Game Notes (PDF Format)

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 8/9 Valdosta State football team travels to Florida Tech for a tough Gulf South Conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Melbourne, Fla.  The Blazers and Panthers kick at 1 p.m. in a game with significance in the GSC standings heading into the final few weeks of the season.
 
OPENING DRIVE NOTES

• The No. 8/9 Valdosta State Blazers return to the road at Florida Tech in a key Gulf South Conference matchup Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Melbourne, Fla.
• VSU (6-0, 4-0 GSC) is coming off a 59-28 win over Delta State last weekend. The Blazers and Statesmen were tied 28-28 at halftime, before VSU exploded for a 31-0 second half for the win. Sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells through for four touchdowns and ran for two in the win, while the VSU "D" held Delta State to just 121 yards of offense in the second half.  VSU scored 50 or more points for the fifth-straight game.
• Florida Tech (5-1, 2-1 GSC) won its last two games, including blocking an extra-point in a 26-23 win at Wingate and then fought off a pesky Choctaw team for a 31-24 win on the road last week.  This is Homecoming for the Panthers this week.     
• Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and ticket information at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.  The game will be broadcast on 92.1 FM with Spencer Van Horn and Scott James having the call.
• Valdosta State is in its 37th year of intercollegiate football and owns an overall record of 286 wins, 126 losses and four ties.
• Valdosta State leads the all-time series 4-1 and won the last meeting in Valdosta last season, 42-14. FIT's lone win came in 2016 in Melbourne in a 38-20 victory.  
• VSU head coach Kerwin Bell is 19-7 at Valdosta State in his third season, after enjoying a strong start in 2016 with an 8-3 record in his initial campaign and a berth in the NCAA playoffs. He is 1-1 all-time against Florida Tech.
• The Blazers are 4-0 all-time on Oct. 13, and last played on this date with a 24-21 win at North Alabama 2012. VSU is 2-0 at home on Oct. 13 and 2-0 on the road as this will mark the second-straight road game on this date. VSU defeated West Alabama in 1984 (Home, 17-16), West Georgia (Away, 37-2) in 1990, Harding (Home, 51-17) in 2001 and at UNA in 2012.   
• For the second time this season, VSU had three of four GSC Players of the Week as Wells earned the honor for the fourth time, while senior kicker Andrew Gray earned Special Teams honors for the first time and freshman return specialist Michael Henderson earned Freshman of the Week honors for the first time.  VSU now has five different freshmen earn Freshman of the Week honors each of the last five weeks.  
• Florida Tech's J.T. Hassell was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second-straight week and third time this season.  Wells has been named Player of the Week the most of any player in the league this season with four selections, followed by Hassell and West Florida kicker Austin Williams each three times.
• VSU leads the nation in scoring offense at 55.3 points per game and have scored over 50 points each of the last five games with a season-high 63 points at Mississippi College (Sept. 29).
• The Blazers are in the top ten nationally in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and the D2Football.com poll.  VSU is eighth in the AFCA poll, while ranking ninth in the D2Football poll.  It marks the first time since 2013 VSU has been ranked in the top ten in both polls in the same week.

 
INSIDE THE SERIES

• VSU leads the all-time series 4-1 and won last season in Valdosta with a 42-14 victory on Oct. 28.
• Florida Tech's lone win came in 2016 in Melbourne, Fla., with a 38-20 victory on Oct. 29.
• VSU is 1-1 all-time in games played in Melbourne and won the initial meeting there 31-29 on Nov. 15, 2014.
• The winning team in the series has scored 38 or more points in each of the five previous meetings with the lowest output for the losing team at 14 points.
• VSU has scored 30 or more points in each of its four wins in the series and has outscored the Panthers 184-116.
• The Blazers won the closest meeting in the series, 31-29 in 2014 in Melbourne and won the biggest margin at 52-14 in the first meeting in 2013 in Valdosta.

 
MEET THE COACHES

• VSU head coach Kerwin Bellis in his third season at the helm of the Blazers.  Bell is 19-7 at VSU and is 85-42 overall 12 seasons of coaching, including nine seasons at the University of Jacksonville, where he went 66-35.  
• Bell is 1-1 against Florida Tech is 15-5 against Gulf South Conference teams.
• Florida Tech head coach Steve Englehart is 36-26 at the helm of the Panthers in his sixth season.  He is 62-40 overall in his 10th season as coach, while going 1-4 all-time against VSU. Englehart played quarterback at Indiana State where he ran the triple option from 1996-99.  He also coached at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) for four years and was the offensive coordinator at Indiana State in 2010.  

 
A WIN OVER FLORIDA TECH WOULD . . . 

• Give VSU a 7-0 record to start the season, marking the best overall start since 2003 when the team began 8-0. 
• Give VSU a 5-0 record on Oct. 13 as the Blazers last played on this date in 2012 with at 24-21 win at North Alabama. 
• Give VSU a 5-0 record in Gulf South Conference play, marking the first 5-0 start in league play since 2004, when the Blazers won their first National Championship.
• Be the 287th win in program history, the 189th GSC victory. 
• Give Coach Kerwin Bell his 20th win at VSU (19-7) and 86th overall (85-42).
• Be the 287th win in program history and 189th GSC victory.

GAMEDAY NOTES

• This will be the second-straight week the Blazers have played at 1 p.m. as they defeated Delta State, 59-28 last weekend at home after a sluggish start where the teams were tied 14-14 at halftime. In the game, VSU trailed at home for the first time this season.  VSU has trailed this season for a total of 19:43 of the 360 minutes played. 
• Not only are the Blazers leading the nation in scoring, but rank in the top five nationally in defensive touchdowns for third nationally with three. VSU is third nationally in punt return defense at 0.50 per return, while ranking fourth nationally in passing efficiency (174.33) and fourth in total offense at 542.3 yards per game.
• Individually, Wells leads the nation in passing touchdowns with 23, while leading the nation in points responsible for (162) and points responsible for per game (27.0).  He is eighth nationally in passing efficiency at 172.7 to lead the league and is 18th nationally in passing yards at 1,595, while ranking 23rd nationally in passingyards per game at a 265.8 clip.  Wells leads the GSC and is 19th nationally in total offense at 294.2.
• Sophomore wide receiver Brian Saunds made a great, one-handed catch on the sideline to earn the No. 6 Play of the Week in NCAA DivisionII.  He caught the ball of a deflection and had the wherewithalto keep in bounds for the grab in the Blazers' 59-28 win over Delta State last week.
• Saunds is sixth nationally in receiving touchdowns with eight to lead the GSC, while he ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards (372).  Teammate junior Lio'undre Gallimore leads the GSC in receiving yards with 495 for 41st nationally.  
• At running back, redshirt freshman Jamar Thompkins leads the team in rushing yards with 583 for first in the league and 26th nationally.  He has five rushing touchdowns for second in the conference, while he is averaging 97.2 yards per game for second in the league and 33rd nationally. Thompkins is fourth in the GSC in all-purpose yards at 106.00.  
• Henderson is 21st nationally and second in the GSC in kickoff returns at 27.3, while Gray leads the GSC in total points scored with 62 for 13th nationally.  He is third in the league in field goal percentage and fourth in field goals per game. 
• Saturday's game features the top two players in the GSC in sacks as FIT's Adonis Davis leads the league at 0.83 for 31st nationally, while VSU senior Iseoluwapo Jegede is second in the league at 0.75 for 50th nationally.  Davis also leads the league in tackles for loss per game at 1.5 for 36th nationally.  
• As a team, the Panthers are second behind VSU in sacks at 3.17 in the GSC for 22nd nationally and second to the Blazers in tackles for loss at 7.7, while ranking third in the GSC in total defense at 330.0 yards allowed per game.  FIT is sixth nationally in fumbles lost with just one lost fumble on the year to lead the conference.
• The Panthers are second in the conference in scoring defense holding teams to just 18.8 points per game for 28th nationally, while ranking32nd in turnover margin at 0.67 as the Panthers have forced 10 miscues and coughed up six.
• FIT's Trent Chmelik sits third in most quarterback areas behind VSU's wells. Chmelik is third in passing efficiency in the league (144.3), fifth in TD's (9), fourth in passing yards (1,278), secondin passing yards per completion (13.31). He is second in the league in completion percentage (.615).
• JT Hassell, the two-time reigning GSC Defensive Player of the Week, is second nationally in forced fumbles (0.67), while ranking second in the league in sacks per game (0.75) and leads the nation in solo tackles at 8.2 per game.  Hassell is third in the league in tackles for loss per game at 1.2.  
• Following Saturday's game, the Blazers return home to host GSC newcomer North Greenville next Saturday at 3 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium for Homecoming.