Oct. 26 | 1:00 pm | Tigerville, S.C. | Stats | Video
The roller coaster continues for Delta State after it pulled off the home upset over then-No. 12 West Alabama last weekend. Quarterback Cole Kirk had three total touchdowns and the DSU defense posted a shutout in the second half to seal the win. Through seven games, the Statesmen are outscoring the opposition by an average of 15 points per game and the secondary has allowed just eight passing touchdowns.
North Greenville celebrated homecoming in style, scoring 52 points on 550 total yards against Erskine. Quarterback Dylan Ramirez tossed a school-record six touchdown passes, while receiver Dre Williams had eight catches for 208 yards and four touchdowns followed by fellow receiver Tyshon Mansell with six catches for 101 yards and two more scores. Add in 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns from running back Jacob Walker, and the NGU offense is finding its groove.
The Trailblazers are averaging 38 points per game over their last three contests, but face a stingy Delta State defense looking to keep the passing game under control. NGU has never defeated the Statesmen in Tigerville, but I think that streak ends on Saturday afternoon.
My pick: North Greenville
Chowan (2-4, 1-2 GSC) at No. 19 West Alabama (5-1, 2-1 GSC)*
Saturday, Oct. 26 | 3:00 pm | Livingston, Ala. | Audio | Stats | Video
Chowan ran into the buzz saw that is the West Florida defense last week, scoring just six points on 211 total yards. The run game was bottled up, gaining 38 yards on 27 carries, but the defensive secondary provided a bright spot in holding UWF to 169 passing yards. The offense doesn’t provide enough consistent production from week to week for the Hawks to be a serious contender.
The Tigers suffered their first loss of the season a week ago as the offense hit a speed bump we have yet to see during the 2024 season. Quarterback Spencer Arceneaux did attempt a whopping 61 passes but that translated to just 297 passing yards and no score, while the run game mustered just 3.1 yards per carry. The defense did its job, forcing two turnovers and collecting seven tackles for loss while holding DSU scoreless in the second half despite the defeat.
West Alabama needs to bounce back in a big way and this week provides a great opportunity to show the national and regional voters that they deserve to be in playoff consideration. I expect the Tigers to run away early and put the game out of reach by the halftime break.
My pick: No. 19 West Alabama
Erskine (1-4, 0-2 GSC) at Mississippi College (0-7, 0-5 GSC)*
Saturday, Oct. 26 | 5:00 pm | Clinton, Miss. | Audio | Stats | Video
After two weeks away from competition, the Flying Fleet were rudely welcomed back to action by NGU to the tune of a 27-point loss. Despite the undesirable outcome, Erskine was able to score 35 points behind a three-touchdown performance from quarterback Craig Pender and freshman receiver Rodshaun Dorsey who had eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns. The Erskine defense has struggled all season long, giving up 35.2 points and 374.8 points per game and totaling just six sacks through five games.
Who would’ve thought that Mississippi College’s best offensive output of the season would come against the Valdosta State defense? The sad part is that that offensive performance was just 10 points on 261 yards in a 25-point loss. Running back Preston Godfrey continued to fill in at quarterback but completed just 1-of-3 pass attempts but did have 78 rushing yards, while senior Marcus Williams was finally able to break free for 86 rushing yards on 25 carries.
This is the Choctaws best chance to get in the win column so far, especially if they can ride what little positive momentum they can carry over from last week’s game. We’ve now seen a few weeks of the pseudo-Wildcat offense and I think this will be the week we see the MC offense reach its potential.
My pick: Mississippi College
Shorter (2-3) at West Florida (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 26 | 5:00 pm | Pensacola, Fla. | Audio | Stats | Video
All things considered, Shorter fared relatively well against now-Division I University of West Georgia last week with 13 points as the offense got a touchdown pass from quarterback Joshua Brown and 95 rushing yards on just 19 carries from Carlos Mann. However, the defense gave way to 480 total yards, including an average of eight yards per play. The Hawks have now lost three straight and have been outscored by 28.3 points per game during the losing streak.
It was a slow start to the season for the Argos, but they have since won three straight including last week’s 35-6 victory over Chowan on the road. Quarterback Marcus Stokes had three touchdown passes but was 10-for-22 passing in the game as West Florida turned positive field position into multiple scoring opportunities. The defense continues to impress after collecting 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two turnovers against Chowan and now have forced 67 tackles for loss and 19 sacks through six contests.
West Florida owns a perfect 7-0 record all-time against Shorter dating back to 2016 and that dominance is sure to continue on Saturday. West Florida still has an outside chance at the postseason and with just four games left, every win counts.
My pick: West Florida