VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State Blazers entered last Saturday's Gulf South Conference matchup in desperate need of a victory, and Head Coach David Dean's squad responded with a rousing 34-7 triumph over Mississippi College. The win represented VSU's first GSC win of the season, and kicked off the second half of a season in which the Blazers must run the table in order to have any hopes of postseason play in 2015.
The next gridiron challenge for the Blazers will take place on Thursday in Rome, Ga., where Valdosta State aims to extend their success in recent years against the Hawks of Shorter University. The Hawks, whose lone league victory this season also came against Mississippi College, hold an overall record of 2-4, 1-2 in GSC play. The Blazers, on the other hand, stand at 4-2 overall, 1-2 in the conference.
The Blazers are in an enviable position with their current quarterback situation. Freshman and backup quarterback Roland Rivers complemented E.J. Hilliard's performance after stepping up last week to give the Blazers an offensive spark on a composed drive with one minute to go in the first half that ended with a touchdown completion to Donovan Bolden. Rivers' effort continued in the second half, beginning with a 75-yard pass to Greg Dent on the first play of the third quarter. The end result for Rivers was a career game that included two touchdown passes, 197 passing yards, one rushing touchdown, and 49 yards on the ground.
Dent continues to shine among the Blazer receiving corps, and last week's effort from the senior included a 74-yard touchdown reception. In addition, Dent hauled in the aforementioned 75-yard reception from Rivers, a play in which Dent shoved off multiple tackles after the catch before a questionable call marked Dent down just inches shy of the goal line. The 203 receiving yards for the Belle Glade, Fla. native marked a season high for Dent and represented the fifth most receiving yards acquired by a VSU receiver in a single game.
Offensively, Shorter's biggest threat lies in their running game, and fullback B.J. McCoy plays a big role. Despite a 52-27 loss to West Alabama last week, Shorter racked up a season high 436 rushing yards. McCoy accounted for 210 of those yards, giving the junior a career-high in single-game rushing yards and earning McCoy a GSC Offensive Player of the Week honor. The award marked the second for Shorter in the last three weeks.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with live audio provided at www.talk921.com and at the links below. In addition, fans can watch the game on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES: The VSU Alumni Association will host a Blazer Watch Party on Thursday evening in the Magnolia Room in the University Center. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. and admission is free. The Alumni Association is encouraging attendees to bring a canned good for the Blazer Pantry, which provides for VSU students in need.
