SETTING THE SCENE
As the calendar turns to October, the No. 13/16-ranked Valdosta State football team concludes its three-game road trip in a key Gulf South Conference matchup Saturday at No. 21/25 Delta State at 7 p.m. ET at Parker Field at McCool Stadium in Cleveland, Miss.
 
CALLING THE GAME
TALK 92.1 FM will broadcast the Blazer games all season long with Spencer Van Horn and Wade Beale having the call.  Fans also can access the broadcast at www.talk921.com.  Links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more can be found on at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.
  
FLOSPORTS
The Gulf South Conference enters its second year of a four-year agreement with FloSports to broadcast all GSC football games this fall.  ALL VSU football home regular season and road conference livestream broadcasts will be available exclusively through FloSports. Fans can purchase a monthly membership for $19.99 or an annual subscription for $150 ($12.50/month). The yearly membership is a saving of nearly $90.  
Subscribe to FloSports at www.flosports.tv/gulfsouth.  The membership will include:

 
VERSUS RANKED TEAMS
This is the second meeting this season for the Blazers in a matchup of ranked team versus ranked team, albeit the first meeting was with a NAIA school in Keiser with a 36-21 VSU victory. VSU is 71-62-2 all-time against ranked opponents and 26-33-1 on the road versus ranked foes.  VSU's last road game against a ranked opponent was a 61-42 loss at then-No. 20 West Florida on Nov. 13, 2021.  VSU is 2-6 against Delta State when both teams are ranked as they haven't played a ranked vs. ranked matchup since a 36-33 DSU victory on Oct. 22, 2011, in Cleveland, Miss., when DSU was #1 and VSU was #10.  VSU's last victory in a ranked matchup with DSU came on Oct. 1, 2005, with a 24-23 victory in Cleveland, Miss.  VSU was ranked No. 5, while DSU was #24.  
 
RECAPPING SHORTER
The Blazers had a tale of two halves last week with a 34-30 victory at Shorter University to open Gulf South Conference play.  The upset-minded Hawks, who had never beaten VSU, jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter and settled for a 17-3 lead at intermission.  VSU ran just six plays for 12 yards in the first quarter of the game, but finished with 58 plays for 413 yards for the contest.  Senior running back Seth McGill had 12 carries for 144 yards and what turned out to be the winning score, while senior quarterback Ivory Durham rushed for two touchdowns and was 17 of 30 passing for 237 yards and an interception.  Senior Jamar Thompkins had his string of three-straight 100-yard rushing games snapped, but did score a touchdown also.  Defensively, the Blazers came up huge with two blocked kicks - a blocked field goal in the first half and a blocked extra-point in the second half, which those four points proved to be the difference in the contest.  VSU outscored Shorter 31-13 in the second half.  
 
SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS
The Blazers have outscored the opposition 116-48 in the second half this season, with a 59-20 lead in the third quarter and a 57-28 advantage in the fourth.  Conversely, the red and black have been outscored 55-49 in the first half, including 48-33 in the second quarter.  In the three victories this season, VSU has outscored the opposition 96-27 in the second half.   
 
WITH THE BLOCK
VSU came up with two huge blocks - one a field goal from senior Javiontae Martin in the first half to preserve a 10-0 deficit at the time in the second quarter and then on a blocked extra-point from sophomore Sean Colman.  The last time VSU blocked a field goal was by Christian Matthews versus North Greenville in 2021, but VSU hadn't blocked an extra-point since Sept. 16, 2017 against North Alabama by Jarius Jones.  VSU now is 25th nationally and second in the GSC in blocked kicks with two.  North Greenville leads the league with three blocks this season.
 
BILLUPS WITH THE PICK
Redshirt freshman defensive back Jordan Billups came up with a huge 65-yard interception return in the second half of the Blazers' 34-30 victory at Shorter on Saturday.  It was Billups' first career INT and the fifth of the season for the Blazers.  VSU is 33rd nationally and tops in the GSC in INTs with five.  VSU has had just two passes intercepted for the season for 24th nationally and second in the league.
 
STRONG AGAINST THE GSC
Over the 39-plus years of football at VSU, the Blazers have done well against the GSC and has a winning record against every current GSC foe except Delta State who leads the series 20-19-1.  The Blazers are 207-88-3 all-time against the GSC.  The 207 victories are most in GSC history among current members and second-most all-time behind 219 from North Alabama.  
 
22:57
The Blazers had the ball for just 22:57 minutes of time in the 34-30 win at Shorter on Sept. 24.  That was the fewest minutes of possession time this season.  The Blazers had the ball for just 3:08 in the first quarter and 4:43 in the second quarter.  VSU is averaging 28:22 minutes of possession time this season for fifth in the GSC.  Delta State is eighth in the league at 22:13.  
 
MCGILL OVER 100
Senior running back Seth McGill had his first game of the season with 144 yards on 12 carries in the win over Shorter.  It marked the fourth-straight game of having a player rush for over 100 yards.  Senior Jamar Thompkins rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first three games.  McGill is 29th nationally in all-purpose yards at 136.50 yards for second in the GSC, while he is ninth nationally in rushing yards per carry at 7.63 for second in the GSC.  McGill is second on the team in rushing yards with 328 on 43 carries for an 82.0 average per game.  For his career, McGill is second in school history in career rushing touchdowns with 39, while he is sixth all-time in scoring with 252 points.  McGill is eighth in school history in career rushing yards with 2,979.  
 
DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES
Seniors Jameon Gaskin and Michael Gayden each had double-digit tackles at Shorter on Saturday in the 34-30 victory.  Gaskin led the way with 11 total tackles, while Gayden had ten tackles.  This was the first time this season two Blazers had double-digit tackles in the same game.  The 11 stops by Gaskin marks the season-high in tackles this season for VSU, while it tied his career-high set last season against North Greenville.  Gaskin has played in 38 games with 29 starts for his career, while he has 203 total tackles with 82 solo stops.  He has 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, along with ten quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble. 
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Blazers began a three-game stretch of road games on Sept. 17 in the 55-7 victory at Miles College and continued with the 34-30 win at Shorter last week, while concluding the trip at Delta State Saturday. This is the first three-game road trip since 2014 when the Blazers ended the regular season with three-straight road games and then a fourth and fifth game on the road at North Alabama and Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA playoffs.  2022 marks the third time of playing three-straight road games in a regular season with 2014 and 2003 being the other two.  In 1992, VSU opened the season with four-straight road games.  VSU won its last four road openers dating back to 2018 with the win last weekend.  
 
GUARDIAN BANK PLAYERS OF THE GAME
This season each game a number of players will be selected as the Guardian Bank Players of the Game.  Below is the list of each Guardian Bank Players of the Game from each contest this season.  

 
FIRST IN THE NATION
The Blazers lead the nation in first down offense with 102 first downs gained this season, while they lead the nation in red zone offense at 1.000 with seven other schools.  VSU is 20 of 20 in red zone trips this season with 13 touchdowns.  Delta State is third in the GSC in first down offense with 84 and second in the league in red zone offense at a .917 clip on 22 of 24 trips with 14 touchdowns.
 
DURHAM MOVING UP
VSU senior quarterback Ivory Durham is 82 of 153 passing for 1180 yards and 12 touchdowns this season with two interceptions.  He has 29 carries for 195 yards and two rushing scores as well, while he is averaging 343.8 yards of total offense for fourth nationally.  Durham leads the GSC in completions per game (20.50), while he is fifth nationally in passing touchdowns (12), tenth in passing yards (1180), 11th in passing yards per game (295.0) and fourth in points responsible for (84).  For his career, Durham is tenth nationally in rushing yards with 1969 on 239 carries, while he is tied for eighth in rushing touchdowns with 24. He is eighth in passing yards with 5214 and tenth in completions (365), along with sixth in passing touchdowns with 54, one shy of tying Willie Copeland (2006-07) with 55.  Durham is fifth in school history in total offense with 7183 yards for his illustrious career.
 
ABOUT DELTA STATE
The Statesmen are hosting VSU in its first home game of the season as DSU went 4-0 on the road to begin the season, including the double overtime victory at then-No. 6 West Florida last Saturday night, 45-42.  The Statesmen had three players named GSC Players of the Week for offense, defense and special teams.  Quarterback Patrick Shegog went 19 of 36 passing for 294 yards and three touchdowns, while he rank the ball 14 times for 84 yards and a touchdown.  Tamos Stevenson, who leads the team in tackles, had nine solo stops and 13 total tackles against the Argos.  Tyler Kennedy returned four kickoffs for 178 yards (44.5 avg.) and a 96-yard return for a score.  DSU has outscored the opposition 164-103 with wins at Kentucky State (33-10), McKendree (58-34), FCS foe Mississippi Valley State (28-17) and West Florida.  Overall this season, DSU has seven of its 11 games on the road.  Head coach Todd Cooley is in his ninth season at the helm of the Statesmen.  He is 52-38 there and 2-6 against VSU.  The Statesmen were picked fifth in the GSC preseason poll after the team went 5-6 in 2021 with a 3-4 mark in GSC play.  This season, with a ton of new players, Shegog and wide receiver Dohnte Meyers are two key returnees.  Shegog is 11th nationally in passing efficiency (162.8) for second in the league, while he is 12th in passing yards per completion (16.8) for second in the league.  He is 52 of 86 passing for 836 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.  He has 37 rushes for 167 yards and scored three touchdowns.  Shegog is third in the GSC in total offense at 250.8 as VSU quarterback Ivory Durham leads the way in the league at 343.8 yards per game for fourth nationally.  Meyers is 20th nationally in receiving yards for second in the GSC with 388, while he leads the league in receiving touchdowns (4) for 13th nationally.  As a team, DSU is averaging 429.0 yards of offense for fourth in the GSC and 30th nationally, while it allows 454.9 yards.  The Statesmen are 32nd nationally in passing offense (255.5), while averaging 173.5 yards on the ground.  DSU allows 218.2 yards on the ground and 236.2 yards through the air.   Defensively, Stevenson leads the Statesmen with 27 total tackles and 19 solo stops, while Demario Martin has a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks on the year.  As a team, DSU has 44 tackles for loss and nine sacks this season.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH DELTA STATE
DSU leads the all-time series 20-19-1 as this is the 41st meeting between the two teams.  VSU has had the upper hand recently, winning the last six meetings, including a 55-0 victory last season in Valdosta.  The Blazers are 10-10-1 all-time in Cleveland, Miss., and 9-10 in Valdosta.  VSU has outscored the Statesmen 1,264 to 1,008 all-time.  The Blazers' victory in Cleveland in 2019 marked the third-straight road victory for VSU in the series.  VSU has never won four-straight in the series on the road.
 
CAREER THOMPKINS
Senior running back Jamar Thompkins is third all-time in school history in career rushing yards with 3,633 on 454 carries and 32 rushing touchdowns, putting him fifth in career rushing touchdowns in program history.  Thompkins is eighth all-time in scoring with 210 points for his career on 35 total touchdowns.  This season he is 11th nationally in and third in the GSC in rushing yards per carry at 7.51 behind McGill, while Thompkins is second in the GSC in rushing yards with 353, just 11 yards behind UWF's Shomari Mason.  
 
THIELE NAMED TO FRED MITCHELL AWARD WATCH LIST
Following his outstanding start to the season, sophomore kicker Estin Thiele has been named to the September Watch List of the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award, which annually goes to the top place-kicker from FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA and NJCAA in January.  This month, 17 place-kickers were announced including Thiele.  In all, five of the 17 were from NCAA Division II institutions.  This season, Thiele is 9 of 10 in field goals with a long of 45 and 18 of 19 in extra-points for 45 total points.  Thiele is second nationally in field goals per game at a 2.25 clip, while he is 11th in field goal percentage at a .900 average.  Thiele is eighth nationally in scoring at 11.2 points per game to lead the league.  For his career at VSU, he has scored 160 points.  
 
PIVOTAL DOWNS
The Blazers are 27th nationally and third in the GSC in 3rd-down conversion at a .460 clip on 23 of 60.  The Blazers are 28th nationally on 4th down defense, holding teams to a .250 clip on 1 of 6.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
VSU leads the GSC in passing offense at 297.2 yards per game for 12th nationally, while VSU is fourth nationally in sacks allowed at a 0.25 clip for third in the GSC.  The Blazers have surrendered just one sack through four games thus far.  VSU also is strong in tackles for loss allowed as they are tenth nationally at 3.25 for second in the GSC.  The Blazers also are tenth nationally in scoring offense at 41.2 points per game for second in the GSC.
 
THE 700 CLUB
The Blazers tallied 700 yards of offense on Sept. 17 at Miles College, marking the second highest output in school history.  VSU tallied the school-record of 719 yards of offense against West Georgia (Nov. 27, 2021) in the NCAA playoffs.  The 700 yards is the most in the regular season since the red and black had 671 yards at Shorter on Sept. 28, 2019.  The 700 yards last week also is the most in the NCAA so far this season in Division II and VSU is one of seven institutions with a game of 700 yards of offense across all three divisions.  Moreover, the 700 yards is good for eighth-best all-time in Gulf South Conference history, as VSU leads all of Division II in total offense this season at 562.7 yards per game.
 
DURHAM FOR SIX
Senior quarterback Ivory Durham tossed a career-high six touchdown passes at Miles College on Sept. 17, tying for the most in a single game this season in NCAA Division II with four others.  He also had five touchdown passes versus Virginia Union (Sept. 10).  Durham finished the game 14 of 27 passing for 359 yards, the six TDs and no interceptions, while he had ten rushes for 113 yards.  Durham's six tosses marked the most since former Blazer Rogan Wells threw six in the national championship game in 2018 against Ferris State.  The six tosses at Miles College tied Durham for seventh all-time in GSC history as former Blazers Chris Hatcher (2) and Dusty Bonner each tossed seven TDs in a game, which is the league record, achieved six times in league history.   
 
DURHAM NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For his standout efforts on Sept. 17, Durham was named GSC Player of the Week after his six TDs and rushing for over 100 yards at Miles College.  It marked the third time Durham has earned GSC Player of the Week honors for his career and he is the fourth different Blazer to earn weekly honors this season, along with senior linebacker Jameon Gaskin, freshman linebacker Akil Lampley and sophomore kicker Estin Thiele.  Durham is tenth all-time in program history in career rushing yards with 1,959 on 233 carries with 22 rushing touchdowns, which is good for tenth in school history.  Durham is sixth all-time in program history in passing touchdowns with 54, while he has 4,977 passing yards for ninth all-time in school history.  He is 348 of 599 passing and 14 interceptions.  Durham is fifth all-time in school history in total offense with 6,936 career yards on 832 plays.
 
D2FOOTBALL.COM HIGHLIGHTS DURHAM
In addition to his GSC Player of the Week accolade, Durham also was named D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week, marking the second Blazer to earn the honor this season as sophomore kicker Estin Thiele earned D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors, following the first week of the season.  Durham also was named Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athlete of the of the Week.

FIRST TOUCHDOWN
Following an interception on the first play from scrimmage by sophomore Phillip Starks, the Blazers needed just two plays to put it in the end zone on Sept. 17 in the win at Miles College.  Durham rushed for 16 yards and Thompkins rushed for 18 for the score at the 14:18 mark in the first quarter.  It was the quickest from scrimmage touchdown for the Blazers from the start of the game since the 14:13 mark on Oct. 5, 2019, when VSU needed just two plays and 47 seconds as Thompkins ran 54-yards for a score against Mississippi College.  Last season, the Blazers ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown from both Thompkins and former Blazer Lio'undre Gallimore against Delta State (Oct. 9, 2021).
 
ALLEN, HURST, JEFFERY AND TISDALE
The quartet recorded four of the eight touchdowns by the Blazers on Sept. 17, and all four scored their first touchdowns as a Blazer for their careers.  Freshman Ted Hurst caught an 18-yard pass early in the second quarter for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.  It marked his second reception of the season.  Sophomore Council Allen had a career game with four catches for a career-high 106 yards and a 75-yard touchdown reception in the second half, while graduate student Justin Jeffery caught his first TD for the Blazers in the third quarter on a 30-yard catch and run.  Sophomore Valdosta and Lowndes High School product Travis Tisdale broke off a 46-yard run down to the Miles 1-yard line and then called his number again for the score putting an exclamation point on the 55-7 victory. 
 
DUDLEY DOES WORK
Freshman Terrell Dudley tallied a team-high nine solo tackles, one sack for nine yards and two tackles for loss for 13 yards in the win at Miles College.  It marked his first career start for the Blazers also. 
 
UNDER 200 
Speaking of defense, the Blazers held Miles College to under 200 yards of total offense, allowing 115 yards rushing and just 69 yards passing.  It marked the first time since Savannah State had 187 yards of offense with 127 on the ground and 60 through the air to open the 2021 season as VSU won 53-7.
 
GETTING THE PICK 
The Blazers had three picks in the victory over Keiser on Sept. 1 marking the first time since Sept. 21, 2019, in a 44-27 victory over West Alabama, VSU tallied three INTs in a game.  In the game, Gaskin recorded his second career INT and returned it 37 yards late in the game, while sophomore Sean Colman and junior Ravarius Rivers each had an interception.  It was Rivers' third INT for his career and Colman's first.  Since 2018, VSU has had four games of three interceptions as a team. 
 
40TH YEAR
The 2022 season marks the 40th playing season of Blazer football.  The program is 319-130-4 all-time (.709) and has just four losing seasons in the history of the program.  VSU has 32 winning seasons and has won double-digit games 12 times, including a school-record 14 victories in 2002 and 2018.  The Blazers have won four national championships and appeared in six national title games - all since 2002.  The Blazers are 29-14 all-time in the NCAA postseason in 18 appearances as the four national titles are tied with Grand Valley State for third-most in NCAA Division II history and tie for second among active Division II programs (Northwest Missouri State, 6).  The 29 NCAA postseason victories are good for fifth-most all-time in D2 and third-most among active D2 members (Northwest Missouri State, 52 / Grand Valley State, 36).  
 
TEAM CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED FOR 2022 SEASON
For the 2022 season, the team captains for the Blazers are senior quarterback Ivory Durham, senior running back Seth McGill, graduate offensive lineman Jeremiah Campbell, senior linebacker Jameon Gaskin and graduate defensive lineman Javiontae Martin.  The captains have a combined record of 36-3 with a national championship in 2018, three Gulf South Conference titles and a national runner-up finish in 2021.
 
2022 BLAZER LEADERSHIP COUNCIL 
First year head coach Tremaine Jackson announced in August the 2022 Blazer Leadership Council, including team captains Campbell, Durham, Gaskin Martin and McGill, along with graduate defensive lineman Michael Gayden, sophomore long snapper Brett Buckridge, senior linebacker Jackson Bull and sophomore linebacker Phillip Starks.  
 
11 FOR 22
For the first time since 1999, the Blazers are scheduled to play 11 games during the regular season.  This marks just the 13th time in the 40-year playing history of the program playing 11 regular season games.  
 
HEAD COACH TREMAINE JACKSON
Valdosta State Director of Athletics announced at a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, at a press conference Tremaine Jackson as the 11th head coach in Blazer football history. "I am honored and humbled to be named the Head Football Coach at Valdosta State University," Jackson said.  "I'd like to thank Athletic Director Mr. Reinhard and President Carvajal for the opportunity to lead the Blazer football program.  It is my intent to continue and enhance the storied tradition of Blazer football for many years to come.  I cannot wait to get to Titletown USA to meet the local community and begin our work on the 2022 season!  There are three main things that attracted me to Valdosta State, (1) the history, tradition and brand of VSU football, (2) the chance to compete on the national stage every year, (3) the chance to be coached by a seasoned Athletic Director like Mr. Reinhard."  During Jackson's tenure at Colorado Mesa, he went 10-3 in his two seasons, including 8-2 this season and posted a thrilling 26-21 victory over then-No. 3-ranked Colorado School of Mines on Oct. 23, 2021, for Homecoming.  It was the Mavericks' first victory over a top five opponent since they became an NCAA Division II school in 1994.  Jackson's squad went 2-1 in the spring of 2021 during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The 2021 fall edition of the Mavericks finished 13th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 15.6 points per game, while the team was 34th nationally in scoring offense at 33.7 points per game.  CMU finished in the top 20 nationally in both total defense (10th – 258.2 ypg) and total offense (16th – 452.0 ypg). Jackson coached two Academic All-America players this season and one AFCA Second Team All-America honoree, along with 21 All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) performers, including RMAC Offensive Freshman of the Year in Karst Hunter.
 
COACH TREMAINE JACKSON SHOW(S)
The Coach Tremaine Jackson Show will be available each Sunday at vstateblazers.com on the football page throughout the season as it will include interviews from Jackson, select players and highlights from the previous game.  Spencer Van Horn and Dave Garner host the show throughout the season and Jamie Abbott of Crashandannie Productions directs and produces the show.  Also returning this season is the Monday evening radio show at Salty Snapper from 7-8 p.m.  Coach Jackson will break down the previous game with Matt Malone - Assistant Athletic Director for Development hosting.  Jackson and Malone will recap the previous week and preview the next game. The Tremaine Jackson Show will begin Monday, August 29 and will be broadcast on 105.9 FM WVGA in Valdosta and www.valdostatoday.com.
 
NO SHUTOUTS
The Blazers lead all of NCAA Division II with 357 consecutive games without being shutout dating back to a 12-0 loss to Central Florida on Sept. 14, 1991.  VSU only has been shut out five times in program history.  Grand Valley is just behind the Blazers at over 340 games without a shutout.
 
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
The Blazers have had an outstanding 39+ years of football since the program began in 1982.  The Blazers have the second-highest winning percentage all-time in NCAA Division II with a 319-130-4 record (.709) behind Grand Valley State (419-143-3) with a .741 clip.  VSU went 88-27 from 2010-2019 for a .765 average which is good for eighth in NCAA Division II for the decade.
 
A VICTORY OVER DELTA STATE WOULD . . .