VALDOSTA, Ga. – In a top ten showdown on Saturday afternoon in Valdosta, Ga., in which the No. 9 ranked Valdosta State Blazers debuted a new red uniform, the No. 8 ranked North Alabama Lions scored early and often to claim a 34-12 victory over the Blazers.
 
The Lions (4-0, 3-0 GSC) struck quickly on their opening drive and marched 61 yards down the field on just three plays plus a 6-yard carry by Lamonte Thompson to give UNA an early 7-0 advantage.
 
Cedric O'Neal, who gained 47 yards on the ground and advanced in the school record books to second all-time in career rushing yards on Saturday, started the ensuing drive off for Valdosta State with a 9-yard rush. A 12-yard, third down keeper by E.J. Hilliard later in the drive, followed by a 12-yard completion to Jordan Germany just two plays later, kept the drive alive for VSU. The Blazers stalled out at the Lions' 36-yard line, however, after coming up two yards short on a fourth-and-nine pass completion from Hilliard to O'Neal.
 
UNA capitalized yet again, led by quarterback Luke Wingo, who tallied five of his 21 completions on the Lions' second possession of the game to put North Alabama within field goal range. Kevin Henke capped off the drive with a 24-yard field goal, and UNA upped their advantage to 10-0.
 
Although the Blazers held the Lions in check for the remainder of the first quarter, UNA would not be denied. On the back of UNA's quarterback combo of Wingo and Jacob Tucker, North Alabama tallied 18 of their 30 first downs in the first half alone.  Both quarterbacks connected for touchdown passes in the second frame, and by halftime, the Lions were working with a 24-6 advantage.
 
VSU's lone score in the first half came with 3:39 left in the second quarter on a huge defensive play by Dante Robinson, who shredded the UNA defense to lay a wicked hit on Wingo and knock the ball loose in the backfield. Egim Etta-Tawo was right there to pick up the recovery and return it 35 yards to pull the Blazers to within 11 at 17-6, before the Lions answered right back with another quick touchdown.
 
North Alabama racked up 523 offensive yards in the contest with 245 yards rushing and 278 yards in the air. Wingo was responsible for 254 yards of the Lions' air assault, while Thompson racked up 114 yards on the ground. Although the Blazers held UNA to just 10 points in the second half, the Lions continued to control the game with 37 minutes and 14 seconds of possession time against 22 minutes and forty-six seconds of possession time for the flame red and black. The Lions' performance on third down was also notable, as the team converted on 11 of 15 attempts.
 
Standout efforts by the Blazers came from Xay Howard on offense, who hauled in five passes for 65 receiving yards, along with Austin Scott, who rushed eight times for sixty yards to lead the Blazers to 146 yards of production in the rushing game.
 
Defensively, Kenny Murphy and Sharmaine Washington each posted 7.5 tackles, one of which was a tackle for loss by Murphy. Kenny Moore also posted a team-high  8.5 tackles in the game for a career-high performance.
 
Valdosta State looks to regroup and retaliate next week, as Gulf South Conference action continues for the Blazers in Carrollton, Ga. against the No. 2 ranked Wolves of West Georgia. The game is slated for a 2:00 p.m. start, and can be heard live on Talk 92.1 in Valdosta.
 
For highlights of tonight's game, don't miss the Weekly David Dean Highlights Show, which goes live each Monday morning at www.thedaviddeanshow.com. In addition, Coach Dean's weekly radio show can be heard live each Monday at 7:00 p.m. at Coyoacan restaurant on Newstalk 105.9 in Valdosta, while a weekly preview of each week's upcoming game can be heard during a weekly segment with Phil Jones and Monty Long each Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio 1150AM/96.1 FM.