September 25th, 2024 6:00am
Week Three continued to provide fireworks for the Gulf South with two of the four games being decided by late field goals. We have three teams in the Top 25 (Valdosta State, West Florida, West Alabama) and Delta State will have something to prove after dropping out for the first time in years. Keep a special eye on two matchups featuring ranked opponents as No. 20 West Florida faces off against No. 2 Grand Valley State, and the 18th-ranked Tigers of West Alabama travel east for a tilt against No. 3 Valdosta State under the lights.
*UPDATE* THE GAME BETWEEN NO. 3 VALDOSTA STATE AND NO. 18 WEST ALABAMA HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO PENDING INCLEMENT WEATHER FROM HURRICANE HELENE. NO MAKE UP DATE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.
Week Three Results (home team in bold)
No. 3 Valdosta State 73, Erskine 0
North Greenville 29, Mississippi College 7
West Alabama 35, No. 13 West Florida 33 (2 OT)
No. 24 Delta State 27, Fort Valley State 24
Week Four Schedule (all times Eastern)
*indicates Gulf South Conference game
Mississippi College (0-3, 0-1 GSC) at Chowan (0-2, 0-0 GSC)*
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 1:00 pm | Murfreesboro, N.C. | Audio | Stats | Video
We are three games into the Mike Kershaw era at Mississippi College and what was supposed to be a dynamic offense has not lived up to the hype as the Choctaws are averaging just 6.3 points and 264 yards per game. Running back Marcus Williams continues to carry the load with 166 rushing yards and one touchdown, 88 receiving yards, and 89 return yards, while Preston Godfrey provides a nice complement out of the backfield with 136 yards and a score of his own. The passing game has produced zero touchdowns to five interceptions as MC is still searching for answers under center.
The Hawks return from a bye week looking for answers, primarily on the offensive side of the ball where the team has struggled to average 233.5 yards per contest to open the season. Dual-threat quarterback Maurice Smith has done most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 169 yards and a touchdown on just 25 carries while completing 57.1% of his pass attempts for 160 yards and a score.
The Choctaws defense has held its own despite being on the field for over 35 minutes per game, giving up just 325.7 yards per game to the opposition. We may find ourselves in a low-scoring affair, but the Mississippi College defense will keep Chowan off the scoreboard long enough for the offense to (hopefully) find a rhythm.
My pick: Mississippi College
No. 20 West Florida (1-1) at No. 2 Grand Valley State (3-0)
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 3:00 pm | Allendale, Mich. | Stats | Video
The Argos did all they could to survive last week’s test from West Alabama, putting up 33 points on just 269 total yards of offense. However, the run game stalled with just 64 total yards and quarterback Marcus Stokes threw two interceptions, bringing his season total to four giveaways in just two games. The defense did produce 10 tackles for loss and six pass breakups in the contest as Ralph Ortiz continues to be a menace for opposing offenses.
Grand Valley State, a perennial Division II powerhouse, looked a little shaky last week in a 20-13 win over Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Lakers put up almost 400 yards on offense despite using three different quarterbacks as starting quarterback Avery Moore missed the game due to injury. GVSU has already survived one test this season, defeating then-No. 22 Colorado State-Pueblo 24-21 in Week Two on the road.
West Florida’s cost turnovers have hurt them this season and they are fortunate to be 1-1 overall. Grand Valley State’s defense is an opportunistic bunch, having forced five turnovers already this season, and if the Argos don’t protect the ball this one could get away from them in a hurry.
My pick: No. 2 Grand Valley State
Delta State (3-1, 0-0 GSC) at Erskine (1-3, 0-1 GSC)*
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 4:00 pm | Greenwood, S.C. | Stats | Video
For the first time in a long time, Delta State dropped from the D2Football.com Top 25 despite earning a win last weekend over Fort Valley State, using a 22-yard field goal from all-conference kicker Nick Herber with 1:16 left to take the lead for good. I’m sure the voters were expecting a much more dominant performance from the Statesmen, as we all were, but quarterback Cole Kirk was still solid with 241 passing yards and two touchdowns while running back Kelvin Smith scored a touchdown of his own on the ground.
Erskine was welcomed to the Gulf South was a 73-0 drubbing at the hands of No. 3 Valdosta State last weekend, gaining just 74 total yards on offense including five rushing yards on 37 attempts. The Flying Fleet were without starting quarterback Craig Pender, which didn’t help matters, but defensive back Myles Mayhorn put his skills on display with 10 total tackles in the contest.
One week after a rude welcome to the GSC, Erskine has to now play host to a Delta State team with something to prove. We may just get to see the DSU team show up this week that we’ve all been expecting during the 2024 season as I expect this one to trend heavily in the Statesmen’s favor.
My pick: Delta State
Shorter (2-0) at North Greenville (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 7:00 pm | Tigerville, S.C. | Stats | Video
Shorter, spending this season as a Division II independent as they transition from the Gulf South to Conference Carolinas in 2025, has had a strong start to the 2024 season including a season-opening victory over Mississippi College. The Hawks are averaging 38 points and 388 yards per game led by quarterback Harold Cook who is completing 75% of his passes for 402 yards and four touchdowns. Lineman Tony Bethea is a force in the middle and already has 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in the Hawks’ first two games.
The Trailblazers went on the road last week and proved dominant in a win over Mississippi College, outgaining the Choctaws 342-270 while collecting six tackles for loss and two interceptions. Quarterback Dylan Ramirez was the star of the show offensively, passing for 283 yards and two touchdowns as well as scoring twice on the ground. Jackson Sims led the defense with six total tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble.
North Greenville had just 59 rushing yards last week, but used enough big plays through the air and on defense (two interception returns for 79 and 57 yards, respectively) to earn its first conference win of the year. The two sides have played seven times since 2008 with NGU holding a 5-2 edge and I expect that win total to increase this week at home.
My pick: North Greenville
Editor's update Sept. 25, 8pm: The West Alabama at Valdosta State game has been canceled. The path of Hurricane Helene is expected to bring multiple days of severe weather impact to the area. No makeup date has been scheduled.
No. 18 West Alabama (4-0, 1-0 GSC) at No. 3 Valdosta State (4-0, 1-0 GSC)*
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 7:00 pm | Valdosta, Ga. | *CANCELLED*