# 2018 Delta State Statesmen football team

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.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | West Alabama | 62 (6) |
| 2 | West Florida | 59 (3) |
| 3 | West Georgia | 44 |
| 4 | Delta State | 41 |
| 5 | Valdosta State | 38 |
| 6 | Florida Tech | 32 |
| 7 | North Greenville | 24 |
| 8 | Mississippi College | 16 |
| 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.

## 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, North Greenville, Shorter, and West Florida, and will travel to Florida Tech, Valdosta State, West Alabama and West Georgia.
The Statesmen will host one of the two non-conference games against Grand Valley State from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and will travel to 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.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 6:00 p.m. | at Tarleton State* | Memorial StadiumStephenville, TX | | L 13–44 | 4,781 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 8 Grand Valley State* | McCool StadiumCleveland, MS | | L 10-21 | 5,514 |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | at Florida Tech | Florida Tech Panther StadiumMelbourne, FL | ESPN3 | L 12-30 | 3,567 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | North Greenville | McCool StadiumCleveland, MS | | L 20-33 | 6,660 |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 11 West Florida | McCool StadiumCleveland, MS | | L 21-30 | 5,678 |
| October 6 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Valdosta State | Bazemore–Hyder StadiumValdosta, GA | | L 28-59 | 2,036 |
| October 13 | 2:00 p.m. | at West Alabama | Tiger StadiumLivingston, AL | ESPN3 | L 14-17 | 3,872 |
| October 25 | 6:00 p.m. | Shorter | McCool StadiumCleveland, MS | ESPN3 | W 46-20 | 3,333 |
| November 3 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 3 West Georgia | University StadiumCarrollton, GA | | L 17-29 | 3,281 |
| November 10 | 6:00 p.m. | Mississippi College | McCool StadiumCleveland, MS (rivalry) | | W 28-21 | 5,432 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final |
| AFCA | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Game summaries
### At Tarleton State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Statesmen | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Texans | 6 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 44 |

### Grand Valley State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lakers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Statesmen | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |

### At Florida Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Statesmen | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Panthers | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 30 |

### North Greenville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Crusaders | 14 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 33 |
| Statesmen | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 20 |

### West Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Argonauts | 3 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 30 |
| Statesmen | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |

### At Valdosta State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Statesmen | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Blazers | 14 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 59 |

### At West Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Statesmen | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Tigers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |

### Shorter

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawks | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Statesmen | 14 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 46 |

### At West Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Statesmen | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Wolves | 3 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 29 |

### Mississippi College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Choctaws | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Statesmen | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |