September 2nd, 2026 10:00am
One week in, and Gulf South already has its share of teams overreacting to a single result — some for good reason. A few statements got made, a few concerns got confirmed, and this week is the first real chance to find out which of those was noise and which is a trend. Here's what's on tap.
LAST WEEK (home team in bold)
No. 15 Valdosta State 38, Emory & Henry 10
No. 23 Northeastern State 52, Delta State 0
West Alabama 27, Tuskegee 17 (neutral site)
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
Thursday, Sept. 3
Warner (NAIA) at No. 15 Valdosta State (1-0) | Valdosta, Ga. | 7:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Warner heads into a tough test at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium fresh off a 2-8 season that exposed problems on both sides of the ball — the Royals managed just 19.6 points a game in 2025 while their defense surrendered 38.4 points and nearly 400 total yards per contest. Sophomore quarterback Michael Ryan gets another shot behind center after throwing for 1,144 yards as a first-year starter, and while the turnovers (seven interceptions) need to come down, that experience should help an offense searching for consistency. Defensively, sophomore Drayden Wood is the most proven piece left in the secondary after picking off a pass in 2025, part of a retooled group that also has to replace its top two tacklers from a year ago.
Fans inside Bazemore-Hyder Stadium are sure to be riding high after a convincing 38-10 win over Emory & Henry last week, a game the Blazers dominated almost entirely on the ground with 374 rushing yards. Shawn Paschall was the headliner, breaking off an 89-yard touchdown run among his 127 yards on just 10 carries, and Leon Washington Jr. matched him as a big play threat with an 81-yard score on his only carry of the day. Quarterback Hezekiah Harris didn't need to do much, but he made the most of it, going 8-of-16 for 93 yards and two touchdowns.. The defense was just as sharp, holding Emory & Henry to 230 total yards and 10 points behind a well-distributed effort led by Ramontei Dardy's four tackles as the team tallied three sacks and seven pass breakups.
Prediction: No. 15 Valdosta State
Saturday, Sept. 5
West Alabama at No. 21 Lenoir-Rhyne (1-0) | Hickory, N.C. | 3:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
West Alabama prepares to face Lenoir-Rhyne fresh off a 27-17 win over Tuskegee at the Red Tails Classic, a game that showcased a far more dynamic offense than the one that struggled at times in 2025. New quarterback Luther Richesson threw for three of the Tigers' four touchdowns, finishing 16-of-25 for 215 yards while also rushing for 93 yards on just seven carries. He found Kaden Cupp for two scores (his only two catches of the night), while TD Parker chipped in four receptions for 57 yards. Brayden Jenkins supplied the offense's other touchdown on the ground as part of a 196-yard team rushing effort. The defense didn't post gaudy individual numbers — KC Bradford, Ayden Gibson and Anthony Oatis each had five tackles — but forced three fumbles.
Lenoir-Rhyne is coming off arguably the most complete performance in the country in Week 0 — a 45-3 dismantling of Virginia Union in which the Bears racked up 505 total yards and held their opponent to just 183. Shermon Davis broke off a 70-yard run among his 109 yards on only eight carries, LJ Turner punched in two rushing touchdowns, and quarterback Wells Bettenhausen was nearly flawless through the air, completing 18-of-26 passes for 261 yards while spreading targets to Mikel McClellan (112 yards) and Jarrod Mewborn (a touchdown catch). The defense matched that dominance, sacking Virginia Union five times — two from Carnell Ferguson — and Lawson Collins added an interception.
Prediction: No. 21 Lenoir-Rhyne
Wingate (0-1) at Delta State (0-1) | Cleveland, Miss. | 7:00 PM | AUDIO | STATS | VIDEO
Wingate hits the long road to Cleveland, Mississippi to face Delta State after an offensively challenged 21-13 loss to UNC Pembroke in the opener, one in which the Bulldogs managed just 204 total yards. Ethan Wallace was the offense's lone consistent source of production, rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while quarterback Brooks Brien struggled to connect, finishing 7-of-22 for only 68 yards with a touchdown and an interception — Aaron Griffin's 15-yard touchdown grab was one of the few bright spots. The defense had its moments despite the loss, with Tyson Brown racking up nine tackles and David Squires adding 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Delta State is back home at Parker Field looking for any sign of life after a stunning 52-0 shutout loss to then-No. 23 Northeastern State in the season opener, a game in which the Statesmen managed just 69 total yards. Nick Clark, last year's leading rusher, was held to 13 yards on six carries, and new quarterback Emile Picarella III had almost nothing to work with, completing 6-of-17 passes for 46 yards and an interception — Matt Rozier's three catches for 17 yards led all Delta State receivers. The defense fared even worse, surrendering 519 total yards, though senior Tavian Moore continued his strong play from a season ago with a team-high 10 tackles.
Prediction: Delta State