October 3rd, 2024 12:00pm
We are back for more Gulf South football and I hope everyone following along is safe and sound after Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the region. Maybe this week’s battles on the gridiron can provide relief from what has certainly been a stressful week in the Southeast.
Week Four Results (home team in bold)
Chowan 27, Mississippi College 25*
No. 2 Grand Valley State 31, No. 20 West Florida 7
Delta State at Erskine* Cancelled
Shorter at North Greenville Cancelled
No. 18 West Alabama at No. 3 Valdosta State* Cancelled
Week Five Schedule (all times Eastern)
*indicates Gulf South Conference game
No. 3 Valdosta State (4-0) at Shorter (2-0)
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 12:00 pm | Rome, Ga. | Audio | Stats | Video
Valdosta State's highly anticipated match up with West Alabama was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene and the Blazers spent most of this week away from campus, housed in Atlanta. On the field, VSU has outscored the opposition 176-24 across the team’s first four games as the defense is holding court to the tune of allowing just 206 yards per contest. Quarterback Sammy Edwards has done well to increase his odds in the Harlon Hill conversation, completing 69.4% of his pass attempts for 1,000 yards, 11 touchdowns, and no interceptions to go along with two more scores on the ground. Add in a rushing attack that is averaging over five yards per carry, and this VSU team has been in total control all season.
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.
My pick: No. 3 Valdosta State
Erskine (1-3, 0-1 GSC) at No. 15 West Alabama (4-0, 1-0 GSC)*
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 3:00 pm | Livingston, Ala. | Audio | Stats | Video
Erskine was welcomed to the Gulf South with a 73-0 drubbing at the hands of No. 3 Valdosta State two weeks ago, 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.
West Alabama’s defense continues to dominate early on in 2024, holding opponents to just 17.75 points and 300.5 yards per game. The offensive unit, led by quarterback Spencer Arceneaux, has been complimentary to say the least with 32.25 points and 341.8 yards per game. This is the most balanced Tigers’ team we’ve seen in quite some time and the success is a direct by-product of consistency on both sides of the ball.
The Tigers have now had an unexpected bye week to rest and shift their focus to Erskine, which doesn’t bode well for the Flying Fleet. West Alabama’s defense will be stifling once again while the offense may have a chance to get some reserves on the field in the second half.
My pick: No. 15 West Alabama
North Greenville (1-2) at Benedict (2-2)
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 3:00 pm | Columbia, S.C. | Stats
The Trailblazers went on the road in their last outing 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.
Benedict is on a roll of late, having won its last two games including a 21-5 victory on the road last weekend over Morehouse College. The Tigers' strength on offense is the run game, led by junior quarterback Tre Simmons with 230 yards and a score to go along with 442 passing yards and nine touchdowns. In addition to controlling the clock, Benedict’s defense has been opportunistic with five forced turnovers, 31 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks in just four games.
North Greenville may have turned a corner in their last game and will need another complimentary performance on both sides of the ball to come out victorious in a hostile environment. If the NGU kicking game can get on track, they’ll be able to pull this one out.
My pick: North Greenville
Mississippi College (0-4, 0-2 GSC) at West Florida (1-2, 0-1 GSC)*
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 5:00 pm | Pensacola, Fla. | Audio | Stats | Video
After four lackluster performances, it is hard to have any confidence in this Mississippi College program at the moment. An offense that was supposed to be explosive under new head coach Mike Kershaw has stumbled out of the gate to the tune of 11 points and 293 yards per game - including 25 points in last week’s loss to Chowan. If it weren’t for a defensive unit that allows just over 315 yards per contest, the Choctaws would be getting laughed out of the stadium each week. A week ago, MC had FOUR different players attempt a pass which resulted in FOUR interceptions. Thank goodness for receiver Javier Batiste who provided a bright spot with six receptions for 111 yards and a score in the fourth quarter.
The Argos have dropped from the Top 25 rankings after a 31-7 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Grand Valley State last weekend, marking West Florida’s second straight loss on the young season. UWF had just 19 rushing yards on 27 attempts a week ago and the passing game netted 107 yards and two interceptions as Marcus Stokes still looks to find his footing.
The edge here goes to West Florida, but not by much. This may simply come down to which team can avoid turnovers which I believe the Argos are better equipped to do.
My pick: West Florida
Chowan (1-2, 1-0 GSC) at Delta State (3-1, 0-0 GSC)*
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 7:00 pm | Cleveland, Miss. | Audio | Stats | Video
Chowan shocked us all with a 27-25 win last week over Mississippi College to collect the program’s first Gulf South victory. Despite being held scoreless in the second half, the Hawks staved off a fourth quarter comeback by controlling the clock to the tune of a 33:36 - 25.26 time of possession advantage. Chowan’s defense held the Choctaws to just 92 yards on the ground and picked off four passes in the secondary, while quarterback Maurice Smith was an efficient 10-for-16 passing with three touchdowns including two to Jakobe Lane.
For the first time in a long time, Delta State dropped from the D2Football.com Top 25 despite earning a win 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.
Despite last week’s win, it’s still hard to be confident in a Chowan squad that has not shown much in the way of consistency. Hopefully the Statesmen have rectified some offensive deficiencies and are able to put on a show for the home crowd.
My pick: Delta State