A massive brawl in the fourth quarter of Delta State’s matchup at Chowan Saturday night forced the game to be called early as the Statesmen were sent home with a 42-18 win.
Delta State, who overcame a halftime deficit to put a beatdown on the Hawks, were coming off a 19-yard run from Timaj Harris with a little over four minutes remaining in the game when the dustup erupted.
For those that were not watching the live stream, Delta State head coach Todd Cooley posted two videos showing the fight to his X account. In the videos, both players and fans can be seen swinging helmets. A closer look from another social media user showed Delta State tight end Adam Duncan being pinned up against the fence as Chowan players continuously took shots at him.
“So, we have helmets coming from the bleachers,” Cooley wrote. “Wow. That’s the tweet.”
Great footage here! pic.twitter.com/14R6cUIdTP
— Todd Cooley (@CoachToddCooley) September 10, 2023
So we have helmets coming from the bleachers. Wow. That’s the tweet! pic.twitter.com/kyID3ZVyxJ
— Todd Cooley (@CoachToddCooley) September 10, 2023
Stay classy @chowanfootball pic.twitter.com/1SlFsMwfA8
— Jacob Gragg (@CoachGragg76) September 10, 2023
Chowan, who is making a pit stop in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) before becoming a full-time member of the Conference Carolinas in 2025, is scheduled to play the Statesmen in Cleveland next fall, and let’s just say Fighting Okra fans probably won’t be too forgiving of the incident.
“Can’t wait for them to come see us next year,” one X user wrote, while others called for the Chowan football team to be completely disbanded by the NCAA.
@NCAADII @NCAAFootball @NCAA
This needs to be addressed. Absolutely unacceptable in college football.
I’ll be looking forward to hearing from @chowanfootball and @cuhawks on the conduct of their players and fans. https://t.co/ZuhIqzcfO4
— Tyler Sullivan (@Tyler18Sullivan) September 10, 2023
If you want to get your team disbanded, this is a great way to get your team disbanded https://t.co/SP7IGeZWnw
— #LiveLikeLucas (@VegasRebs) September 10, 2023
Death penalty.
That team should be over. https://t.co/1iCQdM6ijr
— Jay White (@JaySaysWords) September 10, 2023
Leading the way for Delta State was Patrick Shegog with 300 passing yards on 20 completions with five total touchdowns. Jaylen Green was on the receiving end of two of those scores, while Kelvin Smith added 55 yards on the ground.
Next up for Delta State (2-0, 1-0 GSC) will be a home matchup against Division I FCS opponent Mississippi Valley State. The Statesmen currently have a three-game winning streak over the Delta Devils, including last year’s 28-17 victory.
