View source for 2018 Delta State Statesmen football team

{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA team season
| mode = football
| year = 2018
| team= Delta State Statesmen
| image= Delta State Athletics logo.png
| image_size= 150
| conference= Gulf South Conference
| short_conf= GSC
| CoachRank =
| record = 2-8
| conf_record = 2-6
| head_coach= [[Todd Cooley]]
| hc_year = 6th
| off_coach= Joel Williams
| oc_year = 6th
| def_coach= Jerry Partridge
| dc_year = 2nd
| stadium=[[McCool Stadium|Parker Field at Horace McCool Stadium]]
}}
{{2018 Gulf South Conference football standings}}
The '''2018 Delta State Statesmen football team''' represented [[Delta State University]] in the [[2018 NCAA Division II football season]]. They were led by sixth-year head coach [[Todd Cooley]]. The Statesmen played their home games at [[McCool Stadium]] and were members of the [[Gulf South Conference]].
==Preseason==
===Gulf South Conference coaches poll===
On August 2, 2018, the Gulf South Conference released their preseason coaches poll with the Statesmen predicted to finish in 4th place in the conference.<ref>{{cite web |title=West Alabama Tops GSC Football Preseason Poll|url=http://www.gscsports.org/news/2018/7/31/west-alabama-tops-gsc-football-preseason-poll.aspx|publisher=Gulf South Conference|date=August 2, 2018|accessdate=August 29, 2018}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Delta State Statesmen|Predicted finish|Team|Votes (1st place)}}
|- align="center"
| 1 || West Alabama || 62 (6)
|- align="center"
| 2 || West Florida || 59 (3)
|- align="center"
| 3 || West Georgia || 44
|- align="center"
| '''4''' || '''Delta State''' || '''41'''
|- align="center"
| 5 || Valdosta State || 38
|- align="center"
| 6 || Florida Tech || 32
|- align="center"
| 7 || North Greenville || 24
|- align="center"
| 8 || Mississippi College || 16
|- align="center"
| 9 || Shorter || 8
|}
===Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Team===
The Statesmen had three players at three positions selected to the preseason all-Gulf South Conference team.<ref>[https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/gulfsouthconference.com/documents/2018/8/2/Football_2018_Preseason_All_GSC_Table.pdf Gulf South Conference]</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
'''Offense'''
Innis Claud V – OG
'''Defense'''
Ovenson Cledanord – LB
Tramond Lofton – DL
{{col-end}}
==Schedule==
Delta State 2018 football schedule consists of five home and away games in the regular season. The Statesmen will host GSC foes [[Mississippi College Choctaws football|Mississippi College]], [[North Greenville Crusaders football|North Greenville]], [[Shorter Hawks football|Shorter]], and [[West Florida Argonauts|West Florida]], and will travel to [[Florida Tech Panthers football|Florida Tech]], [[Valdosta State Blazers football|Valdosta State]], [[West Alabama Tigers football|West Alabama]] and [[West Georgia Wolves football|West Georgia]].
The Statesmen will host one of the two non-conference games against [[Grand Valley State Lakers football|Grand Valley State]] from the [[Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] and will travel to [[Tarleton State Texans football|Tarleton State]] from the [[Lone Star Conference]].
Three of the ten games will be broadcast on [[ESPN3]], as part of the Gulf South Conference Game of the Week.<ref>{{cite web |title=GSC Announces 2018 Football Game of the Week Schedule|url=http://www.gscsports.org/news/2018/7/9/gsc-announces-2018-football-game-of-the-week-schedule.aspx|publisher=Gulf South Conference|accessdate=July 18, 2018}}</ref>
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 2018
| rankdivision = NCAA Division II
| poll = AFCA
| timezone = Central
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = August 30
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = yes
| opponent = [[2018 Tarleton State Texans football team|Tarleton State]]
| site_stadium = [[Memorial Stadium (Tarleton State)|Memorial Stadium]]
| site_cityst = [[Stephenville, Texas|Stephenville, TX]]
| tv =
| score = 13–44
| attend = 4,781
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 8
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| opponent = [[Grand Valley State Lakers football|Grand Valley State]]
| opprank = 8
| site_stadium = [[McCool Stadium]]
| site_cityst = [[Cleveland, Mississippi|Cleveland, MS]]
| tv =
| score = 10-21
| attend = 5,514
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 15
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| away = y
| opponent = [[2018 Florida Tech Panthers football team|Florida Tech]]
| site_stadium = [[Florida Tech Panther Stadium]]
| site_cityst = [[Melbourne, Florida|Melbourne, FL]]
| tv = [[ESPN3]]
| score = 12-30
| attend = 3,567
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 22
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| opponent = [[2018 North Greenville Crusaders football team|North Greenville]]
| site_stadium = McCool Stadium
| site_cityst = Cleveland, MS
| tv =
| score = 20-33
| attend = 6,660
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 29
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| opponent = [[2018 West Florida Argonauts football team|West Florida]]
| opprank = 11
| site_stadium = McCool Stadium
| site_cityst = Cleveland, MS
| tv =
| score = 21-30
| attend = 5,678
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 6
| time = 12:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| away = y
| opponent = [[2018 Valdosta State Blazers football team|Valdosta State]]
| opprank = 10
| site_stadium = [[Bazemore–Hyder Stadium]]
| site_cityst = [[Valdosta, Georgia|Valdosta, GA]]
| tv =
| score = 28-59
| attend = 2,036
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 13
| time = 2:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| away = y
| opponent = [[2018 West Alabama Tigers football team|West Alabama]]
| site_stadium = [[Tiger Stadium (West Alabama)|Tiger Stadium]]
| site_cityst = [[Livingston, Alabama|Livingston, AL]]
| tv = ESPN3
| score = 14-17
| attend = 3,872
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 25
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = [[2018 Shorter Hawks football team|Shorter]]
| site_stadium = McCool Stadium
| site_cityst = Cleveland, MS
| tv = ESPN3
| score = 46-20
| attend = 3,333
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 3
| time = 2:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| away = y
| opponent = [[2018 West Georgia Wolves football team|West Georgia]]
| opprank = 3
| site_stadium = [[University Stadium (West Georgia)|University Stadium]]
| site_cityst = [[Carrollton, Georgia|Carrollton, GA]]
| tv =
| score = 17-29
| attend = 3,281
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 10
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = [[2018 Mississippi College Choctaws football team|Mississippi College]]
| site_stadium = McCool Stadium
| site_cityst = Cleveland, MS
| gamename = [[Delta State–Mississippi College football rivalry|rivalry]]
| tv =
| score = 28-21
| attend = 5,432
}}
}}
<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Delta State Statesmen Football Schedule|url=http://www.gostatesmen.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=135&path=football|publisher=Delta State University of Athletics|accessdate=June 22, 2018}}</ref>
==Rankings==
{{Ranking movements
|poll1title      = [[American Football Coaches Association|AFCA]]
|poll1firstweek  = 0
|poll1lastweek   = 12
|poll1_0=RV
|poll1_1=RV
|poll1_2=NR
|poll1_3=NR
|poll1_4=NR
|poll1_5=NR
|poll1_6=NR
|poll1_7= NR
|poll1_8= NR
|poll1_9= NR
|poll1_10= NR
|poll1_11= NR
|poll1_12= NR
|poll1_13=
|poll1_14=
}}
==Game summaries==
===At Tarleton State===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Statesmen
|R1=3
|R2=3
|R3=0
|R4=7
|Home='''Texans'''
|H1=6
|H2=17
|H3=21
|H4=0
}}
{{Clear}}
===Grand Valley State===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road='''Lakers'''
|R1= 0
|R2= 7
|R3= 7
|R4= 7
|Home=Statesmen
|H1= 3
|H2= 0
|H3= 7
|H4= 0
}}
{{Clear}}
===At Florida Tech===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Statesmen
|R1= 0
|R2= 6
|R3= 6
|R4= 0
|Home='''Panthers'''
|H1= 21
|H2= 9
|H3= 0
|H4= 0
}}
{{Clear}}
===North Greenville===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road='''Crusaders'''
|R1= 14
|R2= 3
|R3= 13
|R4= 3
|Home=Statesmen
|H1= 10
|H2= 0
|H3= 3
|H4= 7
}}
{{Clear}}
===West Florida===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road='''Argonauts'''
|R1= 3
|R2= 3
|R3= 10
|R4= 14
|Home=Statesmen
|H1= 7
|H2= 14
|H3= 0
|H4= 0
}}
{{Clear}}
===At Valdosta State===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Statesmen
|R1= 14
|R2= 14
|R3= 0
|R4= 0
|Home='''Blazers'''
|H1= 14
|H2= 14
|H3= 17
|H4= 14
}}
{{Clear}}
===At West Alabama===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Statesmen
|R1= 7
|R2= 0
|R3= 7
|R4= 0
|Home='''Tigers'''
|H1= 7
|H2= 7
|H3= 0
|H4= 3
}}
{{Clear}}
===Shorter===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Hawks
|R1= 6
|R2= 7
|R3= 0
|R4= 7
|Home='''Statesmen'''
|H1= 14
|H2= 14
|H3= 18
|H4= 0
}}
{{Clear}}
===At West Georgia===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Statesmen
|R1= 7
|R2= 10
|R3= 0
|R4= 0
|Home='''Wolves'''
|H1= 3
|H2= 9
|H3= 10
|H4= 7
}}
{{Clear}}
===Mississippi College===
{{Linescore Amfootball|
|Road=Choctaws
|R1= 0
|R2= 14
|R3= 0
|R4= 7
|Home='''Statesmen'''
|H1= 7
|H2= 7
|H3= 14
|H4= 0
}}
{{Clear}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Delta State Statesmen football navbox}}
[[Category:2018 Gulf South Conference football season|Delta State]]
[[Category:Delta State Statesmen football seasons]]
[[Category:2018 in sports in Mississippi|Delta State Statesmen football]]