VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State football enters the weekend with their backs against the wall, as the team travels to Pensacola, Fla. to face the Argonauts of West Florida in a critical Gulf South Conference showdown on Saturday night.
The Blazers are on the heels of a knockdown-dragout battle against North Alabama, in which VSU matched the Lions statistically, but suffered a narrow loss thanks to a minimal set of miscues. The outcome was not favorable, but Valdosta State showed a clear improvement from their season opener against Albany State. Head Coach Kerwin Bell's team will aim to continue improving this weekend against the Argonauts.
Despite the slow start, the Black Swarm defense has been impressive for Valdosta State, particularly in pass defense, where opponents are averaging just 127.5 yards per game in the air. Furthermore, the Blazers have wreaked havoc on the field in the turnover department, forcing five fumbles in two games and recovering four of those. In addition, the Blazers picked off two passes in the secondary, both of which occurred in their most recent game.
Improvements on the offensive side of the ball came most noticeably in the Blazers' ground game. With 196 rushing yards against UNA, the VSU running backs nearly doubled their rushing yard total from the squad's first game against Albany State. Similar improvements in the passing game could pay big dividends for Valdosta State in Pensacola, Fla.
With West Florida in just its second year of football, Saturday's matchup marks just the second in the history of the two programs. The two teams faced each other at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium for the first time ever last year in Valdosta, and the Blazers outlasted the Argos 40-28.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST, with live audio provided at www.talk921.com. Links for all other forms of coverage, including live stats and a live video stream provided by UWF, are available below and on the main event page at www.vstateblazers.com.
