VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State second-year head football coach Tremaine Jackson announced the 2023 football schedule Wednesday.  The 2023 edition features six exciting home games at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  
 
Season and single-game ticket information will be announced at a later date for the 2023 season.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for updates.  
 
The Blazers open the season at home against Point University (Ga.) on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m., followed by a road trip to Albany State on Sept. 9 and then the Blazers are scheduled to close out the non-conference slate against Keiser at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.  VSU opened the 2022 season with Keiser in Jackson's first game at the helm of the Blazers with a 36-21 victory.  
 
Point finished 4-7 in 2022 and 3-2 in the Southern States Conference, while Albany State went 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  Keiser reached the national championship game for the NAIA, falling to Northwestern College (Iowa), 35-25.  
 
Gulf South Conference play opens with North Greenville visiting on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., for Parents Weekend.  The Blazers then travel to Chowan, the newest affiliate member of the Gulf South Conference, for a Sept. 30 matchup in Murfreesboro, N.C.  It will be the first time the two schools have met on the gridiron. 
 
The second month of the season opens at home on Oct. 7 against rival Delta State at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, followed by a trip to Mississippi College on Oct. 14 and then the Blazers return home to host Shorter for Homecoming 2023 at 3 p.m. on Oct. 21.  This marks the second time VSU has matched with Shorter for Homecoming as VSU downed the Hawks 37-6 in 2014.  The Blazers are 34-6 all-time on Homecoming. 
 
Trips to West Florida (Oct. 28) and West Alabama (Nov. 4) follow as VSU then will close out the 2023 regular season slate with the annual Peach Basket Game against West Georgia on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  This marks the second-straight year the Blazers will play 11 games in the regular season. 
 
The NCAA Division II playoffs are scheduled to begin Nov. 18 culminating in the NCAA Division II National Championship set for Dec. 16, 2023, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas.