VSU Game Notes 

DSU Game Notes

Game Day Information 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 10/11 Valdosta State Blazers return home to host rival Delta State Saturday at 1 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  VSU is 5-0 on the year and 3-0 in Gulf South Conference play, while Delta State is 0-5 and 0-3 in league play.
 
OPENING DRIVE NOTES

• VSU (5-0, 3-0 GSC) is coming off a 63-42 win at Mississippi College on Saturday night, racking up a season-high 614 yards of offense and scored four consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter on eight plays from scrimmage.  Blazer sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells threw for a career-high six touchdown passes, while the Blazers had two running backs over 100 yards as redshirt freshman Jamar Thompkins ran for 180 yards on eight carries and two scores, while freshman Seth McGill had 111 yards on nine carries.
• Wells and Thompkins were named GSC Players of the Week as Wells earned weekly Offensive Player honors for the third time this season, while Thompkins was named Freshman of the Week for the first time.  It also marked the fourth-straight week VSU has earned Freshman of the Week honors.   
• Delta State (0-5, 0-3 GSC) has struggled this season, but arguably has played the toughest schedule in all of NCAA Division II as VSU will be its third ranked team the Statesmen have faced. DSU's overall opponent record is an impressive 20-3 this season prior to this weekend's game.  
• 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 285 wins, 126 losses and four ties.
• DSU leads the all-time series 20-16-1, but the Blazers have won the last three in the series after the Statemen had won eight of nine.  The Blazers are 7-10 all-time at home against DSU, and won most recently in 2016 in Valdosta, 56-27.  Last season VSU won its second-straight road game in Cleveland, Miss., 34-13.  Prior to 2015, VSU had won just one game in the series since 2005 with a 59-41 home win in 2012.
• VSU head coach Kerwin Bell is 18-7 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 2-0 all-time against Delta State.
• The Blazers are 4-1 all-time on Oct.6, and last played on this date with a 42-7 win at West Georgia in 2012. This will be just the second home game on this date as VSU won 46-7 over West Alabama in Valdosta in 1990.  VSU and DSU did meet on this date in 2001, with VSU winning in Cleveland, Miss., 70-12.
• Sophomore Rogan Wells and freshman Jamar Thompkins were named Gulf South Conference Offensive and Freshman of the Week, respectively.  This was Wells' third weekly honor of the season and first for Thompkins.  VSU has had a player named Freshman of the Week each of the past four weeks.
• VSU leads the nation in scoring offense at 54.6 points per game and have scored over 50 points each of the last four games.
• The Blazers moved into the top ten in the AFCA Coaches Poll as they sit 10th this week, marking the first time in the top ten since 2015.  In the D2Football.com poll, VSU moved up to 11th this week.

 
INSIDE THE SERIES

• DSU leads the all-time series 20-16-1, but the Blazers have won the last three, including a 56-27 home win in 2016, while winning 40-34 in two overtimes in 2015 in Cleveland, Miss., and last season 34-13 on the road.
• Prior to that, VSU had won just one game in the last nine dating back to 2005.  
• Both teams have scored 20 or more points in each meeting dating back to a 28-17 VSU win at Delta State on Sept. 20, 2003.
• VSU is 7-10 all-time against DSU in Valdosta and is looking for its second-straight home win against the Statesmen, after losing the last four of six home meetings.
• Delta State is the only current GSC school the Blazers have a losing record against.  

 
MEET THE COACHES

• VSU head coach Kerwin Bellis in his third season at the helm of the Blazers.  Bell is 18-7 at VSU and is 84-42 overall 12 seasons of coaching, including nine seasons at the University of Jacksonville, where he went 66-35.  
• Bell is 2-0 against Delta State and is 14-5 against Gulf South Conference teams.
• Delta State head coach Todd Cooley is 35-25 at the helm of the Statesmen in his sixth season.  He is 18-21 in Gulf South Conference play and is 2-3 against Valdosta State.  Cooley has guided DSU to two NCAA appearances and a Gulf South Conference title in 2014.  He is a two-time GSC Coach of the Year honoree in 2013 and 2014.  Cooley played collegiately at Arkansas Tech.  

 
A WIN OVER DELTA STATE WOULD. . . 

• Give VSU a 6-0 record to start the season, marking the first 6-0 start since 2003.
• Be the 17th win over Delta State overall and give the Blazers their eighth home win in the series (7-10). 
• Give VSU a 5-1 record on Oct. 6 all-time as the Blazers last played on this date in 2012, with a 42-7 win at West Georgia. 
• Give VSU a 4-0 record in Gulf South Conference play, marking the first 4-0 start in league play since 2004, when the Blazers won their first National Championship.
• Be the 286th win in program history, the 188th GSC victory.

 
BLAZER BITS

• Following the 63-point performance at Mississippi College, VSU continues to lead the nation in scoring offense at 54.6 points per game as the team has scored 50 or more points in each of the last four games.
• The Blazers had the ball at MC for just 18:42 seconds, marking the lowest of the season, but VSU scored nine offensive touchdowns in the game (almost one TD per two minutes of [possession time).  VSU scored seven touchdowns in under two minutes and five touchdowns in 10 plays. VSU ran just 49 offensive plays in the game.
• For the season, VSU has 12 TD scoring drives of under one minute of possession time, while recording three scoring drives on one play each.  
• VSU has been outstanding on third down this year as it is second in the conference and 22nd nationally at a .455 clip on the pivotal down on 25 of 55 chances.  Conversely, VSU is holding teams to a .275 clip on third down for 24th nationally and leading the conference, converting just 22 of 80 chances. 
• Coupled with the strong conversions on third down, the Blazers are fifth nationally in first downs with 124 on the season to lead the GSC. 
• The Blazers have two blocked kicks this season, including a blocked field goal by senior Iseoluwapo Jegede at the end of the first half against Shorter (9/22) to preserve the shutout against Shorter.  VSU is tied with North Greenville and Florida Tech for 31st nationally.  
• The Blazers are 24th nationally and first in the GSC in passing offense at 285.8 yards per game, while ranking 20th nationally and second in the GSC at 15.20 per completion.  
• The Blazers have been dominant in the red zone this season on both sides of the ball as they are holding teams to a .583 clip for ninth nationally, while converting an average of .885 to lead the GSC and rank 21st nationally.  
• The VSU "D" has made a living in the backfield as it is eighth nationally in sacks at 3.8 per game, while ranking fourth nationally in tackles for loss at 10.0 to lead the GSC.
• The offense is averaging 541.4 yards per game for fifth nationally and the tops in the GSC, while the defense is holding teams to 306.2 yards per game for 32nd nationally and second in the conference.
• The Blazers have held teams to 0.5 yards on punt returns this season for third nationally and first in the GSC.  The opposition has returned just two punts this season for one yard.
• VSU has three defensive touchdowns this season to rank second nationally and first in the league.  Only Fort Lewis College (Colo.) has more defensive touchdowns with four.
• VSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells is 13th nationally in passing efficiency at 168.1, while ranking second nationally in passing touchdowns with 19, one behind national leader Reece Metcalf of McKendree (Ill.), 27th in passing yards (1231) and second in points responsible for (126).  He is third in the GSC and 32nd nationally in total offense at 276.2, while ranking 18th nationally in passing yards per completion at 15.01 to lead the GSC.
• Redshirt freshman running back Jamar Thompkins leads the GSC in rushing yards with 545 and is 10th nationally, while ranking second in the conference in rushing yards per game at 109.0 for 17th nationally.    
• Senior kicker Andrew Gray leads the Blazers and the GSC in in total points with 51 for 14th nationally, while he is fourth in the GSC in field goal percentage (.625) and fourth in field goals per game a 1.00 for 36th nationally.
• Sophomore wide receiver Brian Saunds is fourth nationally in receiving touchdowns with seven to lead the league, while ranking sixth in the league in receiving yards with 268. Freshman return specialist Michael Henderson is ninth nationally in kickoff returns at 29.3 for second in the conference. 
• VSU makes its third-straight week in the top 25 in both the AFCA Poll and the D2Football.com poll for the second time this season.  The Blazers are tenth in the AFCA poll, marking the first time in the top 10 since 2015. 
• The Blazers set rushing, total offense and scoring records in the Coach Bell era on Saturday as VSU scored 63 points, while recording 614 total yards and had 319 rushing yards.  The 614 yards marked the most this season in the GSC, as were the 63 points scored.  
• For the first time this season, the Blazers had two running backs over 100 yards as Thompkins had a career-high 180 and freshman Seth McGill had a career-high 111.