STORYLINES
After a wild series of upsets and surprises, Week 6 of the Gulf South poses a lot of questions and some interesting match-ups , highlighted by a AFCA Top 15 battle between West Georgia and West Florida.
- Delta State at North Greenville – Delta State carry a 5-0 record to begin the week, including a huge 70-31 win against then-No. 13 Valdosta State last weekend, while the offense racked up 703 total yards of offense. North Greenville looks to recover at home after suffering a heartbreaking 34-31 loss to West Florida on a last second field goal. DSU leads the all-time 3-2, but has dropped two of the last three meetings, including a 42-34 double OT decision last season.
- Shorter at Mississippi College – A successful second half rally saw Mississippi College stun then-No. 5 West Georgia last Saturday, 39-38. The Choctaws look to build momentum as they entertain Shorter. The Hawks meanwhile will try to recapture their early season form and end a three-game skid. MC leads the all-time series 5-2 and are winners of the last five-straight meetings.
- West Florida at West Georgia – West Georgia looks to bounce back at home, but will be tested as the Wolves host West Florida in AFCA Top 25 match-up, the second one between GSC teams in as many weeks. The all-time series is tied at 3-3, UWF won the last meeting in Carrollton in 2019 (30-2), while UWG has won two of the last three.
- West Alabama at Valdosta State – The Tigers head east to face Valdosta State as both teams try to improve to 2-1 on the year. UWA is 2-0 on the road this season, while the Blazers 1-1 at home. VSU is second in the GSC in scoring offense, but has also allowed the most points in the league entering the week. On the flip side, UWA is last among league leader in scoring offense and second-overall in points allowed. VSU leads the all-time series 9-3, and has won six of the last seven meetings.
| DATE |
MATCHUP |
TIME |
WATCH |
| Sat., Oct. 8 |
Delta State at North Greenville |
1 pm ET |
FloFootball |
| Sat., Oct. 8 |
Shorter at Mississippi College |
2 pm CT |
FloFootball |
| Sat., Oct. 8 |
West Florida at West Georgia |
6 pm ET |
FloFootball |
| Sat., Oct. 8 |
West Alabama at Valdosta State |
7 pm ET |
FloFootball |
WATCH ON FLOSPORTS
For the second-consecutive season, FloSports and FloFootball will be the exclusive home for all GSC home games during the 2022 season. Fans can subscribe to the streaming service at a special GSC discounted rate of $19.99/month or $150/year ($12.50/mo.), and subscriptions are able to be canceled at anytime. For more information or to sign-up visit
flosports.tv/gulfsouth.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
- West Florida (No. 10), Delta State (No. 13) and West Georgia (No. 15) were ranked in the fifth regular season poll of 2022 by the AFCA. As a result, the Gulf South extended its run to 44 consecutive polls, dating back to Dec.18, 2017, with at least one team ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25.
- A GSC team has been among the Top 10 in the last 38-straight polls. The league however saw its run among the Top 5 come to end as it was part of the last 31 rankings (Nov. 5, 2018-Sept.5, 2022).
- Prior to the 2022 season, conference teams have been ranked in the AFCA Top 25 a combined 801 times since the start of the 2000 season, including 64 total mentions with a representative at No. 1.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Gulf South teams are 15-7 in non-conference action through the first three weeks of the 2022 season, including a 1-1 record against Division I-FCS opposition. In the past five seasons, the GSC has posted a 73-44 record in regular season contests against non-GSC teams. The league was 19-4 last season, 12-7 in 2019, 15-10 in 2018, 12-11 in 2017 and 15-8 in 2016.
NATIONAL AWARD WATCHLIST
- GSC has four representatives on the Harlon Hill Watchlist, which is awarded annually to the top player in Division II. Among the list is Ivory Durham (Valdosta State), Harrison Frost (West Georgia), Kyle Morlock (Shorter) and David Durden (West Florida).
- Following stellar back-to-back performance’s Delta State’s Patrick Shegog has been a mid-season addition to the Harlon Hill Watchlist.
- Durden was also a preseason candidate for the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
ODD & ENDS
- West Florida led the league with eight preseason All-GSC selections, including six offensive nods. Valdosta State followed with six overall picks and four on offense. North Greenville, West Alabama and UWF each had two defensive selections.
- Delta State’s 703 yards of the offense in Week 5 against Valdosta State is an NCAA D2-best this season, eclipsing the previous mark of 700 total yards set by the Blazers in Week 3.
- Delta State’s five-consecutive wins to enter the week is tied for the ninth-longest active streak in NCAA D2 this season. The Statesmen are just one of 16 teams in Division II still holding onto a perfect record.
- West Georgia leads the nation with 0.00 sacks allowed thus far this season, while Valdosta State (0.20) and West Florida (0.25) are ranked second and sixth-overall among national leaders.
- On Sept. 24, West Georgia head coach David Dean tallied his 37th win with the Wolves, becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach following a 22-7 victory over West Alabama. Dean, who previously coached Valdosta State from 2007-15, began the season ranked third all-time in GSC-history with 113 career wins, trailing Bobby Wallace (152) and John M. Williams (122).