BLAZERS VISIT REGION'S TOP SEED IN SECOND ROUND OF PLAYOFFSValdosta State takes to the road for the fifth straight week as the Blazers travel to Hickory, N.C. to face off against the Super Region 2 top seed, Lenoir-Rhyne. The Blazers enter the contest with an 9-2 record on the year and went 5-2 in GSC play while LR went 11-0 overall and a perfect 7-0 in South Atlantic Conference play.
The game will feature a match-up of Valdosta State's defensive strength, its ability to stop the run, against the nation's top rushing offense. The Blazers are currently ranked 35th nationally as they allow only 123.0 rushing yards per game while LR rushes for 415.5 yards per outing. The Bear defense will also be a test for Valdosta State as Lenoir-Rhyne allows only 306.4 yards per game. The Blazers, who average 479.4 yards of total offense per game, are coming off a contest in which they accounted for 629 yards of total offense, the fifth-highest total in school history, including a school record 395 rushing yards.
Valdosta State currently scores 34.9 points per game. On the year, the Blazers feature a balanced offense as they run for 236.5 yards per game while passing for 242.8.
Jake Medlock has completed 146 of his 210 passes for 1,766 yards and has run for 589 yards on the year. He has passed for 15 touchdowns and ran for seven more.
Austin Scott leads the team with 868 rushing yards along with four scores and
Cedric O'Neal has 748 rushing yards to go along with nine scores.
Chris Anderson leads the receivers with 56 receptions for 626 yards and has four touchdowns.
In addition to the 123.0 rushing yards per game that the Blazer Black Swarm defense allows, VSU also gives up 244.5 passing yards a game. The Blazers have caused havoc for opposing offenses as they have recorded 68 tackles for loss on the year, including 22 sacks, and have recorded 25 turnovers.
Kenny Murphy has recorded a team-high 78 tackles, including 11.0 for loss, while
Justin Williams has 71 tackles, 10.0 of which have been for loss.
Bryson Brindle has recorded a team-best 6.0 sacks among his 29 tackles.
TICKETS FOR NCAA PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUNDTickets for the NCAA Playoffs Second Round game at Lenoir-Rhyne will be on sale at the Lenoir-Rhyne Ticket Office prior to the start of the game. General admission tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth and students, with a proper ID.
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