SETTING THE SCENE
The top-ranked Valdosta State football team returns home for Homecoming 2019 as it battles Florida Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  The Blazers enter with a 6-0 record and lead the Gulf South Conference with a 4-0 record, while Florida Tech enters with a 3-3 record and a 1-2 mark in league play.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BLAZERS
VSU is coming off its school-record 21st-straight victory with a 34-13 win at Delta State last Saturday evening.  Trailing for the first time all season at 3-0 after the first DSU possession of the game, VSU scored 10-straight points and led 20-6 at halftime.  DSU pulled within 20-13 on the first possession of the second half, but VSU quickly responded with a touchdown on the ensuing drive and then quarterback Rogan Wells made the score 34-13 with 1:02 left in the game on a great 70-yard run.  
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH FLORIDA TECH
The Blazers own a 5-1 record all-time against Florida Tech and have won the last two games, including a 51-21 victory last season in Melbourne, Fla.  VSU is 3-0 all-time against Florida Tech in Valdosta and 2-0 all-time against the Panthers on Homecoming.  Florida Tech's lone win in the series came in Melbourne on Oct. 29, 2016, with a 38-20 victory.  The Blazers have outscored the Panthers 235-137 in the history of the series.
 
FLORIDA TECH PANTHERS SERIES
10/05/13   Valdosta      W  52-14
11/15/14   Melbourne    W  31-29
11/14/15   Valdosta      W  39-21
10/29/16   Melbourne    L   38-20
10/28/17   Valdosta      W  42-14
10/13/18   Melbourne    W  51-21
 
ON THIS DATE
The Blazers are 4-1 all-time on October 19, and have won their last four meetings this date.  VSU is 1-0 at home on this date, with a 38-37 win over West Georgia in 1991, also on Homecoming, while going 3-1 on the road on October 19.  VSU has outscored the opposition 165-104 on this date. 
 
BLACKJACK BLAZERS
The Blazers came up Blackjack with their 21st-straight victory on Saturday in the 34-13 win over Delta State, for the longest current winning streak in NCAA Division II and tied for the second-longest streak in all divisions of the NCAA with Clemson.  In addition, the Blazers are just two wins shy of the GSC record of 23-straight wins set by North Alabama in 1994-95, while VSU has won 17-straight regular season games for the fourth-longest streak in league history.  VSU owns the league-record for consecutive regular season victories at 35 from 2000-03.  
 
MILESTONE VICTORY
Not only having the longest winning streak in Division II, VSU also won its 300th game in program history on Saturday at Delta State.  VSU is 300-126-4 (.702) since football began in 1982 for an average of 7.9 wins per year.  VSU has won double-digit games ten times and, with the win on Saturday, ensured itself of its 30th winning season in program history.
 
HOW TO CATCH THE GAME
The game will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ in Valdosta with Spencer Van Horn and Wade Beale having the call.  Fans can access links to live stats and audio/video streaming of the game at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.  The stream of the game is free.   
 
HOMECOMING 2019
VSU is 32-5 all-time on Homecoming and is 2-0 against Florida Tech.  The Blazers have gone 4-1 in the last five games on Homecoming, 9-1 in the last ten and 18-2 in the last 20.  VSU won 17-straight Homecoming games from 2000-2016.  Last season, VSU downed North Greenville on Homecoming, 44-21 in the first meeting on the gridiron between the two teams.  VSU has outscored the opposition 1,194-612 on Homecoming. 
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Blazers raced out to a 24-0 lead at halftime at Florida Tech last season.  FT pulled within 24-14 early in the fourth quarter, but VSU then scored 27 points in the final period, including an 88-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Aaron Dawson on a strip sack fumble as time expired.  VSU kept its streak of scoring 44 or more points in each game intact with the touchdown on the last play.  Blazer quarterback Rogan Wells went 15 of 31 passing for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while he ran 12 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.  VSU held a 496-391 lead in total yards, while it rushed for 282 yards and passed for 214.   
 
LAST TO TRAIL 
VSU was the final team to trail in a game this season in all of NCAA Division II as Delta State jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the first possession of the game Saturday.  The deficit was short lived, however, as VSU marched down the field on its first offensive possession and tied the game with a field goal.  VSU needed just 4:12 minutes to tie the game and the score remained tied for just 4:42.  The Blazers led for 51:06 minutes, marking the fifth time in six games VSU has led for 50 or more minutes this season.  Of the 360 minutes of football this season, VSU has led for all but 33:23 for a lead time of 326:37.  
 
RUSHING WELLS
Blazer junior quarterback Rogan Wells scampered for a 70-yard run for the final touchdown in the 34-13 win over Delta State last Saturday, marking the longest run from scrimmage for a Blazer this season.  It was his second-longest rush of his career as he had an 81-yard rush at West Florida on Nov. 3, 2018.  Wells led the team with 104 yards on the ground against the Statesmen, marking the fourth time he has eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in a game in his career and the first time this season.   
 
McGILL OVER 100 
For the second time this season, VSU had two rushers over 100 yards, marking the first time that has happened since the 2014 season.   Sophomore Seth McGill had his second career game of over 100 yards rushing on Saturday at Delta State as he had 14 carries for 103 yards.  McGill's best outing came with 111 yards on nine carries at Mississippi College on Sept. 29, 2018.  
 
DULIN DUELING 
Junior defensive lineman Arrington Dulin took a direct snap on a fourth down and ran it bruising 23 yards for a first down setting up the Blazers for a touchdown in the final minute of the first half Saturday at Delta State and a 20-6 lead. It was Dulin's first career rush and really put a spark in the Blazers as DSU was within striking distance at 13-6 prior to the score.
 
STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF
This season, the Blazers have outscored the opposition 106-41 in the second half and have held the opponents scoreless in the final half twice, including Sept. 28 at Shorter and Albany State in the season-opener Sept. 7.    The Blazers have scored 250 points for the season and average 41.7 points per game for 14th nationally and first in the league.  Conversely, VSU is 17th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 14.7 points per game for second in the GSC behind West Florida at 11.6 points allowed per game.
 
EFFICIENT BLAZERS 
The Blazers are tenth nationally in passing efficiency at 168.10 for first in the GSC, while holding teams to a 95.95 clip for 15th nationally and first in the league.  Wells leads the GSC and is tenth nationally in passing efficiency at 172.0.  
 
GOOD ON THIRD, EVEN BETTER ON FOURTH
The Blazers have been better than 45 percent in each game this season on the pivotal down and are 36 of 68 for the season for a 53% clip, ranking sixth nationally and first in the GSC.  VSU is holding teams to 21 of 62 on third down for a 32.5 average for 43rd nationally and third in the GSC.  On fourth down, the red and black is 4 of 5 for 80% and is fourth nationally and first in the GSC.
 
GETTING THE FIRST
The Blazers are fifth nationally in first downs with 151 for first in the GSC, while the Blazers are holding teams to 91 first downs for 20th nationally and second in the GSC.  
 
GROUND ASSAULT 
The Blazers have been outstanding this season on the ground as they are sixth nationally in rushing offense at 286.2 yards per game.  The Blazers have rushed for over 300 yards twice this season, with a school-record 446 yards at Shorter (Sept. 28) and has over 200 yards on the ground in five of six games thus far.   
 
CARRYING THE LOAD
Sophomore running back Jamar Thompkins leads the nation in rushing yards per carry at 8.77, while he is 20th nationally in rushing yards (605), 21st in rushing yards per game (100.8) to lead the GSC.  He is third in the conference in rushing touchdowns with seven for 21st nationally.  Thompkins also is 25th nationally in all-purpose yards at 140.3 per game to lead the league. 
 
STRONG TOTALS
The Blazers are fourth nationally and first in the league in total offense at 526.8 yards per game, while ranking 11th in total defense, holding teams to just 259.5 yards per game.  VSU quarterback Rogan Wells is 27th nationally in total offense at 261.5 yards per game for second in the GSC.        
 
HITTIN' THE TARGET
VSU is second nationally in completion percentage at a 73.0 clip for the season as it is 127 of 174 passing this season.  Wells is second nationally in completion percentage at a 76.4 clip for the season, while he is averaging 18.3 completions per game for 34th nationally and fourth in the GSC.  
 
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
The Blazers recorded three interceptions and five total turnovers of West Alabama on Sept. 21, leading to a 17-7 lead in points off turnovers.  Sophomore Aaron Dawson had the first defensive touchdown for the Blazers this season with an 80-yard pick-six, while junior Cory Roberts and senior Stanley Dye also had interceptions.  This season, the Blazers have five interceptions through six games for third in the GSC.  VSU has a 38-14 lead in points off turnovers for the season.  
 
NO SHUTOUT
VSU leads all of NCAA Division II in the most games without being shutout at 334 games.  The Blazers last were blanked on Sept. 14 1991, in a 12-0 loss at Central Florida.  VSU has been shutout just five times in the history of the program in 430 games.   
 
FEW INTERCEPTIONS
The Blazers had their first pass intercepted last week at Delta State for the season.  Despite that, VSU is third nationally in fewest interceptions this season as Ouachita Baptist and GSC foe Mississippi College haven't thrown an INT this season to lead the nation.  
 
 VICTORY OVER FLORIDA TECH WOULD  . . .

• Give VSU a 7-0 record to start the season for the eighth time in program history
• Continue the longest winning streak in school history and currently in NCAA Division II (22 games)
• Give VSU a 5-1 record all-time on Oct. 19
• Give VSU a 26-6 record as the top-ranked team in the country
• Be the 301st win all-time in program history and the 197th in GSC history
• Give VSU a 6-1 record all-time against Florida Tech and a 4-0 record against the Panthers in Titletown
• Be the 33rd victory on Homecoming for VSU and the second-straight Homecoming win