Coming into the 2022 Gulf South Football season, not much was expected of the Delta State Statesmen football team. They were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league’s preseason poll by the league’s coaches and were an afterthought in the title race between Valdosta State and West Florida.

Instead, the Statesmen turned the league and the country on its head with a historic season that saw them beat both those teams in the regular season on the way to a tie for the GSC title, a climb into the Top-10 in the national polls, and an 11-2 final record that included a playoff win.

As many pundits have said before, it’s a different task to go from being the hunter, like the Statesmen were in 2022, to being the hunted, as they have been in 2023, when they entered the season atop the preseason GSC poll, and ranked near the Top-10 in the country. There would be no sneaking up on teams, and no low bar to clear for a good season from either inside or outside the locker room.

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So how has Delta State responded to having a target on its back in 2023? How about being better across the board than they were a season ago? In almost every category, what was a dominant DSU team has been better in 2023, which is a scary thought for the Gulf South, and potential playoff opponents later in the season.

Offensively, the Statesmen start with quarterback Patrick Shegog, one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, who after a 2022 that saw him accumulate over 3,500 yards of offense and 39 touchdowns, has been every bit as good in 2023. Currently has over 1,600 yards of total offense and 23 touchdowns, putting him on pace for last season’s yards, and ahead of where he was on touchdowns. But perhaps the biggest improvement for Shegog has come in his decision-making, where he’s tossed just two interceptions this season after giving it up nine times in 2022.

After winning the @GulfSouth in 2022, Patrick Shegog and @DeltaStateFB are on a mission to reclaim their winning ways. pic.twitter.com/7fDyv1eqDH

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) July 28, 2023

It adds up to an offense that averaged over 470 yards and 41.15 points per game last season and has bested both marks to this point, sitting at 479.2 and 46.17 after six games.

They’re averaging more yards per play, in total, passing, and rushing. The biggest jump is on the ground where the Statesmen’s already potent rushing attack has jumped to 243.8 yards per game and six yards per carry.

Their masterpiece so far this season came just last week when the Statesmen came into a showdown with then-undefeated Valdosta State, in a game that had huge GSC and playoff implications, all while being on the road. All DSU did in that game was rack up 417 rushing yards and five scores on the ground against what had been one of the most improved defenses in the country, crushing the Blazers by a 49-25 final, and showing that the road to the GSC title still goes through Cleveland Mississippi.

Delta State Dominates✅@DeltaStateFB | @GulfSouth | @DeltaState #GulfSouthonFlo pic.twitter.com/CMiO8oxGq3

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 10, 2023

As impressive as the rushing totals have been, what’s put Delta State in the upper echelon of teams this year has been an improved defense. While last year’s unit wasn’t bad by any means, it had its hiccups, needing the offense to bail them out a couple of times in wins, and not getting enough stops in a playoff loss to West Florida.

This season, they’ve shed around six points per game from their points allowed, and the overall yards have fallen from 417 yards per game to just 338, thanks in part to a rush defense that has cut almost a yard per carry and 50 yards off its averages from a season ago, while the secondary has trimmed almost 35 yards per game off its mark from last season.

Like the rushing game, the Statesmen's defense made its biggest statement in that win over Valdosta State, taking on what is one of the best offenses in the country, and holding the high-power Blazers to 25 points, around 20 points per game below their season average.

And while the Statesmen have been road warriors the last two seasons, not dropping a game away from Cleveland in that span, if they plan to repeat, or take the outright GSC title this season, they have the big advantage of a schedule that closes out the year with three of four inside Parker Field at McCool Stadium, including a massive showdown with West Florida in two weeks, followed by their lone remaining road game at West Georgia the following week, the only team to be DSU in the regular season in 2022.

It’s not always easy going from the hunter to the hunted, but Delta State hasn’t let that affect them in 2023, and that mindset and focus could help them down the line as they set their sights on a target bigger than just another GSC title.

It’s not always easy going from the hunter to the hunted, but @DeltaStateFB hasn’t let that affect them in 2023.

Read more: https://t.co/nRcOy1NQuk pic.twitter.com/5kBLQwwUsi

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 12, 2023