CLINTON, Miss. --- For the first time in 19 years, the Heritage Bell will be up for grabs as the Mississippi College football team travels to Cleveland to face Delta State University on Saturday afternoon. Kick-off at Parker Field at McCool Stadium is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. with the pre-game show on WHJT Star 93.5 FM beginning at 3:30 p.m.

This will be the 35th meeting all-time between the Choctaws (1-8, 0-6 GSC) and the Statesmen (8-1, 5-1 GSC) with DSU holding a 17-15-2 edge in the series. The two teams have not played since 1995 when MC dropped their second straight 14-0 game to Delta State. The Choctaws' last win over DSU came in 1993 by a score of 13-7 in Cleveland.

"It was kinda like Ole Miss-Mississippi State, Auburn-Alabama, on a smaller scale," said head coach John Bland. "During the heyday when they were doing well and the rivalry was strong, it was as good as any of them."

"These boys, the Delta State boys, they dont know anything about it," said Bland. "They haven't played each other. The hype is going to be created from the fans that have been around, the coaches that have been around like (MC defensive backs coach) Ricky Herzog. Those folks will feel it more than the players. But it will be rekindled, and it'll probably happen in a hurry, starting Saturday."

The Choctaws come into Saturday's contest off, arguably, their most impressive performance of the season in a 41-28 loss to West Alabama. In their final home game of the season, the Choctaws trailed 34-14 mid-way through the third quarter before senior quarterback Jonathon Redd found senior wide receiver Kirk Bryant for a 49-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 13 points. The Tigers would fumble on the next possession and MC scored on a seven-yard run by freshman signal-caller Kyle Smith. UWA was able to run five minutes off the clock and cap a drive with a touchdown run to clinch the win.

"I'm so proud of the way our guys played tonight," Bland said after the game. "They know what it's like to be in a fight for 60 minutes, now. These seniors worked their tails off all week long and it showed up tonight. The energy and the heart these Choctaws displayed tonight is something that will propel us into a successful future."

For his efforts, Redd (Mobile, Ala.) was named the National Christian College Athletic Association Offensive Student-Athelte of the Week. The senior earned his first start since week 2 against North Alabama and piled up 217 yards of total offense with a passing and a rushing touchdown. Redd leads the run-heavy team with 443 passing yards to go along with 108 rushing yards.

Bryant has become the main target for the MC quarterbacks over the past three weeks, catching eight passes for 182 yards and the touchdown. Junior running back Chris Ingram leads the Choctaws with 490 rushing yards and five scores, while Kyle Smith has 273 rushing yards with a team-high six touchdowns.

Defensively, sophomore Reggie Bennett leads MC with 80 tackles, including 51 solo stops and four pass breakups. Stepping in for the injured senior linebacker Jake Weddle, freshman Kaleb Coleman has tallied 54 tackles with 3.0 for loss and a sack. Senior Dylan Klibert has 5.5 tackles for loss with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He returned a fumble and an interception for a touchdown in the 56-14 win over University of Faith on October 11th. Freshman defensive back Chris Manning has 30 tackles and is tied with Klibert for the team-lead with two picks.

The Choctaws will face a stern test on Saturday when they travel to Cleveland as the Statesmen have lost just one game this season, a 24-16 defeat at West Georgia on October 18th. Delta State is playing their third straight game at Parker Field-McCool Stadium where they have not lost since Octoboer 27, 2012 (West Alabama, 37-7).

Head coach Todd Cooley is in his second season with the Statesmen, tallying a 15-4 record. Coach Cooley has DSU up to #13 in the AFCA Division II rankings and #2 in the South Region rankings as they have won three straight games, including a 33-28 victory over then-#3 North Alabama, 33-28, on November 1st.

The offense starts and stops with sophomore quarterback Tyler Sullivan, who was named the GSC Offensive Freshman of the Year and a Second Team all-conference selection in 2013. This season, he is completing 64% of his passes for 2,803 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Louisville, Miss. native averages over 300 passing yards per game and has rushed for 177 yards and seven scores.

The pass-heavy, quick strike offense ranks last in the conference in time of possession (26:55), but they lead the league with 48.6 points per game. Casey Osborne leads the team with 66 catches for 878 yards and eight touchdowns. Ricky Hunt has 28 receptions for 430 yards and three scores, while Justin Leavy has caught 26 passes for 419 yards and six touchdowns.

Richard Nash has a team-high 58 tackles, including 49 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Randall Boyd, Wilson Curtis and Landry Tullo each have 12 or more tackles for loss, while Tullo paces the squad with seven sacks. Romelo Wilson has a team-high four interception, while Diego Lubin has forced three fumbles.

The Choctaws are closing out the 2014 season on Saturday afternoon and will be back on the field on Saturday, September 5th, 2015 when they will host Texas College at Robinson-Hale Stadium. The Statesmen can clinch the GSC championship with a victory and will qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs, beginning next weekend.