VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Blazers return to action this weekend with a fresh No. 14 national ranking as they prepare for a showdown against Wintson-Salem State in the second annual Cobb County Clash in Powder Springs, Ga. at Cantrell Stadium.
Winston-Salem State (0-1), one of Valdosta State's (1-0) newest rivals, enters the weekend down a game after dropping their home opener to UNC Pembroke last Thursday, while Valdosta State shoots for its second win in as many weekends after defeating Albany State 21-13 last weekend in Albany, Ga.
The Valdosta State coaching staff got their first live look at quarterback E.J. Hilliard last weekend in a Blazer uniform, and were pleased with what they saw. Head Coach
David Dean admitted that he saw room for improvement, but 206 yards passing and a touchdown pass to
Dallas Baldner gave Dean plenty of reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead for his newest quarterback.
Perhaps the most impressive performance last weekend was the one displayed by the Valdosta State defense. The Blazers saw four players record six or more tackles, with
Timothy Sanders leading the way with seven takedowns. In addition,
Egim Etta-Tawo blew through the line twice in the second half to record two critical sacks. The Black Swarm bent but did not break, putting an abrupt end to Albany State's threats with key interceptions by both
Peter Tulloch and freshman
Malcolm McClenton.
This week, the Blazers square off against a Winston-Salem State team looking to bounce back from a 17-7 season opening loss against UNC Pembroke. The Rams were afforded a long rest, thanks to a Thursday night contest last week to open their season. WSSU was held to 235 yards of total offense in their previous matchup, 195 of which came in the air. The Rams' attempt to establish a rushing attack with 30 carries in last week's matchup was turned away, as Head Coach Kienus Boulware's team was held to just 40 yards on the ground.
Coaching in his first season with WSSU, Boulware enters this weekend's matchup seeking his first victory with the program. Valdosta State will look to prevent that while adding to their 2-0 overall record against the Rams.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with live audio provided at
www.talk921.com and at the links below.
