VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Blazers of Valdosta State are looking forward to an opportunity to bounce back in a big way this weekend in Carrollton, Ga. against one of the top teams in all of Division II football.
That team, which also just happens to be one of Valdosta State's biggest rivals, is the No. 2 ranked West Georgia Wolves. Saturday's 2:00 p.m. matchup marks the second straight week against a top ten opponent and gives the Blazers a chance to redeem last year's elimination from the NCAA Division II Postseason Tournament, whcih came as a result of a 31-17 loss on December 6, 2014.. Additionally, it gives Head Coach David Dean's squad a chance to show that they are better than last week's disappointing loss to No. 6 North Alabama.
"We've been in this situation before. We've lost early," stated Dean on Wednesday. "Last year we lost to Delta State in the first few weeks, so we know what we have to do. Our juniors and seniors that have been here know how to handle it, and they've done a great job talking to our freshmen and letting them know what's going to take place now. But, our backs are against the wall, and we're going to have to play that way if we want to continue our season past the 10 regular season games we have scheduled."
Coach Dean has also given a clear message this week to his team about the importance of improving their offensive efforts on third down situations.
"We've got to be better on third down. We drove the ball very well last week with no three-and-outs in the game, but we would get to thirty and then stall out. We have to do a better job with that this week and finish off with points. Some way or another, we also need to manufacture some big plays and find a way to make a few big plays in this game."
Blazer linebacker Sharmaine Washington, who leads the Blazers in tackles and ranks among the top ten defenders in the league with 27 tackles thus far in 2015, will lead his defense into battle with the task of slowing down a Wolves offense that has produced an average of 44.4 points per game. In order to do that, defending the run and UWG running back Aares McCall will be a huge factor, according to Dean. McCall currently represents one of the leading rushers in the GSC 363 yards on the year and an average of 6.7 yards per carry.
"They're a team that is very good at running the football," said Dean. "They're a power team with misdirection that can come right at you with some big offensive linemen and some backs that can run the ball very well, and when they get you sucked up with the run they'll try and go over the top with some play action passes, so our safeties are going to have to play a great football game, there's no doubt about it."
The Peach Basket Trophy will be on the line Saturday, as the historic rivalry of West Georgia and Valdosta State begins a new chapter. The weekend skirmish will be the 34th time in the history of Valdosta State football that these two teams meet, with the Blazers holding a 23-10 advantage in the overall series. Last season the two teams split with the Blazers taking a regular season win before falling to the Wolves in the third round of the playoffs.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. with live audio provided at www.talk921.com and at the links below. The game is also the first of three GSC Games of the Week for the Blazers and can be watched live on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app.
