The 40th annual Pig Pickin’ event at Delta State was accentuated by Todd Cooley becoming the winningest football coach in school history, ending the weekend’s worth of festivities with a big victory over North Greenville on Saturday night.
Cooley notched his 77th win since taking over as head coach in 2013 and passed Horace McCool (1961-73) in the record books. Cooley’s overall mark now stands at 77-46 and includes three Gulf South Conference championships and four Division II playoff appearances.
.@CoachToddCooley is the winningest football coach in Delta State history 👏 #wherechampionsplay pic.twitter.com/xuTvTTJT0y
— #DSUFamily (@DeltaStateFB) September 7, 2025
To get Cooley up to the top slot, the No. 24 Statesmen (2-0) were dominant on offense and stingy on defense – a description that fits Cooley’s coaching methodology to a T.
Senior quarterback Cole Kirk set the tone, tossing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more. The Statesmen defense didn’t allow any offensive points in the first half, although North Greenville did manage a safety in the first quarter, for Delta State to take a 27-2 lead into halftime. They never looked back, and with two second-half touchdowns and a plethora of a defensive stops, won 41-9.
Delta State’s offense finished with 487 total yards in a balance attack of 261 through the air and 226 on the ground. Senior running back Marion Palmer, junior running back Davion Alston, and senior wideout Curtis Reardon joined Kirk in the scoring party.
The defense was a stonewall, exempting a third-quarter touchdown, holding North Greenville to 75 rushing yards on 42 attempts. Junior defensive lineman Alex Larry paced the unit with nine tackles, including 2.5 sacks, while senior linebacker Josh Phillips and senior defensive lineman Jacquez Tucker chipped in six tackles apiece.
Delta State will look to carry the momentum into this Saturday as the team travels to UNC Pembroke. Kickoff is set for noon CT.
