VALDOSTA, Ga. – On a first and ten from the Valdosta State 34 midway through the second quarter, Blazer senior running back Jamar Thompkins went for 66 yards and a touchdown for a 17-7 lead at that point, to break the school's all-time career rushing record, in a thrilling 30-28 victory over Shorter on Senior Day.  VSU finished the season 5-6, while Shorter ended 3-8.  
 
Thompkins, a native of Miami, Fla., ended his Blazer football career playing in his 50^th game and needed 77 yards to tie former Blazer Cedric O'Neal (2012-2015) for the all-time team rushing title with 4,115 yards.  Thompkins finished with 4,151 yards on 541 carries and 36 rushing touchdowns for his outstanding career, that included two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, a Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year honor and three-straight GSC First Team All-Conference selections.  He also was named to the GSC All-Decade Honorable Mention Team.  Thompkins finished in elite company as he is third all-time in rushing in the GSC with only Tyrone Rush (1989, 91-93, North Alabama, 4,421) and Fred McAfee (1987-90, Mississippi College, 4,416) in front of Thompkins.  
 
For the game Saturday, Thompkins had 10 carries for 113 yards and the 66-yard touchdown run, giving him his 36^th rushing touchdown of his career as he finished tied for third all-time in school history in rushing touchdowns with 36 with former Blazer Dominique Ross (1992-94).  Thompkins finished with 228 career points on 38 total touchdowns, also tied with Ross for seventh all-time in school history in scoring.  
 
Not only did Thompkins have a great end to his career, but the senior quarterback Ivory Durham finished his career, also in his 50^th game played, with 13 carries for 105 yards, while going 14 of 29 passing for 190 yards and a touchdown.  Durham finished 17-8 as a quarterback in two seasons, as he ended tenth all-time in school history in rushing with 2,403 yards on 301 carries and 27 rushing scores.  Durham finished fifth all-time in passing yards with 6,804, while is 476 completions are good for seventh all-time in school history and his 69 passing touchdowns tied him with former teammate Rogan Wells (2017-19) for third all-time in team history and tied for ninth in TD passes in league history.  He ended his career second all-time in school history in total offense with 9,207 yards on 1138 plays for eighth all-time in league history in total offensive yards.  Durham earned GSC Second Team honors last season and all-region second team honors, helping lead the Blazers to their third-straight Gulf South Conference title and a berth in the national championship game for the second time in three playing seasons.  
 
Not to be outdone, senior Miami, Fla., native, Seth McGill also played in his 50^th game, finishing with his career fourth all-time in the school record book with 3,369 yards on 571 carries, while his 42 rushing touchdowns were good for second all-time in school history.  McGill finished sixth all-time in school history in scoring with 46 total touchdowns for 276 points.  He earned first team all-conference honors twice and was named to the GSC All-Decade First Team as an all-purpose back and earned all-region honors in 2021.  McGill also returned 48 kicks for 1,192 yards and a 24.8 average for second all-time in program history in return yard average. 
 
Prior to the game, the Blazers honored 25 seniors playing in their final game in a Blazer uniform. This Senior Class helped lead VSU to a 46-13 record overall and a 29-9 mark in the GSC with a national title in 2018, national runner-up appearance in 2021, along with Gulf South Conference titles in 2018 and 2019 outright and a share of the league title in 2021.  The seniors helped lead VSU to Gulf South Conference record 25-game winning streak from 2017 through the regular season in 2019.  The 2022 Senior Class includes; Julian Baldi, James Barnes, Brett Buckridge, Jackson Bull, Torren Calhoun, Jeremiah Campbell, Demetrius Cooley, Juan De La Torre, Ivory Durham, Michael Gayden, Davie Henderson, Caden Marcum, Javiontae Martin, Seth McGill, Brian Rattery, Ravarius Rivers, Travon Roberts, Eddie Rox, Victor Talley, Jamar Thompkins, Antar Thompson, Dwayne Thompson II, Kiaran Turner and Darrien Young.  Blazer Athletics wishes each of these seniors the best in their future endeavors!
 
Just like the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season going down to the wire, this one was the same as VSU got the stop they needed on defense as they took over with 4:10 to play at their own 30 trailing 28-27.  On the first play, B.K. Smith caught a 30-yard pass from Durham and Thompkins went for ten on the ground, followed by Durham for 17 with his feet to the SU 11.  Blazer sophomore kicker Estin Thiele hit his third field goal of the game, this time from 25-yards for a 30-28 VSU lead with 1:31 remaining.  Thiele finished the game with 3 for 3 in field goals with three extra-points for 12 points as he moved into ninth all-time in school history in scoring with 210 points on 117 of 118 on extra-points and 31 of 40 (77.50%) in field goals.  
 
SU had a third and two from its 33 with 1:20 left in the fourth.  The Blazer "D", which has played much better over the final three weeks of the season, came up with two huge defensive breakups – one by sophomore Phillip Starks and one from senior Ravarius Rivers, forcing a fourth and two for the Hawks.  A huge hurry from senior Michael Gayden forced SU quarterback Harold Cook into an errant throw as SU turned the ball over on downs to the Blazers with 1:09 remaining.  VSU took a knee a couple of times to run out the clock for the 30-28 victory and end the season on a high note.
 
For the game, VSU finished with 439 yards on 68 plays, while Shorter had 319 yards on 70 plays.  VSU had 249 yards on the ground on 39 carries, while Shorter had 134 yards rushing on 36 carries.  Cook finished 14 of 34 passing for 185 yards, but two big sacks for 14 yards, seven breakups and five hurries by the Blazer defense pressured Cook all game long.  Blazer freshman Terrell Dudley finished with ten total tackles, while Starks had seven stops with 1.5 sacks and a breakup.  Starks and Thompkins were named the Guardian Bank Blazer Players of the Game.
 
Along with Thompkins, Durham and McGill, freshman wide receiver Ted Hurst had six huge catches for 105 yards and a touchdown and senior Victor Talley had five catches for 42 yards, while Smith recorded his one catch – a big one for 30 yards late in the game.   SU's Devin Brown had 19 carries for 102 yards and a score on the ground and John Dickerson IV had three catches for 92 yards and a score.  
 
VSU improved to 11-0 all-time against Shorter as the two games this season were decided by a combined six points.  Prior to this season, no margin was closer than 15 points.  VSU outscored Shorter 31-13 in the second half of the Sept. 24 game in Rome, Ga., after trailing 17-3 at halftime for a 34-30 victory that came down to a 4^th and 3 from the VSU 12 as SU quarterback Aeneas Dennis' pass went incomplete in the end zone with 41 seconds remaining.  
 
Saturday in the GSC Bracket Challenge and a non-conference matchup, Shorter came up with a blocked punt on VSU's second possession and then, with a short field at the VSU 26, used a pass interference penalty on a third down to move inside the ten.  On 4^th and 3 from the four, Cook called his own number for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.  
 
The Blazers responded as Durham used a 13-yard run on 3^rd and 7 for a first down at the VSU 44.   VSU continued the drive with a nice catch from Hurst and a two-yard rush on a 3^rd and 2 by McGill for a first down at the SU 22.  VSU settled for a 36-yard field goal from Thiele with 4:34 left in the first quarter and a 7-3 deficit.  
 
Following a punt by the Hawks on a three-and-out, the Blazers quickly moved down the field with great runs by Thompkins and a 34-yard catch from Hurst to the Shorter one-yard line.  McGill scored from one yard out for a 10-7 lead with 23 second left in the first quarter.  The Blazers used four plays for 57 yards for the drive.
 
VSU came up with its second sack of Cook in the game, forcing a fourth and 19 from SU's own 42 and a punt.  After the boot, Durham used a 20-yard scramble on 3^rd and 16 and then Thompkins scampered 66-yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter to break the school-record for rushing yards in a career giving him 93 in the game to that point.  He entered needing just 77 yards to tie the record as VSU led 17-7 with 7:30 left in the half. 
 
Shorter answered late in the half with a nine play, 66-yard drive as Cook connected with Dickerson for the touchdown with 31 seconds left in the half.  Dickerson caught a 13-yard pass for the score and a 17-14 VSU lead.
 
VSU tallied 201 yards on 33 plays for the first half with 156 yards on the ground, while passing for just 45 yards.  Thompkins had five carries for 96 yards and a touchdown, while McGill had ten carries for 22 yards and a score.  Durham had six carries for 38 yards, but was just 4 of 12 passing.
 
The Hawks had 147 yards of offense on 37 plays with 101 passing yards and 46 yards rushing.  Cook was 11 of 21 passing with a touchdown and a rushing score., while Dickerson had the one touchdown on two receptions.  
 
VSU had a very promising drive to start the second half and moved all the way down the SU 2, but a false start penalty moved the ball back to the seven and settled for a field goal from Thiele from 22-yards out for a 20-14 lead with 9:38 left in the third.  
 
A pass interference penalty and a personal foul penalty on VSU moved Shorter to the VSU 28 on the ensuing drive.  The third personal foul penalty of the drive put the ball at the VSU 12 and Brown went 12-yards on the ground for the score and the first lead of the game for Shorter at 21-20, with 6:49 left in the third. 
 
Durham picked up a first down on a huge fourth and one from the Shorter 35 with 11:10 left in the fourth.  Following the first down, Durham hit Hurst for a great 34-yard catch in the end zone and a 27-21 lead with 10:54 left in regulation.  VSU would've liked to have gone for two there, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Blazers made for a long extra-point for Thiele who converted.  
 
SU had a third and eight from its 23 with 9:49 left, but on a scramble by Cook to keep he play alive, he found Dickerson for a 71-yard catch and run as he was chased down at the VSU 1 by sophomore Monte Boyd.  On second down from the six following a false start, sophomore defensive back Travis Cooper came up with another huge breakup in the end zone forcing a third down.  Following a timeout by SU, VSU came up with the stop on an incomplete pass from Cook to John Dietl III.  The Hawks decided to go for it on fourth down as Brown caught the pass wide open out of the backfield for a 28-27 SU lead with 8:17 left in regulation.