VALDOSTA, Ga. – No. 8 West Florida scored on a two-point conversion in overtime to defeat the upset-minded Valdosta State football team Saturday evening at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, 32-31.  The Blazers played arguably their most complete football game of the season and never trailed until the final two-point conversion by the Argonauts.  
 
On the first possession of the overtime, Blazer senior quarterback Ivory Durham called his own number and scampered 25-yards for the touchdown, putting the Blazers up 31-24.  Durham finished going 17 of 31 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns, while he had ten rushes for 117 yards and a touchdown.  
 
Following the touchdown, the Argonauts had a third and 13 from the VSU 18 as quarterback Peewee Jarrett rushed for ten to the VSU 18 for a fourth and three.  After a timeout by VSU, Jarrett rushed six yards to the VSU 12 for a first down.  He then found Caden Leggett for his second touchdown reception of the game for a 31-30 score.  The Blazers were called for a late hit as it moved the conversion try to the two-yard line.  After a timeout, UWF decided to go for the win and Jarrett scored the two-point conversion on the ground for the heartbreaking defeat for the Blazers.
 
Jarrett finished the game 15 of 34 passing for 309 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, while he had 17 rushes for 121 yards.  Leggett had six receptions for 98 yards and two scores.  
 
The overtime was the first for the Blazers since a thrilling 40-34 victory in double overtime at Delta State on Nov. 7, 2015.  VSU now is 2-6 all-time in overtime games.
 
VSU honored over 40 former Blazer football players returned to Titletown for the 40^th Anniversary celebration of Blazer football Saturday evening, including first head coach Jim Goodman, who guided the team for the first three seasons from 1982-1984.  He was then the athletic director at VSU in 1985 and went on to becoming the interim General Manager for the Denver Broncos.  
 
The Blazers close out the 2022 season on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m., at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium versus Shorter University in a non-conference game.  Shorter (3-7, 1-6 GSC) snapped a 51-game Gulf South Conference losing skid with a 31-14 victory at home versus North Greenville on Saturday.
 
In a back-and-forth contest from the get go, the Blazers (4-6, 2-5 GSC) finished with 403 yards of offense on 67 plays, while recording 196 passing yards and 207 yards on the ground.  Senior running back Jamar Thompkins finished with 49 yards on the ground on 13 carries and a touchdown.  He is just 77 yards from tying former Blazer Cedric O'Neal with 4,115 career yards as O'Neal played for VSU from 2012-2015.  Senior and reigning Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week Victor Talley had three catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. 
 
Defensively, the Blazers had arguably their best game of the season from start to finish as redshirt junior Ravarious Rivers finished with a career-high 14 tackles and a big interception late in regulation as the defense forced two interceptions in the contest.  One statistic defensively the Blazers had struggled with this season was third down conversion defense, but on Saturday VSU held UWF to 6 of 14 on third down.  UWF was 2 for 2 on fourth down, while VSU was 1 for 1 on fourth down.
 
For the Argos (8-1, 6-1 GSC), who won their 14^th-straight road game and, ironically their last road loss came against Valdosta State in 2019 during the regular season, 26-21.   UWF finished Saturday's game with 531 yards of offense with 222 yards on the ground and 309 through the air.  The GSC's second leading rusher, Shomari Mason, had six rushes for 38 yards in the game, while C.J. Wilson had ten rushes for 49 yards.  Mason entered the game averaging 100.0 yards per game for 23^rdnationally.  
 
Heading into the fourth quarter tied at 21, VSU had a first and 10 at the UWF 45 on a great catch from Talley and push from the Blazer offensive line for some additional yardage.  Converting a third down and then the Blazers had a fourth and inches at the UWF 24.  Out of the shotgun, Durham handed off to senior running back Seth McGill for three yards and a first down.   Penalties and a fumble moved VSU back to the 27 for a fourth down as sophomore kicker Estin Thiele belted a crucial 44-yard field goal for a 24-21 VSU lead with 9:41 left in regulation.  
 
Thiele was outstanding for the Blazers in the game as he also handled all of the kicking duties, averaging a perfect 65.0 mark on all five kickoffs and four touchbacks, while he had five punts, all 50-plus-yarders, for 273 yards and a blistering 54.6 average.  He had a career-long 64-yarder and made a huge tackle late in the first half.
 
Following the field goal, the Argos methodically moved the ball down the field the VSU 42 on the ground with 6:52 left in regulation.  After an intentional grounding penalty on Jarrett, Nate Howard caught a 29-yard pass from Jarrett on a third and 22 to the VSU 25.  Another third down for the Argos – this time third and nine from the 24 as junior Eric Ross tackled Jarett short of the first down at VSU 19.  UWF kicker Griffin Cerra converted the 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 24, with 2:51 left in regulation.  
 
On a third and six from the 23, Durham led graduate student B.K. Smith just a little too much for a 4^th down and a punt from the Blazers with 2:03 left.  Thiele followed with a career-long 64-yard punt to the UWF 13 with 1:48 left.  Jarrett went deep to Durden as sophomore La'Ken Nettles came up with huge pass breakup as he was stride-for-stride with Durden.  Jarrett hit Durden, once again, for 21 yards to the UWF 44 with under a minute remaining.  Leggett caught a 14-yard reception for a first down at the VSU 43 and 29 seconds remaining.  Ross would have the answer, however, as he made a great run and leap at a long pass from Jarrett for the second interception of the game with 13 seconds left.  VSU took a knee sending the game to overtime.
 
The game was scoreless through the first quarter and two quick first downs by the Argos began the drive early in the second quarter down to the VSU eight on a pass for 23-yards to Caden Leggett.  A bad snap pushed UWF back to its own 41 for a loss of 21 yards on first and 10.   The Argos then had another third and long – this time 3^rd and 24, as Jarrett went deep to Ian Edwards, but the pass was just out of reach for a 4^th down and an Argo punt.
 
VSU took over at its 19 and moved to the UWF 41 on a great 17-yard run by Thompkins.  Durham rolled out and hit Tally for a 41-yard touchdown strike as Talley was well covered for a great catch in the end zone and a 7-0 lead with 10:28 left in the first half.  
 
On a third and ten for UWF from the Blazer 43, Jarrett found Howard in the boundry for a 43-yard touchdown reception and a 7-7 score with 7:04 left in the first half.  It was the fourth third down conversion for the Argos in eight tries, while VSU was 1 of 3 on third down to that point.  
 
A big run for 11 yards from McGill and a rush by Durham for 27 put VSU in business at the UWF 24, followed by another good run from McGill to the 15.  Durham used his feet on a third and seven from the nine for a first down at the goal line.  Thompkins took it in from one yard out for a 14-7 lead with 2:31 left in the second quarter. 
 
Thiele came up with a huge final play of the half following his 52-yard punt as David Durden retuned it 64 yards to the VSU 11 and was tacked by Thiele, who was the Blazers' last hope before the end zone, as time expired in the half with a 14-7 Blazer lead at intermission.  It was Thiele's second tackle in as many weeks.
 
VSU had 34 plays for 220 yards of offense, including 113 passing yards and 19 carries for 107 yards on the ground for the half.  Durham was 8 of 15 passing, while he had three carries for 38 yards.  Thompkins had six carries for 35 yards and a score, while Talley had two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown reception.  
 
The Argos had 213 yards of offense on 36 plays, while they rushed 18 times for 89 yards and Jarrett had 124 yards passing and one touchdown on just converting just 6 of 18 attempts.  He did have ten carries for 79 yards on the ground, while Howard had two catches for 59 yards and the touchdown.   Mason didn't have a rush or catch for the Argos in the first half.
 
A big pass to Durden for 30 yards began the second half as UWF needed just three plays for 75 yards to tie the score.  On a broken play, the shifty Jarrett escaped and hit Durden for a 46-yard touchdown pass for a 14-14 score just 1:21 into the second half.
 
VSU responded with a great catch from Smith for 24 yards and then a great catch and run from Thompkins down to the UWF 35.  On a third and 10 from the 35, Durham ran right up the middle for 34 yards to the UWF 1.  Durham hit McGill for the touchdown to put the Blazers back in front 21-14 with 10:15 left in the third.  
 
Jarrett made things happen escaping from trouble, once again, but fortunately this time for the Blazers the Argos were called for holding.  However, moments later, on a first and 20, Jarrett scampered for 25 yards to the VSU 36.  He then threw a rainbow pass to Leggett for a touchdown and a 21-21 score with 8:18 left in the third. 
 
The Blazers went three-and-out on their next drive as UWF began its 20.  The Argos converted a third and three and then Mason went up the middle for 17 yards to the 50.  Rivers came up with a huge interception at the VSU 30 turning the Argos away from a promising drive late in the third quarter.