ROME, Ga. – Rushing yards were in great supply in Thursday night's Gulf South Conference showdown between Valdosta State and Shorter, but despite allowing 466 rushing yards, the Blazers held on to claim a 37-22 victory at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga.
 
Not to be outdone, Valdosta State achieved a strong rushing night of their own, racking up 266 yards on the ground. The total yardage on the ground for the Blazers saw a big boost late in the contest on a 91-yard Cedric O'Neal touchdown carry that sealed the victory for the Blazers in the closing minutes of the contest. The rush pushed O'Neal to 191 yards rushing on the night and nearly matched a career high for the senior, which he achieved in a 193-yard effort against Carson Newman his freshman year. The aforementioned 91-yard touchdown marked the fourth longest rush in GSC history and the second longest rush in VSU football history. The only Blazer with a longer carry was Dominique Ross, who broke off a 93-yard run in 1994, the year O'Neal was born.
 
The Blazers opened up the scoring midway through the first quarter with a 22-yard field goal by freshman Gavin Wilson, which represented the first of his career and sparked a career night for the young kicker that included three punts for an average of 40.0 yards per kick. In addition to Wilson's first career field goal, the young kicker added two additional field goals in the game, the last of which was a 45-yard attempt that had just enough distance to clear the uprights with 8:46 to go in the fourth quarter.
 
Wilson's second field goal came on the second play of the second quarter and opened up a 6-0 lead for Valdosta State, and after reclaiming possession less than two minutes later, the Blazers marched 47 yards down the field on seven plays to extend their lead. EJ Hilliard scampered to his right on the last play of the drive before finding Dallas Baldner, who kept his feet in bounds and made the catch in the back corner of the end zone to put the Blazers up 13-0.
 
VSU's offense hit a wall after Baldner's touchdown reception, and the Blazer attack went quiet for the remainder of the second quarter. During that time, Shorter's offense narrowed the deficit to 13-10 after a 14-play touchdown drive midway through the frame, followed by a 25-yard field goal by SU's Kenny Langford leading into halftime.
 
Both teams put up a solid defensive effort in the third quarter, as each team was held scoreless. But the uneventful third set the stage for an exciting finish in the fourth, in which the Blazers regained rhythm with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Hilliard to Stephen Denmark. The completion put VSU in front 20-10, but Devante James and the Hawks retaliated immediately with an 89-yard touchdown carry. SU went for two, but the Black Swarm thwarted the attempt to maintain a 20-16 advantage.
 
The next drive for Valdosta State proved to be a big one, as the Blazers put together eight plays for 77 yards on a drive that ended with one of O'Neal's two touchdown carries. VSU took a 27-16 lead after the score, but the Hawks struck again in prompt fashion with an 81-yard touchdown rush by SU's star running back, BJ McCoy, who tallied a career high 256 rushing yards on the night. The total for McCoy also represented a school record for Shorter and marked the junior's second straight game with over 200 rushing yards.
 
The scoring ended there for the Hawks, and the Blazers added on in the final nine minutes with Wilson's third field goal and O'Neal's long carry.
 
With the win, VSU improved to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in league play, while the Hawks dropped to 2-5 overall, 1-3 in GSC action.
 
The Blazers return home next Saturday, October 31^st, to host the West Alabama Tigers in a contest scheduled to begin at noon at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.