Cleveland, MS - A huge second half effort from the West Georgia Wolves fell just short Saturday night at Parker-McCool Stadium, as the Wolves fell by a 33-24 count to the Delta State Statesmen in Gulf South Conference action.

The Wolves were coming off of a tough loss to rival Valdosta State last week, and for much of the first half Saturday night, things looked bleak for UWG. The lone brignt spot was in the running game, which by the end of the contest had produced two 100-yard rushers for the first time since the 2005 season when Abe Felix and Stan Rowe accomplished that feat against Ouachita Baptist.

The Statesmen owned the first quarter, as quarterback Trevor Wooden guided DSU on the lone scoring drive of the period. Wooden took it in for that score, giving the Statesmen a 6-0 lead. UWG senior cornerback #Kelly Dawsey# blocked the extra point, setting up what became a point of drama for the rest of the evening.

Late in the first quarter, Wooden and the Statesmen started their second scoring drive of the night at their own 40, this time with running back Justin McArthur taking it in for the score to put UWG in a 13-0 hole.

That was when the Wolves would start to chip away, with quarterback #Dallas Dickey# at the helm. On the ensuing possession, the Wolves rushed eight times for 67 yards, overcame a personal foul penalty and Dickey scored on a seven-yard run, pulling the Wolves to within a score at 13-7. That would be the final score of the half, as the two teams went into the locker room with UWG trailing by six.

Coming out after the half, Dickey led the Wolves on a seven-play drive that ended with #Davis Brackett# blasting a 48-yard field goal to continue to chip away at the lead, making the score 13-10. On the following possession, sophomore #Teddy Lawrence# set his offense up for success with an interception, giving Dickey and Co. the ball at midfield.

A nine-play drive ensued, where West Georgia struggled to move the ball until the final play. At that point, Dickey handed the ball to senior #David Bailey# and the running back did the rest, delivering a 29-yard score and giving the Wolves a 17-13 lead.

But Wooden and his charges would not stay down long, as the Statesman signal-caller scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving the lead back to DSU. The extra point was again no good, as the Wolves trailed 19-17.

The Wolves mounted another drive on the feet on Dickey, who had a 39-yard run during the next drive, pushing the ball deep into Statesman territory. But on 4th-and-5 from the DSU 29, a Dickey pass to junior #Bobby Burum# fell short, returning the ball to Wooden and the DSU offense. Wooden tossed a touchdown pass to cap of another drive at the 6:31 mark, giving Delta State a 26-17 lead.

The Wolves marched back down the field, scoring on a four-yard run from Bailey with 3:21 remaining, but that would be all for the Wovles, as Wooden and the DSU offense returned the favor at the 1:35 mark with a 1-yard score to close out the West Georgia comeback effort.

Dickey and Bailey each rushed for over 100 yards on the night, with Bailey picking up 111 yards on 17 carries and two scores to lead the offensive. Dickey had 12 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown on the evening. As a team, the Wolves had 330 yards of offense with 253 yards on the ground. Delta State had 436 yards of offense, picking up 282 on the ground and 154 through the air.

The Wolves return home next week to face-off with the North Alabama Lions at University Stadium on Thursday night. The game will be telecast on CSS as the GSC-TV LIve Game of the Week. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.