Game Notes in PDF Format

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No. 7 Valdosta State Blazer football team makes its final road trip of the 2018 regular season at West Florida Saturday at 5 p.m. ET in a key Gulf South Conference matchup with regional and conference implications.
 
OPENING DRIVE NOTES

• VSU (8-0, 6-0 GSC) is coming off a 44-21 win on Oct. 20 for Homecoming over North Greenville and had a bye last week to rest up for the final two games of the regular season and hopefully a long playoff run.
• The Blazers sit at No. 2 in the second NCAA Super Region Two rankings, which were released Monday.  West Georgia continues to lead the rankings, followed by VSU and Lenoir-Rhyne remained third.  Bowie State (Md.) moved to fourth, followed by West Alabama to round out the top five. Florida Tech sits sixth, followed by Albany State to conclude the field if the season were to end today.  
• West Florida (6-3, 4-2 GSC) is coming off a 26-10 win over North Greenville last weekend.  The Argos entered the region rankings at No. 8 for the first time this week and have a lot to play for to enhance their changes at a postseason berth.  Following the Argos is Wingate at ninth and Fayetteville State at tenth in the rankings.  UWF, Wingate and Fayetteville State all are making their first entry into the rankings this week.  There will be one more ranking next Monday, prior to the Selection Show, scheduled for Nov. 11 in the evening on NCAA.com.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for more information as it gets closer to Nov. 11.
• 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.
• Saturday's game will be the Florida Space Coast Gulf South Conference Game of the Week and broadcast on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App.  VSU also will be featured on the GSC Game of the Week next week as it hosts West Georgia.  Don Russell and Rick Rhoades will have the call of both games.  
• Valdosta State is in its 37th year of intercollegiate football and owns an overall record of 288 wins, 126 losses and four ties. This will be the second time VSU has been featured on ESPN3 this year as the Okefenokee Classic was designated as part of the D2 Showcase back in September as VSU downed Fort Valley State 55-6 in Waycross, Ga., on Sept. 8.   
• VSU leads the nation in scoring offense at 53.4 points per game.  Junior wide receiver Lio'undre Gallimore leads the nation in yards per reception at 28.2 yards per catch.
• The Blazers rank in the top five nationally in defensive touchdowns (2nd, 4), red zone defense (2, 0.542) and total offense (3, 527.8).  Individually, sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells is fourth in passing touchdowns with 26, while ranking fourth in points responsible for (192) and third in points responsible for per game at a 24.0 clip. 
• West Florida is second nationally in fumbles recovered (12), first in punt return defense holding teams to 0.86 per return and fifth in tackles for loss allowed (3.56).  
• With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the conference race is down to two teams in VSU and West Georgia.  No other team can win the title outright as UWG holds the tiebreaker over UWF. VSU has not played either team yet. 

 
INSIDE THE SERIES

• VSU leads the all-time series 2-0 with West Florida, and won in Pensacola last season with a 30-19 win.
• The Blazers won in UWF's inaugural season in 2016, 40-28 in Valdosta.
• VSU has outscored UWF 70-47 in the two meetings.

 
 
MEET THE COACHES

• VSU head coach Kerwin Bellis in his third season at the helm of the Blazers.  Bell is 21-7 at VSU and is 87-42 overall in 12 seasons of coaching, including nine seasons at the University of Jacksonville, where he went 66-35.  
• West Florida head coach Pete Shinnickis 22-13 at the helm of the Argos in his third season.  He is 125-59 in his 17th season overall, with previous stints at UNC Pembroke for seven years and Azusa Pacific (Calif.) for seven.  While he was at UNCP, he defeated VSU in Valdosta 34-29 on Nov. 7, 2013, in his final season with the program. Shinnick guided UWF to the most wins in D2 for a first-year program in 2016 with five and to the national championship game last season in the second year of the football program for the Argos.

 
A WIN OVER WEST FLORIDA WOULD . . . 

• Give VSU a 9-0 record to start the season, marking the best overall start since 2002 when the team began 14-0.  
• Give VSU a 3-2 record on Nov. 3 as the Blazers last played on this date in 2008 with a 38-16 win at Southern Arkansas.  VSU has played three-straight games on the road on this date to this point (2-1) with Saturday being the fourth. 
• Give VSU a 7-0 record in Gulf South Conference play, marking the first 7-0 start in league play since 2004, when the Blazers won their first National Championship.
• Be the 289th win in program history, the 191st GSC victory. 
• Give Coach Kerwin Bell his 22nd win at VSU (21-7) and 88th overall (87-42).
• Give VSU a 2-0 record this season in games on ESPN3.
• Give Bell is ninth win of the season, marking the most by him during his tenure at VSU.
• Give VSU a 61-40-3 record in the month of November.

 
GAMEDAY NOTES

• VSU is looking for its first win coming off a bye or cancelled game week since 2015 as it lost in 2016 at North Alabama and lost last year following the cancelled Fort Valley State game at home to North Alabama. Prior to that, VSU had won three-straight following a bye.
• The Blazers are No. 7 in both the AFCA Coaches Poll the D2Fooball.com poll for the third-straight week.  VSU began the season receiving votes and broke into the AFCA top 25 following its 58-24 win at then-No. 8 West Alabama on Sept. 15.
• West Florida fell from the rankings following its 30-28 home loss to Florida Tech two weeks ago, but is receiving votes in the AFCA poll this week. The Argos had been ranked all season up to the Florida Tech setback.
• The Blazers are perfect on the road so far this season at 3-0, marking the first unblemished road record heading into November since 2010, when the team went 4-1 away from home that season.
• VSU is 25th nationally and first in the league on third down at .441 clip, while ranking 30th nationally and third in the GSC in third down defense, holding teams to a .304 clip.  UWF is just behind VSU in both also as the Argos are 38th in third downs at a .421 clip for second in the league and fourth in the league in third down defense at a .336 clip for 56th nationally.
• Just like the Blazers, who are second nationally in defensive touchdowns with four for second in the league, UWF is third in the league in defensive touchdowns with two for 32nd nationally.  
• VSU is third in the GSC in first downs with 187 for 48th nationally, while UWF is fourth in the league in first downs with 171. UWF is second in the league and 21st nationally in net punting at 37.43, while VSU is fourth in the conference at 36.89 for 29th nationally.
• The Blazers have had just five passes intercepted this season and are 19th nationally in passing offense to lead the GSC at 289.9 yards per game.  UWF is third in the league in passing offense at 246.4.  VSU is 12th in passing yards per completion at 15.99, while ranking 20th nationally in rushing offense at 237.9.  The Blazers are third nationally in total offense at 527.8 yards per game.
• In the red zone, the Blazers have been outstanding on both sides of the ball as the team is second nationally in red zone defense, holding teams to a 0.542 clip, while offensively VSU has scored at a .900 clip for ninth nationally.
• VSU is 11th in passing efficiency nationally at 164.92, while ranking 30th in passing efficiency defense at 109.48. The Blazers are 18th nationally in tackles for loss allowed at 4.25, while UWF is fifth in TFL allowed at 3.56.
• The Blazers are sixth nationally in sacks, averaging 3.75 per game, while averaging 8.6 tackles for loss per game to lead the league and 18th nationally.  
• Wells has been outstanding under center for the Blazers this season as he is 14th in passing efficiency (160.7) and 13th in passing yards per completion (15.36).  He had 1,889 passing yards for sixth in the league and 48th nationally. Wells is 25th nationally and first in the GSC in total offense at 273.5 yards per game.
• Gallimore is second in the GSC in receiving yards with 564, while sophomore receiver Brian Saunds is 12th nationally in receiving touchdowns with nine and 13th nationally in receiving yards per reception at 21.00, right behind Gallimore.
• VSU uses three running backs and redshirt freshman Jamar Thompkins is third in the league in rushing touchdowns with six, while ranking third in rushing yards with 714.  Freshman Seth McGill has 413 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns this season. 
• UWF quarterback Sam Vaughn has put up good numbers like Wells this season and the two should be fun to watch Saturday as both guide their offense.  UWF enters fifth in the league in scoring offense (26.20 and third in scoring defense at 20.2.  The Argos average 380 yards per game on offense and allow 374.8 per game.  
• Against North Greenville, VSU has all three of its quarterbacks throw touchdown passes in the 44-21 win for Homecoming.  Three passing touchdowns by three different quarterbacks hasn't happened to the Blazers since at least 2005.